The Cocker Spaniel Society of NSW

Truffles' journey home

Truffles came to us in April 2010 from Bellebriar. She was just over three and had grown up in a family with two very small and active children. The family had to give her up for adoption due to the demands of family life. She was given back to her breeder who found herself unable to continue her passion for Cocker breeding. Truffles was passed into the gracious care of Anna Hatherly and the Bellebriar family.

Our family had always wanted a dog but we waited until our children had reached their teens before taking on the responsibility. My mother had a Cocker Spaniel and as a young child I had fond memories of the dog and the breed.

Truffles was and still is an energetic girl who enjoys the company of people. Like the rest of the family, she is an extrovert who enjoys outdoor activities from playing ball and cricket to long walks and swims along the Cronulla beaches. She can move from being an excellent and intelligent working dog who wants to please and play to a quiet and intuitive lap dog.

Truffles has been embraced by not only by our extended family but my children’s friends who know her name better than my own. It’s not unusual to be in the local beach car park and a carload of teenagers drive past howling an adoring hello not to her master but to the one and only Miss Truffles. Walks usually come with enquiries about the breed. Children tell their mums: “I want one just like her.” The tail beats and the affection is infectious: a walking, talking advertisement and advocate for the Cocker cause. Perhaps it’s her latent memory of little children: a puppy past. Constant public adulation of her white head mark has given her an exotic café name extension - Truffles Latte.

Like the rest of the family, she is a talker. While she knows her place, she also knows how to get a word in. Perhaps it’s an attempt to keep up with the pack: she will enunciate words – especially ‘a walk?’ – when asked the question. It’s not unusual for a long chat after a day at school, university or work. She has also brought great delight and comfort to ageing grandparents and has given so much more to our family than we could have ever imagined.

The rescue work of any dog is of enormous importance. We remember Truffles' ride home in the car the day we adopted her into our family. It was the start of a wonderful journey for us all. The unlimited love and joy of a Cocker Spaniel cannot be counted, only accepted as a precious gift.


Submitted by Graeme Cole