The first American Cocker Spaniel to be registered with the United Kingdom’s Kennel Club was a dog named Aramingo Argonaught. Before he was allowed to be shown, however, show judges had to confirm that he was, indeed, an American Cocker Spaniel, and not the English variety. In that country, and until the 1960’s, American Cocker Spaniels were shown under the “rare breeds” category, and it wasn’t until 1999 that the FCI published a standard for the breed.

As an aside, an ASCOB Cocker Spaniel known as “Striker” was just named Best in Show at last week’s 2017 AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin. “Striker” prevailed over nearly 5,000 dogs to earn a $50,000 cash prize in addition to the coveted “Best in Show” title. Every dog in the line up was exquisite, but to see how Striker won the judge over, watch him move out in the video below by going to the 8:08 mark. In dog parlance, we’d call Striker a “moving fool.”

Following his win, he and handler, Mike Pitts, made an appearance on TV’s Pickler & Ben show in Nashville:

Image: “Ascob American Cocker Spaniel” by Kathleen Sepulveda is available as home decor, stationery, and of course, prints and posters here.