Wild Facts

Photo from Wikimedia

Who else here is excited that today is Friday? Not only that but we are only a week away from Christmas Eve! I hope all of you have your shopping done and are ready to celebrate the festive season. For today’s Wild Fact, I chose an animal that is near and dear to my heart. One of my first friends in life was an English Springer Spaniel named Buffy. She was the greatest dog you could possibly have and I basically hung out with her for the first 13 years of my life. Not only am I dedicating today’s Wild Fact to Buffy but to all dogs that have a special place in our family and in our hearts.

Field Breed (Left), Show Breed (Right) - Photo by AC (Wikicommons)

The Springer Spaniel is a medium sized dog with a moderately long coat and feathering along the legs and tail. This particular dog is unique as there is a large difference between the field bred dogs and the show dogs. They almost appear to be two completely different breeds of dog which is a result of the gene pool being separated around 70 years ago. Typically the field dogs will have shorter fur, less pendulous ears, are more wiry and have a feral look to them compared to the show breeds. I believe Buffy was a show dog although, I don’t think she ever competed.

Typically the English Springer Spaniel makes a great family dog since they are friendly, eager to please, quick to learn and will actually obey their master (unlike your children).  Traditionally, the Springer Spaniel was bred to be a hunting dog.  As a result they have a talent for flushing birds out of the thick underbrush and into the trees.  Today they are still used as hunting dogs and will also help out the police every now and again.  That’s right the English Springer Spaniel is commonly used as a sniffer dog.  They can be trained to sniff out explosives, drugs and even cell phones.  I am not making that last one up.  Guards at HM Prison Norwich (in England) used these spaniels to sniff out illegal cell phones being used by inmates.  The dogs were so good that they were able to tell the difference between the guards phones and the inmates illegal phones.  This is good news if you ever take your phone privileges away from your child.  You will be able to use your household pet to see if they are sneaking the phone behind your back.

Photo from Wikicommons

Springer Spaniel Fast Fact – The Springer Spaniel is very closely related to the English Cocker Spaniel.  In fact, about a century ago these two dogs could be found in the same litter.  As a result, the Springer Spaniel picked up a rare condition that is found in Cocker Spaniels.  It is called Rage Syndrome and will cause your loving pet to suddenly attack.  They will usually have a glazed look in their eyes and be unaware of their surroundings.  This state can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes.  After that they return to their normal, loving self.  Interestingly enough, this extremely rare syndrome has only been documented in the show breeds.  The field breeds of Springer Spaniel don’t appear to have this condition.

Thanks for reading a longer Wild Fact on this Friday.  Can you tell I was excited about writing this post on my very first pet?  I hope all of you have a great weekend.  See you on Monday!