Costa Rica

BRIEF COCKER HISTORY IN COSTA RICA
Reported by Vanessa Rosales (Roselane's)

Although many Cockers were imported to the country before the ACC was founded, the first Cocker was registered in 1980. It was an American silver bitch, Kim's Taboo, which came with the Californian Engineer Kim Hildreth. Kim's friendship with Winnie Vick allowed him to acquire Bobwin's Nobility, a silver Ch. Bobwin's Sir Charles son, and bring him to Costa Rica in 1981. Both Taboo and Nobility became famous winners at early ACC shows and ancestors of most Costa Rican ASCOBs. In 1983, a chocolate Mexican Champion, born in the US, came to the country to be the first show dog for the newly established Ana's Cockers kennel. His name was Banastre's Koko Man. Bred to some of the Taboo/Nobility daughters, he produced the first Costa Rican blacks. It was 1986 when Roselane's Cockers imported the first particolor that came to Costa Rica (and Central America as well). She was Magicridge's Tri-my-Café, a chocolate tricolor bitch. The tricolor dog, Caralee's Triple Profit, soon followed her. These two later produced the first Costa Rican and Central American born particolor litter. One of them, Roselane's Blueberry Pie Tri, was sold to Guatemala in 1989 and became the foundation bitch of the Appeal's Cockers kennel.

The breed's popularity reached a peak during the 1990s. Cockers were Dog of the Year in 1995 and 1996, and several US and Mexican imports came to the country to satisfy the increasing demand for the gorgeous puppies. As always, this promoted irresponsible breeding, which produced a negative impact that has not been yet overcome. Many health problems began plaguing the Costa Rican Cockers, such as hip displasia, patellar luxation, and cataracts, not to mention disqualifying and severe faults and temperament problems. Regretfully, many of the affected dogs were sold to other countries.

Roselane's Cockers, based in Ecuador during those years, imported in 1994 the black/tan Canadian born Am.Can.Ch. Memoir-'n-Braewood's Mariachi, later to add Colombian, Ecuadorian and International titles to his name, who brought back the breed to the spotlight in Colombia. Back in Costa Rica at the end of 1999, Roselane's imported from the US the young silver Ch. Charlot's Bourbon Bay, whose impressive short campaign (held late in 2000) made him conquer the Costa Rican, Guatemalan, Salvadorian, Central American, Latin American and International championships in 10 shows, with a record of 9 Group Placements (3 of them Firsts) and a Reserve Best in Show. This wonderful Cocker is a promise for a brighter future for the breed, not only in Costa Rica but also in nearby countries as well, as the fancy begins slowly to believe again in the Cocker loving disposition, intelligence and beauty.