I have looked at the Cocker Spaniel Club website and see that to become a member you must be proposed and seconded by a member, of which there are only 35....is this the only national club there is for Cockers, are there any CD'ers who are members? Why is it seemingley so exclusive?

Sooz, I think you have got hold of the wrong end of the stick! The Cocker Spaniel Club has thousands of members both here & overseas - where does it say there are only 35 members? (I'm webmaster for the Cocker Club site & don't remember seeing anything like this) The reason you have to be proposed & seconded for membership is to prevent puppy farmers & the like from joining. If you bought your Cocker from a reputable breeder, they will probably be members of the Cocker Club & can propose you for membership. If not, you can still apply for membership but you may be required to supply additional info about yourself before your membership is accepted.

Jane

Edited to say the membership was 35 in 1902 when the Club was formed not today!!

I did edit my mail to say 1500 members (don't know why it didn't amend)...the 35 was when it was founded in 1902!....my misread :( I will try my breeder and see if she is a member , if not should i mail through the website for advise?

Well you can but the email will come to me anyway so you might as well contact me directly :-) If your breeder is not a member, just send your application in with a letter explaining why you don't have a proposer/seconder & as much relevant info as you can think of. The Secretary will then get back to you if she needs any more info, though the whole process can take a while depending on when the next committee meeting is (memberships are approved at committee meetings)

Jane