Merle

None of these pictured below are for sale.

(You do not have permission to use any of my photos for any reason)

This is Emily

PEDIGREE

New updated photo of Emily age 13
06/17/2004 to 06/30/2017
On June 28th, 2017 I got to spend some time with Emily
I can’t tell you how much it meant to me to get to see Emily again.
Never did I think it was going to be my last time.
My heart breaks for her owners and for Emily as I just loved her to pieces.
I couldn’t have asked for better owners and what a retirement life.
RIP my sweet Em.

My love for Merles has started years ago when I had a long conversation
with Karen Hitchens (Merle breeder) and Polly Swanson (well known Roan breeder).
I learned the difference between Roan and Merle.
I purchased my first Merle male his name was Outlaw he was a blue merle and tan male parti.
His mom was a double merle named Mily.

The reason that I got Outlaw was that I loved the dynamic blue eyes
that most merles have and it was not that I wanted to start to breed merle cockers.

I have tried to better the merles by breeding to Champions and then back to Champion again.
I know that I have made a HUGE impact of Merle Cocker Spaniels
Many breeders that breed merles have my dogs behind them.
I am in favor of Merle Cocker Spaniels both Solids and Parti color Merles
and make no attempt to hide the fact that I love Merle Cockers.
I am educated about the gene in our breed, both first hand and scientific.
I try to educate both the general public and also other breeders.
Anti Merle breeders will tell you that there are health risks involved which is correct if
you are doing merle to merle but now many breeders know not to do merle to merle.
Usually, when breeding Merle to Merle you can have deaf and blind puppies.
When breeding Merle to a non-merle that is not normally an issue.
In any breeding of two standard color cockers, you can have health issues.
Merles can pass health testing.

I had previously owned a Champion blue roan and tan male named
Shazam aka Ch. CVJ N Aj’s Can’t Buy Me Love.
I state this to let you know that yes, I know the difference between merle and roan.

What is Merle?

In simple non-technical terms how to describe the merle coat pattern.
It is like having a pair of black jeans where you spill bleach.
Where the speckles of bleach are visibly parent and it washes out the color randomly.
It creates a mottled marbled, unique pattern in each individual dog.
Some may have tan points where the tan is supposed to be but that can be effected
as well and look lighter in color.
The gene sometimes affects the eye color but not always.
It can make a brown eye sky blue or just leave blue flecks.
Though the merle gene affects the color of the eye, those with blue eyes still can pass CERF’s.

How do you get Merle?
You must have one of the parents being Merle to produce Merle and one non-Merle.
I like Blue Merle Parti’s so I bred a blue Merle parti with tan points to a parti-color.
If I want blue merle solids I breed a Blue Merle parti to a solid color.
Chocolate Merles are a little harder but you must have chocolate on both sides of the pedigree.
Absolutely should not breed merle to merle unless you know what you are doing.
I personally do not recommend breeding Merle to Roan.
I have done that once in the past and my opinion they were not pretty at all.
I personally do like the Sable Merle as they are very unique.
Still not my first choice when breeding Merles.
When breeding Merle I recommend putting the word “MERLE” in the registered name.
AKC has helped us for future litters to be recognized by putting Z in front of the registration number.
It makes it much easier to say, “Ok, that is indeed a merle”.
I also like to see that done when you have a litter of puppies not only on the
merle puppies but non-merle puppies.
Trying to make it easier for the next generation.

My friend Karen H. who got me started in Merles,
I can’t thank her enough!

Later, I was given a merle girl named Emily from my friend Karen H.
She had bought her from Karen P. and didn’t have a boy to breed her.
Emily was bred by Debbie K.

The puppy that Karen H. got was named Chilly aka Aj’s N Keisue’s Frostymerl
He was tested for patella’s and he cleared.

Chilly was given to Karen when he was 8 weeks old
Karen had enough of the public and the discrimination of non-merle breeders that she decided to sell out of Cockers all together.

Chilly as a 8-week old puppy aka Aj N Keisue’s Frostymerl
The photo above of Chilly prior to him leaving to go to my friend Karen H.

What Chilly produced was nothing short than outstanding.

Showing what blue merle puppies look like just after they were born.

Showing what a solid Chocolate Merle puppies look like after they are born.
Same litter as below.
(Chocolate Sable Solid)x (Blue Merle and Tan Parti)

Two Chocolate Merle Cocker puppies and a Blue Merle Parti Cocker puppy in this litter.

Merle Eyes

Up close photo of a Merle’s eye- Partial blue eye
This is the same dog at a farther distance
Merle both blue eyes.
Sable Merle girl – One brown eye, one blue eye
One blue and one partial

Merle no blue eyes you can see this is a chocolate merle
You can see her one blue eye and one partial blue eye

Bella a Chocolate Merle parti girl with both blue eyes.

This is Gracie she is a Red/white female that has both blue eyes.

Merle cockers can or can not have blue eyes, not all Merle has blue eyes.
Brown Merle either in the solid form or parti form may or may not have blue eyes.
If the dog was not a merle, most brown dogs have green or brown eyes.
I have found that many brown merles have less likelihood of having blue eyes.

Quality MERLE Cocker Spaniels
There is a whole world of difference from my Merles than others that might have Merle Cocker Spaniels.
I have tried to get mine as close to breed standard as possible.
Although most do go to pet homes, for the most part, those pet homes still want
that ideal Cocker Spaniel that they see on t.v.
The problem with that they usually end up getting buyer’s remorse
because their puppy didn’t turn out so nice as they thought.
They got that good deal, but not so much.
Not every dog needs to have Champion lines and have Champion titles but because
Merle has been unliked in our breed there is more pet like Merles out there.
And who can resist a cute Merle Cocker puppy?
That was one reason I tried to start breeding them better.

My Quote-  “They told me I couldn’t, so I did”.

The reason I love this quote so much is that I felt like an outcast when I started
breeding Merles and there wasn’t many that were of quality and because there wasn’t
I took on that challenged and created merles that were equal to those of quality therefore the term, so I did.

Merles being sold for more money:
I’ve heard this argument for as long.
Most breeders change the price of their Cocker Spaniel puppies for all kinds of reasons.
One reason the price can change is the sex of the puppy.
Others change it depending on the color of the puppy.
Many show breeders change the price on the possibility of the puppy being show quality.
This usually comes with a higher price tag, co-ownership, and a lengthy contract.
Some breeders change the price if the buyer wants Limited or Full Registration.
Why not charge more for a Merle Cocker Spaniel.
Just like with any other pattern or color that is bred either Ch. Sired or with a nice champion pedigree
you are going to pay a price for it, why should it be any different for a Merle Cocker.
I have tons of knowledge, first-hand experience, and visual proof of what type of Merle I have produced.
Do I think it is greed?  No, everything thing has a price.   Do I think it is fair?  Yes.

Right now the going average price for a decent cocker puppy can range from $1200-$3000
depending on the breeder and as of today’s date 03/27/2018
I just quickly went to see what was on puppyfind.com just to see who has what out there available
and within seconds I found this puppy.
I am not naming the breeder of this puppy as it is not fair to the breeder
but here you can clearly see this puppy is a black/white (standard parti-color), Cocker Spaniel
Not Champion sired but out of Champion lines.
Asking price is $2200.00 and in the ad it states prices start at $1800.00
So having the same prices or higher for a Merle puppy is not that far out there.
Just saying!!

Showing a blue merle tan girl open marked

Bentley (Blue Merle and Tan Parti)
He passed as he is NORMAL to see test please inquire he went to a pet home.

Bentley’s sister Paisley a (Blue Merle and Tan Parti) I was not the breeder on her.

Kali (Sable Merle Parti)
She has one brown eye and one blue eye.
Kali was examined for Patella’s and she had a normal test.
Request information to see her patella’s
Cocker’s rank in general #3 for patella issues so I tested mine and passed!

The Great Winston Churchill said
“You have enemies?   Good.
That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.”

Valliant (Blue Merle Parti)
Aj’s Sir Valliant lived with me until he was 6 months of age.
He was went to Cheryl G, Cheryl was having issues with him breeding and rehomed him.
He was being used between friends as a stud dog up until his passing.

Aj’s Sir Valliant also produced a daughter named Elizabeth’s Sweet Golden Rose JH (Junior Hunt Title) aka Rose.

This is Kali who is a Valliant’s daughter who is a Chocolate Merle and tan parti

Meet Kali (Chocolate Merle and Tan Parti)

I have also been told that some show breeders
have Merles as well but they keep them behind closed doors.
Some breed them and sell them as pets with no papers in local newspapers.
Others just have them for their uniqueness.

It was also told to me that a well known professional handler (PR) from Conn.
was very interested in purchasing a Merle a long time back from
another breeder and stated to them this dog could finish.
It was actually a littermate to Emily.

But because the show breeder who like them and handlers who like them
do not want to crap from their peers because the show world is very political
they deny it and act like it never happened.
Yet, without some of theses handlers knowledge they
competed against a puppy who had four lines of Merle behind him, he was not Merle.
This puppy won his class 3 days in a row!

While at a show in Lincoln, Ne I asked (Jeff W) a well known Cocker handler from Kansas if he
wanted to go over Bentley and he declined.
I even had someone go as far as coming up to a friend of mine Kim S. who was handling
a solid girl of mine who was only 1 major from a Championship in Idaho.
they had the nerve to ask her if she was breeding merle just because she was showing my dogs.
This was from another well-known handler.
This kind of abuse should not be tolerated and things like this should be reported.
No wonder why people do not want to show dogs or be part of clubs.

I have always loved Merles and when I started showing I thought
that I had to either choose breeding Merles or showing
I have found that untrue.
I have done both, I have finished multiple champions and love merles.
I should not have to be offended by other breeders/handlers.
I should not have to make others happy by not breeding Merles at the expense of my own happiness.
Because I love Merles does not make me any less of a person than anyone else.

No matter if Merles have been bred to champions or champion pedigree’s the stigma of breeding them lingers.
They backstab, talk bad about and continue to gossip about
people who breed merles and say those that breed Merles are making the breed worse.
Which I totally disagree with.

Many ASC members are on a witch hunt with people who breed Merles.
It has become so evil almost like a white person bashing black people.

AKC & ASC Register Merles:
That’s right, Merles can be registered correctly through AKC.
In Oct 2010 ASC decided that merles should be registered with AKC and it was voted on again
by ASC members in 2011 which it did pass.

Although it is a leap for Merles it is incorrect.
The Z list will not help our breed at all and blackball and piss off more people than imaginable.
Breeders who are educated and know they are breeding merle already have a way to say
this dog is a Merle as many breeders require that the word Merle be added
to the AKC registration papers of the said puppy/dog.
This is so generations can track that dog back to Merle.
Why register with a Z list as many breeders of Merle already do this and have done this for years prior.
ASC members are not on the right path for Merles as far as registration.
Merles are a coat type, they keep getting this wrong.
The coat type is Merle and the color is tri or blk/white
brown, brown and tan, black solid, brown solid, etc.
That is the ONLY thing that makes sense.

Showing Merles
As explained above we can’t show Merles through AKC but there are other
registries that will allow Merles to be shown.
They can also compete through others means such as agility, become trick dogs, obedience training,
delta society, service dogs, CGC and many other events.

I’m proud to be an American
Bentley at an AKC show
ASC accepts Merle!

I think education is also key about merles and so when I go to
dog shows my main objective will be to constantly have a merle in tow.
I plan to allow those who would like to touch/go over a merle to be able to do so.
Thus, the way they can make up their own mine and actually
have their own opportunity to decided based on what they see
not what they hear about.

HOW DO YOU KNOW A MERLE JUST BY A PEDIGREE:
Usually, it is as simple as looking at a pedigree to tell if your cocker has come from a roan or merle.
There are key dogs in the merle pedigree that say hey, “I’m A Merle”.
See back in the ’60-’80s and if not 90’s
cocker breeders didn’t really know what merle was or if they did they didn’t have
away just like today to register them correctly.
They also didn’t have the internet to see what other breeders were breeding
and how to describe the dog other than it looked BLUE.
When I see a pedigree that maybe 4-5 generations back and says the word,
“BLUE” or BLU” it makes me have red flags.
Asking myself is this dog a Merle or a Roan.
Then if I see the word “LAKE” it is like waving a HUGE red flag.
Lake is another keyword in most merle pedigree’s as it is documented
that most merles go back to one single dog named Rusty Butch
his ancestor is Prince Alex Of Iron Lakes.
If I see that it tells me I am a MERLE!
My rule is no matter what if you know you have a merle no questions asked
Put the word “MERLE” in the registered name.
It makes it much easier to say, “Ok, that is indeed a merle”.
I also like to see that done when you have a litter of puppies not only on the
merle puppies but non-merle puppies.
Trying to make it easier for the next generation.
A great website to look at merle pedigree’s and to be able to see these
keywords and dogs and identify some of the names is a website called
Merle Cockers www.merlecockers.com
Click the link above to go directly to the site.

I have placed them in other breeder homes so the merles can become better.
I have given way Merles to breeders/pet owners just because I want them out there.
My love for blue merle cocker spaniels will always be and I will always promote them!

With this page, I hope this has helped someone who may have wondered if they have a roan or merle.
Also, it has allowed me to showcase some beautiful cockers and what they can look like no matter merle or not.

Chance is pictured here at 2 yrs old.
I am very lucky that I get to visit this boy, he has such a great personality.
This photo makes this boy look big but being so close up taking the photo is the reason.

Blake is a blue merle and tan male

Chance
Here he is below as well playing with a tennis ball.
This photo below shows you his bright blue eye!

 Chance by his new owners.
Yes, his pet home keeps him in this coat by choice he is so pretty.
I can’t thank his owners Mike and Jan enough for providing a wonderful home!

Kc is a blue merle and tan male with bright tan points.

These two pictures are of Cyan

Cyan

Wow, Bentley styling in some shade.

Bentley at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln Nebraska
Home of the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
GO BIG RED!

Bentley

Bentley as a puppy self stacking.

Kali a sable merle girl.

Camo a blue merle male
Camo

Camo

Camo

Camo a solid merle male

Gracie a sable merle girl

This is a sable merle

Sable Merle boy

The boy in the litter was given away for free so he could go and produce Merle puppies.
The sable girl was also given to a friend of mine as a gift as she had got two retired dogs
and it was time for her to get a puppy!
Giving away Merles for free just to get them out there!

Nice self stack

Drew

Drew being stacked at 8 weeks, he did a pretty good job.

Drew stacking at 8 weeks

Drew

This boy is such a sweet boy.

Nemo has only a tad bit of blue speck in his right eye.

This is Turtle she is a blue merle and tan girl
She is considered as a solid merle
Turtle stacked photo
Sire: Came from Shannon Pope (Merle) – (Phantom(Crescentmoon Cockers) x Piper(Merle))
Dam: CH Brickett’s Woman On A Mission (Morgan) from Karen Weaver
Morgan was fixed and lived with my ex husband until she passed of old age.

Turtle sitting in the car

Turtle as a baby!

This is Willow
Willow left eye is 1/2 blue.
Willow was fixed in Dec 2018.

Ginger

 

Ginger is showing off her Christmas photo!

Gingers sister

Some photos of Izzy growing up.

Allie

Allie’s littermates

Allie is growing up.

Happy Halloween!!

 Merry Christmas

Puppy love!

Flinn

Rylee
She is a blue merle solid girl.

Rylee age 4 weeks

What a cute head shot of Rylee

Flinn is an amazing looking blue merle parti boy
He got his first hair cuts and photos!
My husband fell in love with him.
Flinn being held by Nathan
Flinn at age 4 weeks

Flinn learning to walk on a leash.
Here Flinn

Flinn passed his obedience training!
I seriously can’t thank his owners enough for sharing this news with me
as well as the photo that speaks a thousand words.
I can’t tell you how thrilled I am for his owners to have this accomplishment as it is a labor of love.
I am so happy that Finn has a loving home!!

This is Jazz (Capi)she lives in a wonderful pet home with a friend of mine in GA
She is a Chocolate Merle and tan female
She has one blue eye and one green eye

Meet Kali
Kali is a Choc tri Merle parti girl

Meet Jazz she is a chocolate merle and tan solid

I really love this photo more and more that I get to see it.
Yes, she is carrying a duck but that is what I so love about it.
No, the duck is not real it’s stuffed.
Cockers are born bird dogs and this just shows how they should look.

She looks so elegant in this photo.

This is Thorn who is a Blue Merle tan parti girl out of Kali x Zander

This is Thorn a blue merle and tan parti girl out of Zander and Kali she is loved by our son.

 

This is Venom
Venom he is out Zander
He has a wonderful Champion pedigree
He is a Blue Merle and Tan parti Male

Venom June 2019

 

Maze who lives with my friend Barb
Maze is a Blue Merle Solid female
Maze and Jazz photos taken November 2021

In this photo of Maze you can clearly see her blue eye and she also has a non blue eye.

Talk about fun, you can definately see these girls Jazz and Maze are having a blast.
Another photo of Jazz, see other photos of her above in the page.