This painting is entitled “Quaille, an English Water Spaniel.” I
include it because this English water spaniel because, except
for color and the docked tail, this animal reminds me of a
heavily-built golden retriever. It doesn’t remind me of a more-
lightly built golden, but something about Quaille that says he
could make it as a show golden. At a distance he also could
remind one of a Welsh springer spaniel. In fact, it is well-
known that the water spaniels were absorbed into several spaniel
breeds, including both breeds of springer. One of the founding
dogs in the field spaniel studbook was a cross between a cocker
(English) and English water spaniel. He was listed as a Sussex
spaniel only because he was liver in color. That should tell you
that the term Sussex spaniel was a much broader term than it is
today. After all, one of the leading characteristics of English
water spaniels is they had MORE leg length than most land
spaniels. The modern Sussex spaniel has very short legs, and for
a while, virtually al