THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN BREEDING AND SHOWING SUSSEX SPANIELS T his most important thing is adherence to the AKC Standard for the breed. We are so very proud that we have never changed our Stan- dard. (The only thing we have ever done is, BY MARCIA DEUGAN
back when AKC demanded that all standards remove the point system to conform to each other, we (myself, Bobby Lewis, and Craig Heugal) revised the point schedule to include the current “Faults” section.) It is so important to breed to the Standard and not to change the Standard to match whatever is being bred. It is a great tribute to breeders that Sussex Spaniels in the 1800s could compete with the Sussex of today—and no one could tell the difference. May this continue, forever.
In this old photograph of CH. Rosehill Ruler II, the golden highlights are evident.
A Sussex puppy is darker in color because of the lack of sufficient sun exposure.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Marcia Deugan and her late husband, George, started in Sussex Spaniels in 1970, after waiting two years for a puppy, and imported their first from George and Mavis Lancaster in England. Ch. Oakmoss Witch CD was soon joined by Ch. Sedora Galega and Ch. Sedora Galingale, both from Eileen Adams and Ted Orton. Marcia’s kennel name is ZIYADAH, which appears in almost every Sussex pedigree in the US, if you trace them back far enough. Ch. Ziyadah’s Gerald O'Hara from the Deugan’s first litter was the first Sussex Spaniel bred in America to finish a championship after WWII. In 1981, they started the Sussex Spaniel Club of America with Bill and Margaret Reid, Diana Yarchin, and Bobby Lewis. This year is the club’s 40th Anniversary. Marcia has been in Sussex now for 51 years, is the current President of the SSCA, Judges Education Chair, and AKC Gazette Columnist. She is a Sussex Spaniel Preservation Breeder, and has been long before the term came into being.
SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, JUNE 2021 | 277
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