Guess Who Owned a Cocker??
- Jennifer P Clark
- May 31, 2021
- 14 min read
Updated: Mar 10, 2022
Famous People and Their Fur Babies
When I did the research on this Blog, I couldn't believe the amount of famous people who owned Cocker Spaniels!! This one has definitely been A LOT OF FUN to put together!!
Here are some of the names of the people you can read about in this blog: not necessarily in this order... Agnes Moorehead Harry Truman Elton John Lucille Ball John F Kennedy Esther Williams Lauren Bacall Richard Nixon Oscar de la Renta Oprah Winfrey Grover Cleveland Mariah Carey Shirley Temple Prince William Beatrix Potter
George Clooney Errol Flynn Rudolph Valentino Cocker Spaniels were so popular during the 40's and 50''s and beyond that the Hollywood elite and even politicians and musicians bought in to this trend in a big way! Anybody who was anybody owned a Cocker Spaniel or two! Even years later, Cockers are a popular pet for many actors and politicians. Of course many popular people prior to this era realized the benefits of owning this breed too. It just seems that there was an "explosion" of Cocker purchases during these two decades. In this blog, I will be highlighting some of these famous Cocker owners.
1. Shirley Temple and Rowdy
Shirley Temple Black (April 23, 1928 – February 10, 2014) was an American actress, singer, dancer, and later a diplomat who was Hollywood's number one box-office draw as a child actress from 1934 to 1938.
Temple began her film career at the age of three in 1931. Two years later, she achieved international fame in Bright Eyes, a feature film designed specifically for her talents.
She appeared in 29 films from the ages of 3 to 10 but in only 14 films from the ages of 14 to 21. Temple retired from film in 1950 at the age of 22.
Throughout her career as an actress, Shirley had many dogs, some starring with her in her films. She had a Cocker Spaniel as a childhood pet named “Rowdy”
2. Actress Agnes Moorehead and her Cocker: She Dog
Agnes Moorehead was best remembered for her role as Endora on the wildly popular sitcom named: Bewitched. Endora was the Mother to the main character, Samantha. Personally, she was one of my favorite quirky characters on that sitcom! I loved watching Bewitched as a kid. I remember that I could hardly wait for the next episode to come on!!
Agnes was a well known actress. But did you know that before her acting career, she was a high school English and Drama teacher? She taught for five years, then went on to become the actress she is known as today. Her Cocker Spaniel's name was She Dog.
3. President John F. Kennedy and JFK Jr. with Shannon
President John F. Kennedy and his young family had quite a few animals at the White House during his presidency.
One of them was a black-and-white Cocker Spaniel named Shannon, a gift to the First Family from Ireland’s President -Eamon de Valera. The dog wore a gold shamrock–decorated collar.
Out of the many dogs at the White House when Kennedy was president, “I believe Shannon was his favorite,” recalled
Traphes L. Bryant, who was the “unofficial family dog wrangler” at the time.
President Kennedy would often play with the dogs. “He’d get out on the lawn and roll around with the dogs and the children. The president, little John, the pups, all of them ran around." said Bryant.
Shannon as a 3-month-old puppy, Aug. 13, 1963.
Shannon was the only dog that Kennedy’s wife, Jacqueline, kept after the president died.
4. Lauren Bacall and Droopy
“I was always a dog yearner. I didn’t have a dog growing up in the city with a working mother. As an only child, I yearned for someone to talk to,” Bacall tells Glenn Close in an interview on BogieOnline. “When I was sixteen, we got a champagne-colored Cocker Spaniel and named him “Droopy”. He was very male. From the first moment, he was very possessive of me. All my dogs have been possessive of me. We eventually mated Droopy and kept one of his girl puppies, Puddle. I went to Los Angeles for a screen test when I was eighteen years old. My mother followed me out later. The dogs came, too.”
5. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz with Pinto and Taffy
This one was FUN to put together! I have always LOVED "I Love Lucy"!! And I was thrilled to find out that these two were Cocker Spaniel fanatics too!! Not only that, but they were generally big time animal lovers. When they were first married, they owned a small farm with cows and chickens. During her marriage to Desi, three American Cocker Spaniels, two of which were Pinto and Taffy, made the Desilu Ranch their home. I could not find the name of the third Cocker.
Here is a clip from one of the episodes where little Ricky gets a puppy, not a Cocker Spaniel, but too cute to pass up.
Early on in their marriage, Desi and Lucy purchased some property in California where they enjoyed the farm life. Lucy’s dream house was in the San Fernando Valley.
(Notice the Cocker Spaniel in this picture.)
Desilu Ranch, as it was called, was a ranch-style home on five acres at the intersection of Devonshire Street and Corbin Avenue in Chatsworth. Desilu would also be the name of their production company that would produce countless episodes of I Love Lucy. Life at Desilu was relaxing and quite enjoyable. They had 8 chickens and a cow that thought it was a rooster. Every morning, the cow came up to their window to wake them up.
Even after moving to Beverly Hills, Lucy's beloved Chatsworth ranchito was the place she would always call home.
Putting up hay by hand is hard work!!
HUBBA HUBBA!! I can see why Lucy fell for this Cuban dreamboat!! ¡Muy Guapo!
Lucy enjoyed walking at her Ranch with her three Cocker Spaniels and a fourth dog, maybe a Jack Russel? Wearing white gloves, yet!! Always stylish. Does anyone else find it a bit odd that she would be wearing white gloves while walking with her dogs??
relaxing
with their
Cocker
Spaniels
Lucille Ball plays ball (no pun intended) with her doggies... feeding their chickens...
For his part, Desi developed the property
with multiple small buildings based on the sprawling style of ranch living of his childhood in Cuba. He built a pool and pool house, game room and an enormous barbecue pit. He also planted groves of lemon and orange trees. The property was always a work in progress, with a suntanned Ricky cruising the grounds on his bulldozer.
The Arnaz home was also a haven for animals: dogs, cats and a pig, as well as 300 baby chicks and three roosters acquired as potential dinner but which became pets instead. The Arnazes even had a pet cow, nicknamed the Duchess of Devonshire. In her memoirs, Lucy describes this “large, passionate cow”—as enamored of Desi as the rest of America—crashing through the bedroom window to kiss Desi goodnight.
Lucy and the Duchess a picture from the Chicken episode
Lucy and Desi had several years together and created the legendary I love Lucy. This show is still being watched nationwide. "There has never been a success like LUCY. She was on CBS for 23 consecutive years and won 4 Emmys and countless other awards. By anyone's measure, she was the queen of comedy. On camera, Lucy and Ricky exaggerated marital troubles and made us all laugh. The public thought they were the perfect match. But off camera their marriage fell apart. In 1960, Lucy filed for divorce. Desi drank too much and cheated on her. America was heartbroken. So, too was Lucy. Despite their divorce, they remained friends until his death in 1986." -Barbara Walters
Being known as a really funny actress, I was surprised to hear Lucy say: "Ricky was funny. I don't think funny. I can do funny things that other people write down in detail, tell me how to do them. But I really don't think funny." -Lucille Ball
Lucy eventually married Gary Morton, a fellow comedian, and they created a truly happy life together. She maintained a close relationship with her two children, Lucy and Desi (Jr,) Arnaz. (I find it wonderful that they gave their children their own names.)
Many years later in 1985, Lucille Ball played a very serious role in "Stone Pillow". in which she plays the role of a homeless woman named Flora. This movie showcased the extremely difficult life of the homeless. She played a poignant role of a woman who lost everything, family, job, home, who learned to be tough enough to survive the streets of NY.
If you would like the chance to watch this movie, you can find it on Prime.
I realize this section is lengthy. But I am so fascinated by this wonderful lady, I just had to share with you the interesting aspects of her life that I found in doing research about Lucy. I hope you have enjoyed this as much as I did.
6. Elton John and Arthur
Arthur was gifted to John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight) on his 56th birthday. The pair instantly became the best of friends and were inseparable. The singer would often be seen at tables in Michelin restaurants with Arthur by his side.
Arthur had been his best man at the singer’s marriage to David Furnish. The couple had a marriage ceremony at the Guildhall in Windsor in December 2014 and then hosted a lavish reception at their Windsor estate.
It is alleged Arthur was made best man after John and Furnish were told by Guildhall managers that pets were not allowed in the building. John’s tendency to be forthright and stubborn ensured that Arthur played a part in the ceremony.
In March, 2018, fans mourned the loss of Elton John’s beloved American Cocker Spaniel Arthur. The singer’s 14-year-old dog was greatly missed by all who knew him.
John announced the death of his beloved pooch at a stage show in Las Vegas. He even dedicated “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” to the Cocker Spaniel.
7. Lauren Bacall and Droopy
When Bacall married her To Have and Have Not co-star Humphrey Bogart at the age of 19, many questioned what shared interests the pair could possibly have, considering the actor was in his mid-forties. As history books now attest, the lovers found plenty of common ground, including a mutual obsession with all things canine. By the time of the Hollywood stars’ nuptials, Bacall had already ‘mothered’ two cocker spaniels named Droopy and Puddle.
Bacall's mother encouraged her only child to start modeling. After making the cover of Harper's Bazaar, and Vogue magazines, Bacall was asked to take a screen test for the leading lady in the movie To Have and to Have Not, which co-starred Humphrey Bogart. This required a move to Hollywood and a name change to Lauren Bacall. Bacall was the English translation of her mother's Romanian maiden name. Bacall's mother followed her daughter to California and brought the dogs along for the move. This was a comfort to the young Bacall.
"I was always a dog yearner. I didn't have a dog growing up in the city with a working mother. As an only child, I yearned for someone to talk to. When I was sixteen, we got a champagne-colored Cocker Spaniel and named him 'Droopy.'" She elaborated about her bond with dogs, "From the first moment, [Droopy] was very possessive of me. All my dogs have been possessive of me." Droopy sired a litter and they kept one of the puppies, Puddle, to complete their close-knit family.
8. Errol Flynn and Guyceewee
Errol Flynn plays with his Cocker Spaniel, Guyceewee, at his Hollywood home. Guyceewee was an inseparable companion of the star and his wife, Lili Damita.
Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-born actor. He achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles and reputation for his womanizing and hedonistic personal life. His most famous movie was The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), playing the title role. This movie was a global success. It was the 6th-top movie grosser of 1938.
Back in the day, Errol Flynn was definitely considered to be a heart throb! With his good looks and larger than life charisma, his star was definitely burning brightly. However, Flynn became caught up in his own press. Almost as soon as he arrived in Hollywood, Flynn established a reputation as an irrepressible drinker, carouser, and womanizer. Because of several bad choices, he "fell from his pedestal". Then, returning to America in 1956, he enjoyed a brief resurgence of movie popularity with his brilliant performances in The Sun Also Rises (1957), The Roots of Heaven (1958), and Too Much, Too Soon (1958). In these films he played a wasted self-destructive drunkard, and some critics suggested that he was not acting. In poor health after years of hard living, Flynn died at the age of 50. Overall Errol Flynn was a Hollywood icon. It would have been interesting to see how high his star would have risen had he not made such poor decisions.
9. Richard Nixon and Checkers
Every year, September 23 is designated National Dogs in Politics Day, which is also known as Checkers Day. Why Checkers? Because this day is the anniversary of a very famous pre-presidential Richard Nixon speech that introduced America to …
… The Best-Known Presidential Dog to Never Have Lived in the White House.
Although Nixon’s cocker spaniel never lived in the White House, Checkers became quite a celebrity after - Senator Nixon mentioned the dog in a televised speech on Sept. 23, 1952.
Nixon used the new medium of TV to take his case to the people to deny any alleged misuse of $18,000 in campaign contributions.
The press learned of the fund two months after Gen. Dwight Eisenhower had selected Nixon as his running mate, and a controversy developed that threatened the Republican presidential ticket.
In a 30-minute address paid for by the Republican National Committee, Nixon defended himself, outlined his modest financial means and went on the offense against his opponents. The most famous part of the speech, however — and what may have saved his candidacy because of the chord it struck with the American people — was about Checkers.
"One other thing I probably should tell you because if we don't they'll probably be saying this about me too, we did get something—a gift—after the election. A man down in Texas heard Pat on the radio mention the fact that our two youngsters would like to have a dog. And, believe it or not, the day before we left on this campaign trip we got a message from Union Station in Baltimore saying they had a package for us. We went down to get it. You know what it was?
It was a little cocker spaniel dog in a crate that he'd sent all the way from Texas. Black and white spotted. And our little girl—Tricia, the 6-year-old—named it Checkers. And you know, the kids like all kids, love the dog and I just want to say this right now, We are keeping Checkers."
-- Richard Nixon
A year after Nixon’s famous Checkers speech, the family vacations in New Jersey as Checkers frolics. The daughters are Patricia at left, 7 years old, and Julie, 5. National Archives photo dated Aug. 16, 1953.
Nixon explained that no matter what happened as a result of the controversy, his young daughters, Julie and Tricia, were keeping one campaign gift: a black-and-white puppy from a supporter in Texas.
The Checkers speech, as it came to be known, much to Nixon’s chagrin, was the first time a politician used TV to appeal to the voters.
Not only did Nixon stay on the ticket, but he and Eisenhower swept the election that November. Nixon, of course, eventually went on to become president and became embroiled in another, much bigger scandal that eventually ended with his resignation.
Checkers, the cute cocker spaniel that saved Richard Nixon's political career in 1952 is buried along with 50,000 other dogs, cats, chimpanzees, etc. in Long Island's Bide-a-Wee Pet Cemetery.
10. Harry S. Truman and Feller
UNFORTUNATELY, NOT ALL PEOPLE ARE BLESSED TO BE DOG LOVERS. I was disappointed to find this particular bit of information. I mean, can you really trust someone who does NOT like dogs??
Poor little Feller! “President Truman’s Unwanted Dog, Feller” was given to the White House as a gift from a supporter. The president gave the puppy away to his doctor, which didn’t sit well in the press. He had received the puppy as a gift. Feller, as the cute cocker spaniel puppy was known, became the source of controversy when Truman quickly gave him away.
How could Truman resist such cuteness???
“They preferred to be a pet-free family.” However, author and dog expert Stanley Coren says his research clearly shows Truman flat-out didn’t like dogs, and that the president called Mike (an Irish Setter gifted to his daughter) “a damn nuisance” and Feller “a dumb dog.”
“Whatever Happened to Feller?”
Truman gave Feller away to his personal physician.“Thousands [of angry Americans] wrote letters to the president. A few months later, a reporter asked, “Mr. President, whatever happened to Feller?”
— to which the president responded, “To what?”
---- “Feller, the puppy,” said the reporter.
---- “Oh, he’s around,” Truman replied.
This particular president was many things, but clearly he wasn’t a dog lover. President Truman was downright angry about having any dog in the White House, calling Feller a “dumb dog” that Truman just needed to “get rid of.”
“I didn’t ask for him, and I don’t need him,” Truman said. They attacked Truman as “anti-dog” and even scorned Dr. Graham for taking the dog. Thousands wrote letters telling the President that they would happily adopt the pet. Upset by the controversy, Dr. Graham decided to get rid of the puppy.He passed Feller onto Admiral James K. Foskett. (At least the pup was moving back up the chain of command.) Eventually “Feller, the Unwanted Dog” was shipped off to Camp David, went to Italy when one of his handlers was transferred there, and finally ended up on a farm in Ohio where he lived “for many happy years.”
Nowadays, things are different for White House dogs. They are quite welcomed at the White House and are, in fact, valued political props.
11. Oprah Winfrey's Cockers
If you're an Oprah fan, you probably know that she loves dogs. As you know, Oprah is a bestselling author, a television star, a media executive, a billionaire—and she's won the Lifetime Achievement award at the 1998 Emmy awards. AND... she's also a pet lover! She has an entire page on her site dedicated to her pets over the years.
-Solomon
A Christmas present from Stedman, Oprah says Solomon was "one of a kind." For 14 years, the loving cocker spaniel traveled the globe by Oprah's side and shared special moments with all kinds of interesting people.
-Sophie
Sophie was the second half of the dynamic duo of Dogs that became Oprah's family. She learned many life lessons from that little ball of fur. Sophie and Solomon went EVERYWHERE with Oprah, basically sharing life with her.
After Oprah Winfrey’s beloved Cocker spaniels, Sophie and Solomon, passed away, she announced that she would adopt her next dog when the time was right. On March 6, she kept that promise and introduced new family member Sadie on her show. Oprah and her partner, Stedman Graham, adopted the adorable 10-week-old Cocker spaniel puppy through PAWS (Pets Are Worth Saving) Chicago’s largest no-kill shelter. Sadie was one of 11 puppies in the litter. Three of her siblings still needed homes and also appeared on Friday’s show. They quickly found new homes by that afternoon thanks to Oprah's show. Hopefully, other shelter pups around the country also benefited from Oprah’s example.
-Sadie
Oprah's new baby cocker spaniel made quite an impression when the two met ten years ago, during a visit to the Chicago animal shelter PAWS. The puppy was meant to be just another furry co-star for O, the Oprah Magazine's June 2009 cover. But Sadie had other plans.
"Right before we shot the photo—at PAWS Chicago, the city's largest no-kill humane shelter—she had licked my ear and whispered, 'Please take me with you,' Oprah wrote in the issue. "Out of all the pups in that picture, Sadie was the one I felt an instant connection with."
In the next couple of days, Oprah and Stedman were bringing Sadie home even in the middle of a blizzard!!!
“Isn't she a beauty, my Sadie lady?” Winfrey said of her blonde cocker spaniel, which she adopted from a Chicago animal shelter in 2009.Jan 29, 2013
"To be sure I wasn't caught up in a moment of overwhelming puppy love. Editor at large Gayle King said, 'Why don't you wait and see how you feel tomorrow?'So I waited 24 hours. The next day, Chicago had a whiteout blizzard—not a good day to bring a puppy home, I thought, especially if you live in a high-rise. It's hard to house-train from the 77th floor, even when the sun is shining. Nevertheless, Stedman and I donned our winter gear and used our four-wheel drive to get across town. Just to "have another look." Lots of folk were telling me, "Might as well get two. Just as easy to train." But my heart spoke to Miss Sadie, the runt of the litter. I love making the underdog a winner. An hour later we were at Petco, buying a crate and wee-wee pads, collar and leash, puppy food and toys." -- Oprah Winfrey
Oprah enjoys reading to her three fur babies: Sadie, Lauren and Sunny. They continue to share life with her.
12. Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino and his Cocker Spaniel outside the Fairmont Hotel, June 1926.
This photo of Rudolph Valentino and one of his dogs, Sheik, has to be my favorite. There's just something about his photo that I love. I guess knowing that Rudy loved animals, particularly dogs and horses, makes this photo special, so much so, I have three different versions of it. Rudy owned several dogs. Not sure who this dog is. He had a couple dogs named Saitan and Centaur Pendragon. I'm sure there are Rudyites out there that know. Here are more dogs. This photo was taken at his home, Falcon Lair. This Cocker Spaniel was given to Rudy before his untimely death. I have not found a name for this dog except referred to as "Mission Rudy."
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