Description: The Sussex Spaniel has a low body but it is a strong, big dog. The skull is wide, broad and heavy looking. The muzzle is square in shape and is only three inches in length. The nose is always liver colour. It has large eyes and these are hazel in colour. With low set ears that are large and hang down, this is covered in wavy soft fur. This dog has a slightly arched neck. The chest is deep. The legs are especially short. The tail is docked, in countries that still permit docking, to 5-7 inches. The height is 15-16 inches and the weight is 40-44 pounds. The coat can be wavy or flat and comes in a gorgeous golden liver colour. They have feathering on the neck, tail, feet and legs. Life expectancy is about 12-15 years.

History: The Sussex Spaniel is still fairly rare and was developed in the 1800's in Sussex, in England. This dog was bred to be a small game hunter and also a companion dog. In 1795 Mr. Fuller who lived in Hastings in East Sussex bred gun dogs to work in hard terrain, with a lot of undergrowth. He wanted a Spaniel that could have all the hunting abilities Spaniels have but also cope with the harsh conditions. Crossing the Field Spaniel and Norfolk Spaniel and maybe some early Springer Spaniels is how the Sussex Spaniel was gained. This breed was bred to gain the barking abilities that were not common at the time. These dogs bay while in the hunt. This was proudly in the first ten of the stud book by the AKC in 1884. In and after World War II the breed was saved by Ms. Joy Freer and all Sussex Spaniels are now from her line. This line dropped to just 10 in the UK register. In 2004 the breed had been identified as a vulnerable native breed by the KCGB In 2008, there were only 56 puppies registered in the UK. In 2009 a Sussex Spaniel called "Stump" won the best in show of the Westminster Kennel Club at the grand age of 10 years. This dog is more popular in the USA. Talents include tracking, retrieving, watchdog and hunting.