Our History
Our history
Dog showing is an endless journey of ups and downs, and in the history of everyone who has ever shown dogs there are those ‘special someones’ who have had a lasting impact and formed the foundation of what you become. For us, first and foremost is Moray Armstrong (Bitcon), because quite simply if there was no Moray Armstrong, no Bitcon then there would be no Kyna Cockers. Moray is, has been, and always will be an inspiration to us with his wealth of knowledge, unwavering guidance and of course that cheeky smile…where would we be without him!
Secondly are Susan and Philip Young (Canyonn). Sue was the only person to speak to us when we first set out trudging around the shows, not having a clue about anything! They both took time and lots of patience to explain the simple things such as ring etiquette, what type of lead to use, what the judge will do next and all the hundreds of little things that make the bigger picture; all those things we now take for granted. They have given us lots of advice, lots of help, and lots of good times along our journey.
We are always learning, and we only hope we do justice to the help, advice and support we have received, which we are eternally grateful for.
…and so it began
After having a few pet Cockers we decided to ‘have a go’ at showing. Off we went to as many Cocker Spaniel shows as we could, watching for a few years before actually buying a pup to show (how strange we must have looked week in, week out, and no dog!). We liked the Blue Roan colour and then decided that most of the ‘blues’ we liked seemed to be sired by the Bitcon dogs. Eventually we bought Jasper – Ewtor Viceroy whose sire was SH CH Bitcon Troubador from David and Ann Moss to try our new hobby.
Jasper-Ewtor Viceroy
Unfortunately he wasn’t entire and after meeting Moray Armstrong (Bitcon) at Lancashire Cocker Champ Show, he advised us to go back to David and Ann Moss and get a bitch. We did and brought home Jade – Ewtor Little Silver Shilling, whose sire was also SH CH Bitcon Troubador.
Jade-Ewtor Little Silver Shilling
With Jade we learned, or should I say, we tried to learn how to trim and handle, both of which we probably did badly! At this point we decided to get an affix, and luckily for us our 1st choice ‘KYNA’ meaning ‘great wisdom’ was accepted. Our 1st litter from Jade didn’t produce us anything good enough to show, so we were back to square 1 with nothing to show. Following a few disasters with bought-in puppies, our lives changed forever when Moray Armstrong let us have Hannah – Bitcon Seven of Kyna.
Hannah-Bitcon Seven of Kyna
What a wonderful little lady; she is the foundation bitch of our kennel. She was loving, loyal, full of fun and completely ‘nuts’. Her temperament lives on in all our Cockers today. Hannah only made the show ring twice as she had a season and dropped her coat. She produced us our 1st ‘Kyna’ puppy to show in her first litter of 9. We kept Elliott – Kyna Four Get Me Not.
Elliott- Kyna Four Get Me Not
We also kept Kyna One Elegant Touch to breed from. She was mated to SH CH Bitcon Troubador and produced ‘Kyna Just William’ who went to Ken Holmes of the Branek Kennel in South Africa. We were delighted with Elliott, but with some good advice from Moray we decided to pet home him and brought home Meg – Bitcon Mystic Magic.
Meg - SH CH Bitcon Mystic Magic
Meg was a huge challenge for us, we were extremely honoured and grateful to be given the opportunity to own and show such a fabulous bitch. We worked hard, took advice, and eventually Meg became our 1st Show Champion in 1998….how proud where we! Around this time Bitcon Amazing Grace came to live at Kyna Cockers and mated to SH CH Bitcon Troubador to produce Percy – SH CH Bitcon Pickpocket, our 3rd Show Champion.
Percy – SH CH Bitcon Pickpocket
Hannah (Bitcon Seven of Kyna) was mated to Wiljana Ragamuffin and produced us a lovely litter which included our 2nd Show Champion and our 1st home-bred champion – SH CH Kyna Betty Boop. Percy and Betty became ‘partners in crime’ at home and at shows…such a naughty pair!
Betty- SH CH Kyna Betty Boop
Our highlight with Betty was getting the CC and Best Bitch at Crufts 2002 under Tricia Bentley.
Peter- R.CH Kyna Peter Pan
In the same litter as Betty a boy was chosen with the help and advice from Sue and Philip Young (Canyonn) for Cristina Costash in Romania. Kyna Peter Pan went on to become an Eur. J. Champion.
Sally - Kyna Mustang Sally
Meg was mated to Dawgil Poweranger at Tudormist and she produced Kyna Penelope Pitstop who was sent to Cristina Costash in Romania and went on to be an R. Champion. We kept the litter sister Sally – Kyna Mustang Sally.
Ross - Bitcon Timetraveller
Ross – Bitcon Timetraveller came to live at Kyna and we campaigned him gaining a CC and a BOB. Ross was mated to Betty and produced us Bobby – Kyna Bandmaster and CJ – Kyna Calamity Jane.
Bobby - Kyna Bandmaster
Ross was mated to Betty and produced us Bobby – Kyna Bandmaster and CJ – Kyna Calamity Jane.
CJ - Kyna Calamity Jane
This was a quiet time for us at Kyna due to family bereavements but Bobby had several wins and gained a RCC. CJ was only shown briefly and was later mated to Yunbeai Star Performance (Imp). She produced us Finn – Sh Ch Kyna Huckleberry Finn.
Finn - SH CH Kyna Huckleberry Finn
Finn was to become our 4th Show Champion and our 2nd home bred. He was the ultimate showman; enjoyed every minute of being in the ring and our highlight was getting the CC and Best dog at Crufts 2007 under Sally Shields.
Kyna Mustang Sally had been mated to Kyna Bandmaster producing 2 boys. We had decided to run Finn on at that time so another dog was really not on our agenda, well, that was until Sue Young came to see them! She persuaded us to keep the black and white boy, so we kept Fletcher – Kyna By Design.
Fletcher - Kyna By Design
Fletcher achieved many wins and gained a CC and a BOB. Unfortunately he was being shown alongside Finn who stole the limelight. Fletcher went to live in France with Catherine Jacquier-Graveleau (Vaccares).
Jenny- Kyna Jennifer Eccles
We had kept a bitch out of SH CH Bitcon Mystic Magic – Wiljana Ragamuffin called Jenny – Kyna Jennifer Eccles. She had been shown briefly, qualified for Crufts and placed 4th, which we were delighted with.
Roxy- Kyna Rox Ya Rhythm To Royaldean
She was mated to Fletcher before he went to France producing Kyna Rox Ya Rhythm To Royaldean, owned by Michelle Hatton.
Sam- SH CH Bitcon Lets Dance
With Fletcher now in France, Ken had nothing to show. Moray let us have an 8 month old puppy dog, Sam – Sh Ch Bitcon Let’s Dance.
He became our 5th Show Champion.
He became our 5th Show Champion.
Not long after gaining his UK title Sam went back to Moray and subsequently went to the USA and Canada where he gained his American and Canadian titles. He returned back to the UK with Moray. We are very proud to have played a little part in his show career, and thank Moray for trusting us to campaign him in the UK.
Lulu- Kyna Looby Lou
SH CH Kyna Huckleberry Finn was mated to Kyna Mustang Sally who produced a litter of 9 pups. Four of the pups made the show ring – Kyna Pic A Chic owned by Gill Pearce-Gudger (Pearkim), Kyna Oliver Twist owned by Jackie Knowles (Rushmi), and our own Lulu – Kyna Looby Lou and Joe – SH CH Kyna GI Joe.
Joe- SH CH Kyna G I Joe
Joe was to be our 6th Show Champion. Joe went to live in Sweden with Jens Karlsson (Art-Waves) where he gained his Swedish Champion title. We are very proud breeders.
Jason -Kyna Mr Bo Jangles
Kyna Molly Malone was mated to Wiljana Ragamuffin who produced us Jason – Kyna Mr Bo Jangles. To maintain our lines to Kyna By Design, Jason was mated to Kyna Rox Ya Rhythm To Royaldean and produced a lovely litter for Michelle Hatton.
Gemma -Kyna On Reflection
We were delighted that Michelle let us have Gemma – Kyna On Reflection and Olli – SH CH Kyna By Request.
Olli – SH CH Kyna By Request
Olli became our 7th Show Champion and we are thrilled that we became Top Cocker Spaniel 2011. This was quite an achievement as the last time a Blue Roan reached this level was 22 years ago!! How very, very proud we are of this lovely boy.
Royaldean Reverance
Michelle kept a bitch to herself which was briefly campaigned until she had a season and lost her coat, Vera – Royaldean Reverance. 3 super pups came out of the litter in the ring; we were so pleased. Jason also mated to Kyna Looby Lou and we kept Nora – Kyna Nora Batty. Her show career was cut short when she lost her coat following her 1st season.
Nora- Kyna Nora Batty
Nora Batty was to become a great producer for us; in her 1st litter mated to Jayzander Murphy’s Law she produced SH CH Kyna Misbehavin’ at Nicibec.
Maggie- SH CH Kyna Misbehavin' At Nicibec
Maggie was our 8th Show Champion, who was expertly campaigned and is currently owned by Nicki Craig. The litter brother Kyna Pure n Simple went to live in Romania with Daniel and Alina Cretu (Outcast).
Smartie-Kyna Midnight Skye
SH CH Kyna By Request was mated to Kyna Looby Lou and produced us a very sweet little girl Skye – Kyna Midnight Skye. She was shown briefly, qualifying for Crufts on her 2nd outing. SH CH Kyna By Request was also mated to Kyna Starchaser and our 1st tri-colour bitch was born; Freckles – Kyna It’s A Tri.
Freckles- Kyna Its A Tri
Freckles produced us 2 Show Champions, SH CH Kyna Albert Tatlock and SH CH Kyna Chas Dingle.
Tramp - Kyna Supertramp
Kyna Nora Batty was mated to Nulea Over The Moon for her 2nd litter and produced us Tramp – Kyna Supertramp. Tramp was shown alongside SH CH and Int CH Francini’s Day By Day, but managed to be awarded a RCC.
Bond - Kyna Vagabond
She was mated to SH CH Kyna By Request and went on to produce us Sh Ch Kyna Vagabond, our 12th Show Champion (8 of which are home bred). We are very proud breeders.
Tramp eventually grew enough coat to go back into the ring and we were thrilled that she won her class at Crufts.
Tramp eventually grew enough coat to go back into the ring and we were thrilled that she won her class at Crufts.
By- SH CH Francinis Day By Day
In 2014, we were honoured to be trusted to show and care for By – SH CH and Multi CH Francini’s Day By Day, who came from Italy for 12 months. We were delighted with By’s success in the ring; he was a great showman who loved strutting his stuff round the ring. We campaigned him to his UK Show Champion title; he ended his time in the UK with 14 CCs, 7 BOBs, 2 RCCs, 2 x Group 2, 1 Group 3, Top Cocker Spaniel UK, and joint 3rd Top Gundog. Thanks to Moray Armstrong for bringing him to the UK and his breeder and owner Angela Francini. ‘By’ was the 9th dog we have campaigned to their title.
Charlie-Kyna Italian Job
Kyna Midnight Skye was mated to SH CH and Int CH Francini’s Day By Day and produced us Kyna Italian Job; he was shown in the UK and at Crufts before going to live with Denise Smith in South Africa, where he is now a SA Champion.
Casey - Kyna Casey Jones
Kyna On Reflection was mated to SH CH Bitcon Let’s Dance and produced Casey – Kyna Casey Jones, BJ – Kyna Billy Jean, and Richard – Kyna Butch Cassidy who went to live in Holland with Sarina and Maurice Van Der Meeren, producing 4 beautiful girls for their kennel.
BJ - Kyna Billy Jean
Kyna On Reflection was mated to SH CH Bitcon Let’s Dance and produced BJ – Kyna Billy Jean.
Richard - Kyna Butch Cassidy
Kyna On Reflection was mated to SH CH Bitcon Let’s Dance and produced Richard – Kyna Butch Cassidy who went to live in Holland with Sarina and Maurice Van Der Meeren, producing 4 beautiful girls for their kennel.
Albert - Sh Ch Kyna Albert Tatlock
Kyna It’s A Tri was mated to Kyna Casey Jones and produced our 10th Show Champion, Albert – Sh Ch Kyna Albert Tatlock.
Albert now lives in Australia with Sue McFadden and producing some beautiful puppies.
Albert now lives in Australia with Sue McFadden and producing some beautiful puppies.
Elsie - Kyna Elsie Tanner
Kyna It’s A Tri was mated to Kyna Casey Jones and produced Elsie – Kyna Elsie Tanner who delighted us being awarded Top Cocker Spaniel Puppy Of the Year 2015.
Annie - Kyna Annie Walker
Kyna It’s A Tri was mated to Kyna Casey Jones and produced Annie – Kyna Annie Walker who was lightly shown by Nicki Craig (Nicibec). What a great litter!
Jacko - Kyna Smooth Criminal
Kyna Billy Jean was mated to Cassom Rock Star and we kept Jacko – Kyna Smooth Criminal who now lives with Michaela Burns (Villaspaniol) being consistently placed at Open and Championship shows, and Willow – Kyna Dirty Diana who also started her show career off well, but sadly lost her coat following her 1st season.
Willow - Kyna Dirty Diana
Kyna Billy Jean was mated to Cassom Rock Star and produced Willow – Kyna Dirty Diana who also started her show career off well, but sadly lost her coat following her 1st season.
Chas - Sh Ch Kyna Chas Dingle
Kyna It’s A Tri was again mated to Kyna Casey Jones and again produced us a fantastic litter with our 11th Show Champion in Chas – CH SH Kyna Chas Dingle. Delighted and very proud is an understatement. CH SH Kyna Chas Dingle went to live with Anne Morgan in Australia sharing the journey with her big brother. SH CH Kyna Albert Tatlock went to live with Sue McFadden in Australia and we are very excited about their new life.
Harry - Kyna One Direction
Kyna Supertramp was mated to Kyna Mr Bo Jangles and produced us a great litter including Harry-Kyna One Direction, Roxi-Kyna Roxanne, and Kyna Just For You who has gone to live with Sarina and Maurice Van Der Meeren. We wish him lots of luck.
Roxi - Kyna Roxanne
Kyna Just For You
Sonni- Sh Ch Brackenjack Ollison At Kyna
Teresa Walker (Brackenjack) mated her beautiful Champion bitch – Sh Ch Brackenjack Whoopsy Daisy to our Sh Ch Kyna By Request. They produced a wonderful litter, so much so… when we went to see them….we bought ‘Sonni’ – Brackenjack Ollison at Kyna.
We couldn’t of been more delighted that within 10 months of him starting his show career he was awarded his Champion title, we are so proud.
We couldn’t of been more delighted that within 10 months of him starting his show career he was awarded his Champion title, we are so proud.
Faith - Kyna Faith Dingle
Kyna Macbeth was mated to Kyna Zac Dingle a brother of Sh Ch Kyna Chas Dingle and produced us our beautiful Kyna Faith Dingle -‘Faith’
Faith won well during her puppy career, sadly she lost out to her kennel mate ‘Sonni’.
Faith won well during her puppy career, sadly she lost out to her kennel mate ‘Sonni’.
Toyah- Kyna Toyah Battersby
Kyna Elsie Tanner was mated to Sh Ch Kyna By Request and we kept 2 little girls, Kyna Toyah Battersby went to live with Ceylan & Debbie Yilmaz who have campaigned her well. We are proud of their success to date.
Uno - Kyna Uno
Kyna Billie Jean was mated to Deracor Di Nozzo and produced us a lovely dark blue boy – ‘Uno’ – Kyna Uno.
Due to campaigning Brackenjack Ollison sadly Uno missed out on being shown.
Due to campaigning Brackenjack Ollison sadly Uno missed out on being shown.