English Cocker Spaniel Named 'Tully' Wins 2020 National Championship
A 6-year-old golden English Cocker Spaniel named “Tully” followed in her sire’s footsteps to win the 2020 National Cocker Championship. NFC-FC-CFC Warrener’s Tullinadaly was handled by owner Vicky L. Thomas of Bismarck, North Dakota, and Pasadena, California, and was bred by James Fairclough of Sussex County, New Jersey, from a litter sired by NFC-FC Warrener’s Whip-Poor-Will. Tully joins her sire, “Troy,” who won in 2014, and a long line of talented cockers from Thomas and her partner Paul McGagh’s Glencoe Farm and Kennels in Bismarck. A professional trainer, McGagh has handled nine national champions, eight in the U.S. and one in Canada. “Tully is the first cocker Paul and I have owned to win a National in the U.S.,” Thomas says. “I knew Tully had a good trial going — she had three bird contacts in all five series — and she made the most of those opportunities.” Thomas has been involved with cockers since 1984 when she imported her first dog from England. She was instrumental in the re-emergence of the sport of field cockers, having chaired the first National Cocker Championship in 1998, was named the AKC Breeder of the Year for Spaniels in 2015, and was inducted into the English Cocker Spaniel Field Trial Hall of Fame in 2018. Tully is fed Purina Pro Plan SPORT Performance 30/20 Chicken & Rice Formula dog food.