History of the Register of Merit Award

The concept of developing a comprehensive Register of Merit system dates to the mid-1990s.  It was the brainchild of Sally Herweyer, Waterfield Kennels, then the Secretary of the FSSA.   Following much research, the ROM system was developed, along with the Hall of Fame system, to create an award recognition program unique to Field Spaniels.

The ROM System

The Register of Merit Recognition Program, ROM, is designed to provide recognition to those Field Spaniels who have achieved a level of excellence in a specific area.  The ROM award is a certificate indicating the achievement.

There are 6 ROM areas of achievement based on the achievements of the individual dog. There is an additional ROM area based on the achievements of an individual dog’s offspring. This is known as the ROM-Producer, and has 2 levels of achievement for dogs and two for bitches as follow:

Dogs:              Outstanding Sire (OS), Outstanding Sire Excellent (OSX)
Bitches:          Outstanding Dam (OD), Outstanding Dam Excellent (ODX)