When we had to say goodbye to our first Dalmatian, Kite, my husband really wanted another Dalmatian, so I began the search. I was not going to buy from a backyard breeder, or a pet store.
At a dog show I approached someone who belonged to the Chicagoland Dalmatian Club and asked for any breeders who had, or were expecting puppies. She knew of a breeder who lived about 3 hours driving time away from me. I contacted her, liked the pedigree and watched the puppies as they grew. One really stood out to me. He was smaller, and lightly marked, and quite nice looking.
My friend, Lynne, who was a Dalmatian breeder for over 25 years, came with me the first time I drove out to see the puppies. The puppy I had liked in the pictures was still my favorite. He eventually became ours. His official name is Honeylane's Obsidian Chip. His breeder likes names associated with volcanoes. His father was Fugi for Mount Fugiama, and his mother was Maggie, for RedHot Magma.
He was a fun puppy. When he turned two he started exhibiting some fearful behavior and at one time even bit Jerry on the lip. I had taken him to puppy classes, and puppy agility classes, but I guess he still needed some confidence building. We then joined a beginners obedience class at the dog clup I belong to, a class where there are no harsh corrections, only positive inducement. He really loved going to these classes.
Then, soon after he turned three, he had trouble urinating. Knowing that Dal's have problems with stones I immediately took him to an emergency vet clinic and they helped him relieve himself. Then he went to the vet the next day to get checked. He seemed okay. I was going to an agility trial with Ricky on the weekend and thought that the problem had been taken care of, but just before leaving on the trip, I noticed Chip having a problem, again. Back to the vet to get him some relief. I had hoped he would be okay, and Jerry said it was okay, so I left to go to the agility trial, a long weekend away. Well, Chip was not okay and ended up having to go to the vet twice everyday to get help to urinate. When I came home after that weekend I had a new puppy, Tad, with me. The next day Chip went into surgery to have a stone removed. For 10 days Chip had to be walked on a leash so he wouldn't tear out his stitches. During those 10 days Tad and Chip learned how to treat each other.I would let Chip roll the puppy when Tad teased him, letting Tad know that he was a big dog and could hurt him, and at the same time telling Chip to be easy. When the leash came off, it was obvious that these two were best buddies. Chip is now a happier dog, Tad and him play constantly! At this time, with a changed diet and daily medication Chip is doing really well with no further signs of urinary stones.
We still go to a local nursing home occasionally, something that Chip does very well. He seems to know which people need to see him the most. He's so gentle with everyone and never hesitates to show off a beg, or a hand shake.