Spotted Past Photo Gallery | Save the Dals

Dalmatians have been a part of our family for many years when Dahli was spotted in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. She was a liver and white beauty, an eclamptic mother, stubborn but lovable old gal who stayed with us until she was 16. Following her were Dezzi, Lucy, Maxxi and Jazzmyn and 111 puppies in between. Since 2006, when Jazzmyn left us, we have been spot-less.

One night I was checking Craig's List for Dals, I saw the post from savethedals.org and Simon was among the group ... and a rather handsome boy at that.

 


"This is Simon. He was purchased from a breeder as puppy. His owner lost their home and could no longer keep him. Simon will be two years old in a few months. Simon was raised in a home with children is housebroken, neutered, micro-chipped and up to date on vaccinations. Simon is an absolutely stunning Dalmatians and a great representative of the breed standard. Simon has a girfriend named Brinkley (one of our other rescued dalmatians). The love playing with each other. While Simon gets along with other females who enjoy playing, he would probably not get along well with smaller dogs. Simon would best be placed in a home that does not have cats. He is an athletic dog who would make a wonderful running partner for someone."

  

After about a week of emails with the staff, we met Simon for the first time on May 21, 2008.

He was a shy little boy when we first met. He rapidly adjusted to our surroundings, including his encounter with Graham, our resident cat of 15 years. Upon their introduction, Graham put him in his place on his terms and now they are great friends and Simon does not have the urge to attack cats at all. I think we can say he now has respect for them. Who said Simon wouldn't adjust to cats?

Simon had his first obedience class on May 30th and he was the star of the class. We had been working with his behavior: sit, stay, don't put your paws on the kitchen counter (excuse me), no whining when we aren't around, etc. Now he is just as sweet as he can possibly be. After his meals, he comes to thank me.

He had his first outing in the off-leash dog park. At first he was rather shy and stayed close to us but after awhile he was running circles at high speed around all the other dogs and owners. All you saw was a blur of spots racing by. It was amusing for everyone and he was recognized by our vet who was running her dog. He is very special.
It is so nice to have spots around the house again!

His second obedience class was just as rewarding as the first. His teacher thinks he is so handsome .... they even flirted a bit .... of course, she had treats in her hand! This week we are working on lie down. He sits on command, walks well on a lead, catches his treats and has to sit and stay before he can eat his meals.

Simon's Big Adventure at the Off-leash Dog Park in Pasadena

  
Click on the photo to enlarge


Come on Simon .... I just want to run and play!


Some other friends checking each other out.


Dad .... please protect me from these beasts.


Running circles around all the other dogs



And he's off!


Simon probably hasn't had this much fun in his entire life.

                       

Simom and Graham are friends now but he still considers himself a lap dog.




Simon and his best buddy, Baxter, at the watering hole at the dog park in Pasadena.
We considered Baxter our best buddy when we used to take care of him
while his dad is working
or away on business.

Do you have an interesting story about your Dalmatian?
We are looking for stories to compile for a book about Dals and their rescue.
Since the increase of these extraordinary creatures with the Disney movie, many of our spotted friends
have been abandoned, abused, taken to animal shelters or rescue organizations.
The intention of this book is to share stories of Dals that have been rescued
and who continually touch the lives of people they love with heart warming tales and photographs.
If you have a rescue story to share, we would love to hear it. You don't have to be a writer. We will edit, if necessary. You will be notified if your story is accepted and you will need to sign a release to use the story
and photos (yes, lots of photos, please). We will be accepting submissions until September 30, 2008. Submissions will only be accepted electronically in .doc format for text and .jpg format for photos (300 dpi).
A portion of the profits of the book will be donated to savethedals.org.

Send your story and photos to mazigrace at gmail dot com

On July 19th we visited Anaheim, California to attend a Super Dalmatian Fun Day sponsorded by Save the Dals. Unfortunately we got a late start and got lost trying to find the park so most of the activities were over. However, when we arrived, we saw lots of spots and someone from the crowd asked, "Is that Simon?" It was Donna Mincheff with her two Dals, Maggie and Abby. She shared with us her story of how she got to know Simon.

Simon's BIG day at the Dog Beach in Huntington Beach, July 2008
Click on the photos to enlarge.

At first, Simon wanted nothing to do with those loud, crashing waves. And they kept coming after him. He was a bit freaked out.


Every time the waves came after him he would run away from them at high speed.

Out of nowhere, just when he was getting the hang of running from the waves, one came after him and he had no where to go
but run to Daddy for comfort.


"Simon, you get in that water!"
I love this picture. He looks like the flying Dal.




Simon graduated from Beginner Obedience at PetSmart in August, 2008.
He is getting much better with his socialization with humans and other dogs.
We make a regular visit to the Dog Parks in Pasadena, Arcadia and the Dog Beaches where he runs (at high speed) and plays with his toys and other dogs.

Don't you just love that look?
I think he is trying to say, "Mom, why do you keep dressing me up and taking pictures?"
"Now, cut that out and take me to the dog park!"
about       ADORNABLES        essential soaps      paintings       headshots       contact