Where art tho spring...

Enough all ready...

I am so ready for spring. The kids are ready for spring, the hubby is ready for spring and so is Sparkle. She got to play with her buddy Romeo today, so that is always a plus, but he can't stay long with the snow in the ground; no place to lay down and rest. And the kids are on spring break, but the slush in the backyard isn't that fun. So the kids are content to drive me nuts in the house; I'm thinking a movie might be in order (or heavy drinking). Sparkle is still having fun in the backyard, in fact so has worn the  snow down almost to the grass next to the fence. Hey can someone find Phill and Spork him PLEASE! If this is what an early spring looks like, he can keep it! Even with the strange weather, Sparkle is just rolling with the punches. She plays outside, with or without friends, then lays in the sun to warm up. Yeah, I know rough life, right. And occasionally we toss in a few training exercises. I'm really looking forward to the thaw so that we can really stretch our obedience legs and bring out the agility equipment; yes I have my own (I am a sad little person). Although with the long winter I have worked on more stupid pet tricks then I normally would have. If I can get some good video I'll post that sometime. So if someone can please find spring and send it this way, that would be great... Oh, wait... Did Mother Nature mail Spring, did she use the Post Office... That might explain a lot!

She likes it...

You can't see me...

You know, once upon a time there was a rule in the house of no dogs on the couch. This got put into play, mostly because that having two Rottweilers and a Dalmatian on the couch would leave no room for the people who bought, said couch. So they had wonderfully comfy beds placed EVERYWHERE. When we lost our dogs we donated 99% of our stuff to a local rescue group, we didn't think we'd be getting another dog for a long time; oops. See this is why I don't think to much, I hate being wrong. Although this is not a bad thing to be wrong about. Sparkle sort of fell into place, and she is one wonderful dog; please don't tell her, I'm afraid she might get cocky. When Sparkle came into our lives I was missing Cora still, really bad. It had almost been a year and my heart was still sad; and still hurts if I think about it too much. Cora was a 95 pound snuggling lap dog. And the odd thing is, you wouldn't even realize she had snuck her way onto your lap, you'd just look down, and there was this 95 pound dog in your lap. It would just start with her head in your lap. I'm pretty sure her thought was, "I'm in your lap not on the couch". She wouldn't do it all the time,so it was something I would let slide. When Sparkle came and just wanted to cuddle everyone, I let it all slide. So now, the only time she lays on the floor is when the fire place is on or the sun is coming through the entry way. This is totally my fault and I will own up to this epic failure on my part of training. But she does curl up nicely into a tight little ball taking up as little room as possible when everyone is in the couch. However, if she's there first, please reference the post, Physics. And if the couch is taking up by me, the cat and the kids and the hubby is in his chair, she will go over to the solitary reading chair. This is where I sometimes place my coat. I try to make sure that it is out of the way, laying it to the side. I'm guessing that is not what she wanted. I will never again fell sorry for her when the kids cover her with blankets, I'm betting she likes it.

Caught mid-air

I will get it...

We got about 7-9 inches of snow yesterday; depending on where you measure. Everyone stayed home yesterday; the kids, and hubby, totally threw off my groove. So I didn't post yesterday, because I had no me time to do it in.

Sparkle is truly one happy little soul. I've had her for just over a year now and that dog loves everything; expect that Water Spaniel (see pervious posts). She loves running in the back yard and it doesn't matter if its spring, summer or chest high snow (current conditions). With the new snow fall there is the added fun of running in fresh powder and her favorite game of finding her toys under the snow. I couldn't have this dog and not have a fenced yard, a big fence yard. She loves to run. Today it was laps in the yard and the search for toys. At some point she started doing her "Snow Fox" jump. I don't know if she's actually after something under the snow (like a Snow Fox) or she just likes to pounce. But this time I managed to get a picture of it. The pounce and the dig for treasure after. I'm scared that one of these days she's going to come up with something. 

A good scratch...

Therapy

Sometimes you just have one of those days. Where no matter what you do, you just feel off. Sunday was that day for me. My head was foggy, I couldn't keep a thought to save my life. Kelly Pickler was having more cerebral function then me. I didn't feel good and was having more mood swings then a Menopause Convention; thank you Tamoxifen. <Side note, Tamoxifen is a post Breast Cancer drug tat is known to cause mood swings. Yes I had Breast Cancer, I've been clear for two years now.> Anyway, the foggy thing could be cause of PMS or Chemo drugs (just found out that Chemo-brain can last up to 20 years after treatment is complete; like I need more challenges involving my brain). And the not feeling good, the list is to long. Needless to say I didn't know if I was coming or going and I was ready to pitch a fit but couldn't tell you why. At this point I have to say, bless my hubby, he is great. He still loves me and wants to be married to me, God only knows why. And of course there is Sparkle. She just wanted to be near me, she just wanted pets. At first I was just so annoyed with her, then I started petting her. I still had zombie brain, but I started to feel better and was less likely to go postal on the TV for playing that horrible, nerve grating "Fishy-fishy" song. I know it's not the TV's fault, but I didn't care. And cue Super Spot. Ahhh, it is amazing what happens when you pet on your dog. Dogs always know when something is "up". From your average house pet knowing when their owners don't feel well to those super dogs that can tell when someone is going to have a seizure. So I pet my lovely girl and then snuggled a bit. It was nice, my body was finally able to relax. Lucky for all family members involved, today when I woke up I was my "normal" self. Feeling good, thanks Sparkle.

Warm and....

Warm and Comfortable vs. Warm and Humiliated

With the nice weather Sparkle has been spending more time outside. But it's still only 37 degrees at best so more time is sort of relative. She still comes in with cold ears and if the sun in coming through the entry way, so goes straight there. Sometimes she's lucky enough, and the fire will be on when she come in. Like today, I had e fire on because I've been perpetually cold. Sparkle came in and parked it right in front of the fire. At one point she was warm enough to start panting. But she didn't move, oh, no, can't move away from a warm fire. Eventually she wanted to go back outside to play and say hi to all her friends that walk by. Sadly the fire was not on when she came back in; oh, it's so sad, she has a "ruff" life. Please someone report the abuse. So when she came in, she had to settle for my husbands chair. Well that s when the humiliation began. I managed to get her coat on her before she went out, so that is the "set up" for this picture below. She went out and while I was upstairs the little one let her in. I didn't think I was up there that LNG, but when I came down this is what I found: Sparkle in my hubby's chair with the little one's "lovies", because, " she was lonely"... Once again, kids and dogs prove to be great therapy, laughter therapy.

Pretzel

Getting Comfortable 

Sparkle is a dog that knows how to get comfy. As you know for pervious posts, she will find the sunniest spot to lay in or curl up in front of the fire if its a cold day and if all else fails, there is the couch and my husband's chair. Sometimes she sprawls out, taking up more room then you think is possible for a dog her size. And other times its just the opposite, she is curled up in such a tight little ball that you question the reality of space and mass; where's Albert Einstein? Then there is this... Seriously, was my dog assembled incorrectly? Is she part owl? Is her head still attached to her body? Did she learn this from the cat? That doesn't look comfortable, but I guess she really wanted to see the TV show that was on. That's really the only reason I could come up with for her to even want to lay like this. 

The look of guilt...

So Busted...

This is the look of a dog that KNOWS she's doing something she shouldn't be doing. Anyone that knows me and Sparkle for that matter, knows that my dog is spoiled; perhaps rotten. But she minds, as much as a Dalmatian puppy can (or wants to). When she naps, she finds an empty chair or couch to sleep on. I've tried a bed, she thinks the couch, or my husbands chair if he's not home, is hers. She is coming along nicely on her obedience, coming when called, sit, stay, leave it, and some of the other more specific things related to showing and going into the Rally and/or Obedience ring. But in our house there are areas that we call AFZ, animal free zone. The most important of these areas is the formal living room and kitchen; I really hate dogs under foot while I'm cooking. And there is the upstairs, which the cat even honors that rule. But I'm sure this rule will change for Sparkle when she is older and no longer has to sleep in her crate. I know she would love to sleep with my little one, but #1, she's still to little to have a dog that weighs 15 pounds more then her sharing a bed and #2 my little one has to many stuffed animals that Sparkle, being a puppy, would love to chew on. Anyway, back to being busted. When the weather is nice and sunny, like today, I open the front door (with the glass storm door closed) to let the sun in. It bakes the entry way, but it's free heat, thank you sun, and the dog loves to lay in the sun. We have a nice rug in the entry way which always seems just fine for little Miss Spotty to sleep on. But I guess today she was feeling particularly more like a princess then usual because she was laying on my love seat in the formal living room. I guess it was my fault, I didn't put the gate up all the way and she just walked around it... But still, look at that face and try to tell me she didn't know she was wrong... That is the look of guilt people... So I took a rolled up newspaper and smacked my hand and said, "Bad Human" for not putting up the gate all the way. (Shame on you if you thought I hit my dog. If you leave opportunity for your dog to misbehave, you have no one to blame but yourself.) Then, after taking the picture, I told The Spot, "No! Off!" And shoo'd her out of the living room. The gate is now in its proper place. 

Greyhound Needed...

All shapes, sizes and breeds

I really can't say it enough, good socialization is key with any dog. Sparkle had a little adjustment period when she came to my house. She went from a farm with no foot traffic to my neighborhood that has A LOT of it. Even during the week, in the middle of the day there are people walking their dogs. Sparkle use to bark at all of them. Now they are all her friends, some "closer" then others; sort of like people. But sparkle is one of those dogs that believes all dogs are her friends, there is not a dog that she doesn't want to play with now. There is one exception. It's a black Water Spaniel, they used to walk by our house every day. And they just wouldn't bark at each other, they would try to go after each other, even with the fence. So one day last spring I was out walking Sparkle and I ran into the gentleman with his Spaniel. We decided that they should meet properly, we were both on neutral ground. That didn't matter, both dogs stiffened up, hair stood up, and they lunged for each other. They didn't so much as touch each other, luckily it happened right away and they weren't close enough to do anything. He no longer walks by our house. But it's just that one dog. She has play dates with some of her neighborhood friends (we have a big yard for the dogs to play in) and some of the people that walk by will let their dog run the fence line with Sparkle if she's outside when they walk by. There is just something about that Water Spaniel. So this weekend Sparkle had a play date two days In a row with Summer, the Golden Retriever. She is about a month older then Sparkle, so they can play and play. Summer's people were gone for the weekend so Summer came over to play to burn off some energy. But it doesn't matter if it's an Am. Staff or a Golden puppy, Sparkle is just to fast; no one can keep up with her. I need to find her a Greyhound friend. She just wants to run and be chased; all of her friends get frustrated and give up. But it's still a good thirty minutes of hard play and chase. Then its on to I have a toy... No I have a toy... Oh look, a different toy. And right now the snow is making that game really fun.

Crazy Tuesday

Personal Space

I don't have it. I can't even eat lunch without someone crawling into my lap. Tuesdays tend to be the busy day of the week. Kids up, ready for school, hair and lunches. Then with the wind chill warnings, I take my six year old to school; there is no standing outside waiting for a bus in that stuff. After I drop her off, me and the little one head to the grocery store to shop for the week; maybe another stop or two, but then home. Then it's my slow down time, my zen, my quite time; lunch. I'll usually take a comfy seat, watch some news and eat my lunch. I'll take 30-45 minutes to myself, before I start the Tuesday house cleaning marathon. Then around 3 or 4 I'll start dinner so it will be ready when we get home from the little ones evening activities.  Once we are home, it's dinner time, then baths... It is a go-go, non stop day. So my 30-45 minute lunch is just that. Today I sit down for my lunch and Sparkle joins me on the couch and promptly puts her head in my lap. Not a big deal, but then my little one joins her... Ok this is cute. The mommy in me just looks at this and does Ooo and ahhh, the Domestic Engineer in me says, this is going to put me back about 15 minutes. Telling the dog to get off my lap when I'm done with lunch is one thing, but now I have my little one cuddling on the dog... Can't resist the cuteness ... Way to adorable... Can't think straight with the beautiful blue eyes looking up at me... What was I doing... Was I suppose to get up? Then the ultimate Kryptonite... "Mommy, I love you." That's it game over I totally cuddled on the little one and the dog for 15 minutes... I am weak.

A good dog will make you laugh

It's a Dal Thing

I really don't like to compare one dog to another, like people, they are all a little different. And here's the "but"... Sometimes your dog will do something that is so like the dog you once had, you just have to laugh. I think it's great that Sparkle has so many of the "traits" that remind me of Kay'Lar. So to explain the picture, this is Sparkle chewing on her foot. Not just nibbling, but full on bring out the ketchup, chewing. It's not an allergy thing, Kay'Lar used to do the same thing, and around two years old she stopped doing it. Plus if Sparkle is sitting next to me on the couch, I can grab her foot and ask her, "what's this?" And she'll start chewing. Lucky though, unlike Kay'Lar, Sparkle is not a chewer of things she shouldn't. But they do have a few similar traits that make me laugh. They both will do a single bark when the doorbell rings on TV; compared to the multiple barks when it's really ours. And then there is the stealing of the catnip toys; it's catnip, not dognip. Then there's things that are all their own. Like Kay'Lar used to "toot" and scare herself. She would jump up and look around, funniest thing ever! And Sparkle likes to sleep in strange positions that make you laugh and ask, "Did I not assemble my dog properly?" They are many other things, but I don't have the time or the blog space. I just find it interesting that they have some of the same "odd" behaviors, when there is NOTHING in common when it comes to their pedigree... I just have to believe its a Dalmatian thing... Or maybe I can just pick out the "strange ones"; you know, so we get along.

I'm psychic....

You can't make me go out there....

As I predicted its way to cold outside for any living thing; besides maybe Polar Bears or Penguins. The ground has turned back into Tundra, (and side note); Frozen Tundra is redundant, don't say it! The ice has reclaimed the outside toys that Sparkle likes to run with in the back yard. And as predicted, she's running around the house with her inside toys. Maybe I should open a pet psychic hotline. All my predictions from yesterday came true; I'm good. Although for a smart dog, she forgets a lot. She will go to the back door, wanting out and I'll put her coat on. She's all ready to go, so I open the door and the icy wind hits her face. She looks up at me, backs up and just walks away. The look is similar to "are you crazy?" or "what the hell?" But I'm guessing, it's "What the hell, are you crazy?" This has happened more times then I care to count today. I do try to reason with her, but she is a puppy. Although, with her, I don't think I'll be able to reason with her in adulthood, she is, after all, a Dalmatian. With any luck the weather will change this weekend; so say the weather report. This pattern of freeze your tail off, followed by snow, then freezing wind chill can stop at any time. Does anyone know where I can get doggy ear muffs?

-Shout out to my Canadian readers

Zzzzzzoom.....

Finally....

With the return of the snow this Sunday also came the return of more "seasonable" weather. What does that mean, "seasonable"? It depends where you are. I'm from the Pacific North West, so there, this time of year, that would mean, rain, clouds and temps in the 40-ish range. That is what I grew up with and what I know. Now I'm in Minnesota, so it means something COMPLETELY different. Even after seven winters, when the temps drop below zero, its still a shock! The subzero weather is scheduled to return, but until then, Miss Sparkle is loving the "warm-up". As my husband would say, she's acting like a caff in spring. So she's doing puppy sprints in the backyard. It's like the fresh blanket of snow holds some special power. Not only is she running like a crazy puppy, but she also does this bounding thing that reminds me of a gazelle or maybe a deer. It was sort of like watching a snow fox pounce on the snow looking for pray underneath. I was also impressed with how she found her toys barrier under the snow. Under that fresh pretty white stuff, was a treasure she wanted to find. One by one she sniffed out her three balls, her kong and her bone. Ok, the bone I can understand, that thing has got to stink. I am hoping we do get a couple more inches tomorrow so this can go on one more day. Once the subarctic weather returns, she won't want to go out and my family room will turn into her race track. 

Sunny Spot

Ok, that was an easy (bad) joke. But it was all about the sunniest place in the house. With the temps still in the "not fit for (wo)man or pet", getting and staying warm is high priority on everyone's list and Sparkle is no exception. So after her five minute outings in the back yard, this is where you would find her for the next thirt-ish minutes. After she had about five seperate outings with sprints in the back yard she totally crashed in the entry way. Such a good puppy, she stayed this way while I cleaned boh my daughters rooms and put away their laundry. Never underestimate the power of a needed nap. We all know that a tired dog is a good dog. I'm hoping this weather will turn around soon  we are all getting cabin fever.

Nails....

Dog nails... Ugggg! I battled Kay'Lar's nails her whole life. I never had a dog whose nails grew as fast as hers. And keep please keep in mind I've had over 70 rescues come into my home plus my three dogs (before Sparkle) in my adult life. Then there was Connor (my male Rottie) in eight years I think we did his back nails twice, front ones were only monthly and Cora was monthly too. You need to keep them "short" while showing and working. I really don't, to this day, understand why Connor's back nails where so awesome. He was an inside dog like the all my dogs; because I believe if you want an outside pet, you should plant a tree. He got his walks ever now and then, but the majority of his (and Cora's) exersize came when they where working on the Schutzhund field (which is turf for those of you that do not know). With Kay'Lar, she was a spoiled pet, no showing and the only "title" she had was her AKC Good Citizen (which I believe all dogs should have; sorry, preachy). So her exercise was walks and sometimes running in the backyard. And by now you are wondering what this has to do with Sparkle the "who" behind this blog. I told you at the beginning that I might go off on random things but would come back to the point, but this is all the point.... Dog nails... Doing Sparkle's today, like I do every Thurdays at 3pm, it got me thinking, of course about my other dogs and how unique they all are, right down to their nails. Yes I do Sparkle's nails once a week. This is for two reasons; so her nails stay short which in good for their feet, which makes it good for their gait, which helps in the show ring (and Sparkle may see the show ring, still TBD) and because she won't let me use a dremmel yet (my preferred nail trimming method) I need to clip them once a week. Using a dremmel insures that you don't cut the quick, so therefor you can get as close as you like. If she let me get me use a dremmel I would only have to do her nails every other week.... Hence the ugggg at the beginning.  All my dog trainer tricks have not worked yet to get her used to the dremmel... New methods forth coming. There are something's that chicken and/or raw beef can't fix... With Sparkle that's the "scream" of the dremmel.

Snug as a bug...

Brrrr

When it's as cold as it has been no one wants to go outside. And with a projected high of 6 degrees, with wind chills in the negative, the dog doesn't want to go out either. But, the 6 degrees is feeling like a little heat wave after we didn't get above freezing for three days. I truly can't even fathom what the first settlers were thinking when they got here. "Hey, it's negative 20 and theirs 5 ft of snow and insulation hasn't been invented yet... I know, let's stay here"... Sounds about right... Ok, enough griping about the weather, but just so you know, I'm allowed to do that; I didn't move here by my choice. (There's this whole being in love with my husband thing. Proof that love will make you deal with anything.) Today Sparkle couldn't take it anymore and she wanted to go out. The first time I opened the door a BIG gust of wind came through and she just backed up. I swear I heard her say, "Are you serious? I'm not going out in that. I can totally hold it." But she has been just itching to run. So after the third time, no wind gusts to scare her off, she ran out the back door. She hit all her favorite spots in the back yard, in less then five minutes; this usually takes 10-15. Then from the far end of the yard she sprinted to the door. Total time outside five, maybe six minutes. Usually a jaunt in the backyard will go at least 15 minutes. She ran into the house and did the "after-bathnpuppy sprint" (if you've ever owned a dog, you know what I mean). This same thing happened about four times today. Yes even the three tries to go outside. On the last outing when I let her in my youngest took off her coat. I'm guessing she thought Sparkle was cold because when I came down stairs this (the picture) is what I saw. My little one turned on the fire for her and then put a blanket on her. 

Dog Fail!

 So this was Sparkle today, when she wasn't running in the back yard. I understand the need to relax when you've spent 30 minutes running around with a ball in your mouth. But there are certain things a dog is suppose to do, and one of those things is clean the floor. There was about a five month period when we didn't have any dogs. I really don't like it, for many reasons. One of the reasons and perks, if you will, of owning a dog and having small children is that the dog cleans up the floor. When we didn't have a dog I would have to sweep four to five times a day. So today Miss Sparkle failed in her dog duty, she was a little to occupied with playing in the backyard. There were things on the floor that needed her attention and she just wanted to run in the backyard. Ok, now I'm not to upset, seeng how the temps are going to drop below what Siberia would consider cold, but seriously, it doesn't take that long for a dog to "vacuum" up some Cheerios and a piece of bread crust. It would take me longer to get out the broom and dust 

pan... Come, tell me I'm wrong. Dog Fail!

Shhhh....

Let sleeping .....

Kids, dogs, adults... Sleeping in our household is never something you can do alone. If it isn't one of the girls, it's a dog or a cat or all of the above. But it is mostly "nap time" that this is an issue, as everyone has their own beds and keeps to them; for the most part. Mostly the the top offender is Sparkle. She sees you,"Oh are we taking a nap, great I was just thinking  I could use one of those." It doesn't matter if its the kids, the cat or me, if there is space for her to curl up next to you is there (or if there isn't), she'll be there to take in the nap with you. But her favorite to curl up with would have to be my youngest daughter. And she is less likely to mind if my little one joins her after she's already settled in. I'm really glad that is the case because my little one has been taking naps with the dogs ever sense she could crawl. I have pictures of her curled up with Cora, my Rottie.  But the cutest is when Sparkle joins her, that's when you know the love is mutual.

Oh, Romeo...

No Breedists Allowed

If your are one of those people that judge a dog by its breed (instead of by its owner), please don't read this post, it will just make you mad, upset or something and I don't want to have to remove your comments from my blog. 

When we first go Sparkle she would bark at every dog that walked by. This would be an issue because we live in a neighborhood with a lot of dogs and we have a corner yard, so everyone walks by our backyard. I think this is becuase the place that she was staying before she came to me was a farm, so she wasn't used to the foot traffic. So with a little work she only barks at a couple of dogs, but in all fairness, they usually start it. When one of her "friends" walks by, if she's in the house she does bark her little head off; "let me out, let me out, I have to say hi.... Oh, it's my buddy, I have to say hi..." This happens on a daily basis with our neighbor's Malamute. They are the fence friends and will walk up and down the fence line. Then there is her "boyfriend", Romeo.  The picture is of her and Romeo. He is the cutest, most playful 10 year old Am. Staff I have ever met. His people live in the neighborhood about two blocks away. They were fence friends for months, then one day I invited Romeo and his person into the back yard; it was love at first chase. But poor Romeo is no match for Sparkles speed and agility. Try as he will, he can't catch her. But she loves to run and be chased and he loves to chase her. One time they were running and it looked like they were going to collide head on, but Sparkle just jumped right over him. i really wish i had video of that because just telling people about it doesn't give it justice for the spectacular sight that it was. She has "hops" that would put Michael Jordan to shame. There are bones and toys in the back yard, but they don't care, they only care about the chase. and then, when he's done and dog tired, they lay in the grass and wrestle. These picture are from this past spring. He's come over in the winter and wrestling in the snow doesn't go so well. If Sparkle is inside when Romeo walks by, Lord help my back door! These are two friends can not be kept apart.

Soap Box: I have know many dogs from the Bully family. I even rescued a deaf Am Staff brother and sister. Those two, the boy went to a home, whose youngest kid was deaf and the little girl became a therapy dog at the Children's Hospital in Portland. I have also trained many in the bully family these are some great dogs that get a bad wrap because of the people that own them. You can turn a poodle into a viscous dog 

too; it's just not as intimidating with those Pom Poms on their butts. Ok, off Soap Box.

Thanks for stopping by, and a shout out to my Australian Readers... Saw you on the report, G'day Mate!  

Feel the love

Ok, so for those of you considering a Dalmatian , please do not base your decision on how my little girl acts. Speaking as someone that did rescue, I had over 78 rescues (Dalmatian and all breed deaf dog) wonderful dogs come into my home, I can tell you, this one, is one of a kind. I'm not saying that each dog doesn't have it's own personality, it's just within a breed you will have certain traits. Like your average Westie wouldn't be your first choice as a Dock Dog, that would be a lab. Just like if you were looking for a dog to help with your sheep, you'd look for a Boarder Collie, for example. Now, I have seen Westie's Dock Dive and "Mutts" be some of the best with "their" sheep. But their are some things that dogs were breed for and are tattooed into their DNA; stamped to the inside of their brain. Not all Dalmatians are good with cats, that comes with good socialization and sometime patience on the part of your (almost 18 year old) Siamese cat. (Thanks again to Anne of Oakwood Dalmatians, Sue of Paisley Dalmatians and their friend Patti and family for the great socialization). Ok, I know, this isn't really going where the picture looks like it should, I'm off my soap box and have come back to topic. I told you I'd do this... (Please refer to first post)
As you know from the video (apparently you are unable to see it from a mobile divice), Sparkle "Talks" like a Malamute, when she plays or wants attention she will use her paws like a boxer. My husband (who is 6'1") can pat his chest and she will jump into his arms like a Border Collie. See and you thought the paragraph above was pointless ramble....
 To explain the above picture.
Any given night after dinner and the family has slowed down, if I'm on the couch, you will find the cat in my lap. It's usually not until later in the evening that Sparkle will join me and the cat (known as Mama Kitty; I might go into that story later) on the couch. This is usually after she has played with the kids, chewed on her Kong toys (which I highly recommend), played tug-a-war with my hubby and gotten into a bit of mischief (because she is a puppy after all). The usual for her is to jump up on the couch and "demand" attention; "pet me, scratch my ears, rub my belly, get that spot that I can't reach so I can 'flee' your hand..." But yesterday it was mid day and more of, "Why is the cat on your lap? Why can't I be on your lap? Is there a way I can get any closer?" Mama Kitty was a little annoyed with her at first, but they soon each found their spot (hehe, play on words, yes I'm a dork) and all was good in their universe.... Or so they thought. Now Mama Kitty is almost 18, so she just rolls with the flow of things. But she also knows how I am during sports. (For those of you not into to football, it was playoffs this weekend.) We are a football household, both college and NFL. Oh and totally off subject; I would like to apologize to all the teams that lost, apparently my cheering for a team was the kiss of death. With Sparkle being new to our household and young she hasn't learned how to just "go with the flow". Putting it mildly I get into my games (Honey, please keep your comments to yourself), I will sometimes yell or scream 
at the TV; because we all know that if you yell loud enough the refs can hear you 
and/or your team will play better (I guess I wasn't yelling loud enough this weekend).  
Mama Kitty has learned to just ignore this little quirk of mine. I might have scared 
Sparkle a few times and she actually groaned and syed at me. "I'm sorry, am I 
disturbing your beauty sleep?" But I'm guessing her "want" of being close to me won 
out over being annoyed by my spots exuberance, because she stayed next to me and 
didn't move the whole game. Good Dog. The picture below is my view when this all 
started. 

What are you...

There are some breeds that are know for their tracking, their are some that are known for their drooling, some that are known for their barking and/or howling and their are some that are known for using their feet when they play. Just so we are are clear a Dalmatian is NOT known for any of these things! When I was getting my Rally Titles on my Rotties there was a man that had two Malamutes. They were beautiful and well behaved, a perfect ambassador for their breed. But once he got them in the ring, they "talked" the whole time. Don't misunderstand me, they were great and did what they were suppose to do; in fact it was always my dogs and his dogs vying for the top spots. It was a riot to see these dogs doing perfect obedience while "talking back" the whole time. I only saw them doing Rally, never in the Obedience ring, I don't know how those judges would react or take that. In Rally, however, there was always a laugh, and sometimes even from the judge. You think I have gotten off topic, but really I haven't. I told you that story, because Malamutes are known talkers. And boxers are known to play with their feet, or "box" then they play. So I'm really hoping the video above loads properly, or this is all for not. Sparkle does a lot of funny, odd, interesting, naughty.... things, the reason behind the blog, but one of the things that she does that is not typical of her breed is "talk". I've mentioned it in pervious posts, but in the video above (I hope) is Miss Sparkle telling me its dinner time. The only thing I'm doing to get her to do this is not look at her. She knows its dinner time because she gets fed once the kids are in bed for the night. I knew she would do this if I did take her right out to get fed. Please enjoy the video, and don't judge my 
mess; I have small children, a dog and a husband (I love you honey). She will also do this 
same thing if my husband is eating jerky and not sharing.

What?

Spent last night writing a wonderful blog about Sparkle and her "talking"' only to have the whole thing "die" because, I guess, you can't upload video to blogspot... Seriously, what the hell? So new topic forthcoming later today. Sorry to those of you that read regularly, and those that just started, perhaps today, and all those in between... To tide you over, a little reality for those of you without dogs and for those of you with, a great laugh... Cause you know it's true!

Remembering...

Past and the Future

I started this blog to write about the funny things that Miss Sparkle does. From "talking" like a Malamute to allowing the kids to pile their stuff animals on her; because according to them, she needs "loveies" to sleep with. Some of the stuff that Sparkle does is one of a kind, like the "talking" but then there are other things that remind me of Kay'Lar, my first Dalmatian. The pictures are of her. The puppy one is from an old puppy picture that I found; she is 10 weeks old in that picture and chewing on one of the cat's balls. The other is of Her at about four, strong and beautiful. I miss her. She too did funny things as a puppy, one thing that her and Sparkle share is a love for running. Kay'Lar would run for ever, when is was younger, and I didn't have a big back yard I taught her to do "laps" around the tree. Sparkle loves to head out into the back yard and just do laps for five minutes straight. We have 1/2 an acre so laps are a lot easier for Sparkle. Kay'Lar did get to enjoy this back yard, but she was 10 before we moved into our current house. So her laps consisted of one lap around the back yard. She was still spunky and would put the Rotties in their place if need be, but by then she had slowed down some... Now for a Dalmatian that means not acting like a six month old puppy. People will say that Dalmatians are hyper, this is not true. You need to know what they were bred for and respect that. They were bred to run MILES every day. So do they have a lot of energy, yes, but if you have a place to put it, daily long walks and or runs, sprints in the back yard, for example, it's not an issue. But as with any dog, if they get bored they will find something to do, and that is usually not a good thing for the people. Kay'Lar was my first Dalmatian giving to me as a gift (gifting a puppy is not a recommendation or a good idea) by a boyfriend at the time. A short time later I got rid of the boyfriend and kept the dog; best thing I ever did. She was with me for fifteen and a half years. My best friend through so much in my life; college graduation, career changes, bad and good dating, getting married, moving across country and having kids. I had such a great "run" with her I couldn't imagine not getting another.  Enter Sparkle. We weren't looking for a dog. We had just lost our last dog (Cora the Rottie) to liver failure four months earlier and had donated all of our dog stuff to a local rescue. But here was this beautiful Liver Dalmatian looking for a home... I didn't know the first time I saw her that she would be mine, and I would be her's; and I am her's. But it was meant to be, everything fell into place. I won't bore you with the details. But she was perfect for our family. So I got a great Dalmatian a little earlier then I thought. And it's funny how many people ask if she's a real Dalmatian or if her spots are going to turn black... I love to educate. If you need color clarification please visit the color page at paisleydalmatains.com

I know I said I would be talking about working a lap top with a cat and dog in your lap, but I sort of got nostalgic today... And a little all over the place, sorry.

And a shout out to my followers in the UK... Thanks for reading.

Nerd (or Geek, which ever you prefer) Alert: Kay'Lar comes from Star Trek: the Next Generation... Yes I'm a Star Trek fan... And yes I know Kay'Lar is misspelled, I went with phonetics; that's just easier on everyone; friends, family, vets and the dyslexic owner.

Physics

Mass, space and volume

Did you ever look at something and wonder, "How does something that small take up a space so big?" Or "How does something so big get down or fit into something so small? Sparkle is about 50 pounds, and yet she takes up more "space" then my 100 pound Rottie did. Will someone please explain the laws of physics to my dog... Or maybe just the fact that just because you CAN take up "that" much room doesn't mean you need to or should. Don't get me wrong, she shares the couch wonderfully, with me, the cat and the kids. But if she gets there first, it's hers! I'm sure it all goes back to the rules of dog ownership. If you own (or are owned by) a dog then you know these rules; If its yours, it's mine., If I once had it its mine., If I saw it, it's mine., If I'm laying on it, it's mine., So on, you get the idea. I have the "rules" somewhere, I'll look for them and post them later... They are funny. Maybe I just need to get a bigger couch? Or another one just for her? I think tomorrow we might discuss the finer points of trying to type with pets vying for your lap... Seriously where is your laptop suppose to go with a cat and a dog laying on your lap?
Oh, and I saw on my blog report I have a few readers from Germany. I'd say something in German but all I know has to do with dog training and showing terms used for my Rotties. Plus my English spelling is bad enough, we don't need to laugh at my attempt at spelling in another language. So please take my old fashion "Howdy", and thanks for reading.

Oh, the shame...

Dog Shaming

As a dog trainer and someone who did rescue (before kids) I have seen all sorts of dogs with all sorts so issues and/or problems. When the web site dogshaming.com first went up I laughed and did the "Ooo" face. And I did my biggest mistake by telling my hubby that we are so lucky that we have a dog that would not do something that would land her on this site. And if you know anything about the laws of the universe, you know that saying this out loud is the kiss of death. Don't get me wrong I know my dog is not perfect, nor were any of my previous dogs. In fact there are a few things that my Rottie, Connor did that would have landed him on that site. For example, because I know you are dying to know, he loved to eat my husbands socks. We would try ("try not, do or do not, there is no try") to make sure that socks were put away, but he always seem to get to them. We were "lucky" enough that he never had to go to the vet because of it, he would be nice enough to "deposit" them in the dog run; yes, gross! I would have to say that some of the Christmas shaming pictures were wonderful. In one, I believe a bull dog ate a baby Jesus out of as nativity scene; naughty list for sure. The picture above is of Sparkle and her debut on Dog Shaming. As responsible dog owners we do not allow a puppy to free roam in our house; my last Dalmatian was five before that happened. So we have a crate that she sleeps in at night; left over from the Rotties, so you know it's big enough. And if we are going to be gone during the day, we have a "run". There's an outdoor area about 12ft x 20ft with a dog door into the third stall, which she has a third of that is sectioned off for her with an "X-pen". I always make sure that she has toys and/or a frozen raw bone of chew on. I'm guessing she has decided that this is not enough to occupy her time. We thought these were chew holes, but on further examination we believe that they are actually "dig" holes. I know what your thinking, so she dug at the walls in the garage. Well, this summer we finished the garage. We had someone come in and professionally mud and sand. Then my husband and I sent two weekends painting. All clean and sparkly... Then came Sparkle and her dig holes. It's a good thing we love animals, because I think for a minute there we debated about a trying to knock her spots off (I am joking of course, those that know me; encluding her breeder, know this would NEVER happen). So know Miss Sparkle will not have "free time" in the run. Sadly those privileges have been revoked for a while. She will have to be in her crate when not traveling with me. My hubby did the first coat of mud yesterday, he will then sand, mud and sand again; then it will be my turn to paint. I know what you are thinking; just wait until she grows out of it to repair. Well it's also a visual thing. Dogs will go back to the destruction and make more if they see it there. So we are removing the reinforcement that its ok the dig there, by removing the visual cue.  

Ok, now the dog trainer in me must speak! It is not ok, or cute that your little dog growls and/or shows his/her teeth to you. It is not ok for your dog to "hump" kids or your house guests. These are all signs of dominance issues; meaning that your dog thinks (s)he out ranks you, your guests or kids. This in NOT ok and is especially NOT funny. If your dog does these things, especially to kids, please fix it, or get help to fix it. Ok, trainer side done.

Sorry for the lack of blog over the holidays, but it was the holidays and my life was super crazy.