Oh, Crud...Tell Me About Dalmatians, Please

[cottagegarden]

Cynthia-I think everyone has some great points and I am just going to agree with onthespot here.
You son made these choices and needs to be responsible and mature enough to see this dog through. We make commitments to our animals, life changes sometimes, but we need to
follow thorough til the end if we can not be there as a lifelong commitment. At 10, it maybe hard to find him a new home. The economy has been very tough on dogs as you probably know, maybe having a dog walker come would be a good compromise. Or I think the rescue can give you an accurate assesment of his placeability. On a positive note I do hope the right family that would love to have him will be found, he could be someone's dream come true.

Its an active breed. Period. The breed originated to run alongside carriages. Too much boredom can cause destructive behaviors. You probably werent ready to take up jogging hiking or biking on a regular basics and IF you had decided to get another dog(which you didnt want to do) I doubt Dalmatian would be on your list.
Someone has to think of his happiness, too. (0: He probably has 2-4 good years he wants to have some quality of life.
But you have such a sweet soul or you wouldnt even consider it.

 

[MrsCountryChick]

Glad to see it all worked out for the Best. But surprisingly sometimes a dog a yr or 2 younger with a bit more energy can really breathe some life into an older dog. But that's *sometimes*. Our dog really pepped up when we got a dog 3yrs younger. But if it turns out you have the dog -temporarily- for a day or 2 till the neighbor or rescue takes him, it may do your dog good to have a little visit of a "buddy" for that day or two. But seems it's all settled, Glad it worked tho.

 

[EweSheep]

I am glad for you Cyn of the decisions! Like my mother, she loves her collies but can not have anymore nor does she have the time to devote to a dog that loves attention. My parents loves to go places and not be tied down to caring for animals like we used to and enjoy their retirement years in peace! So no dogs for them and no dogs for us, yet, because my chickens comes first. In fact we do have a cat but the cat is wonderful in the house!

 

[Belgian Lady]

Speckledhen,
I had a Dalmation and she was the love of my life. I had to put her to sleep when she was twelve. It has been several years since then and I still miss her. She was my bestest buddy. Not at all high strung in fact she was very laid back. Give it a try you might be very happy that you rescued him.

 

[speckledhen]

IF you had decided to get another dog(which you didnt want to do) I doubt Dalmatian would be on your list

That is exactly right. Though he may be a wonderful dog, he is an older dog, not used to chickens, not used to us and a male on top of all that, which I don't want to subject my Kes to at this time in her life. I have nothing against Dalmatians, but even if this was a different breed, it wouldn't matter. We just cannot care for another dog, especially an older one, financially, at this particular time, especially a shedding dog who must be kept inside in cool weather due to his extremely short coat.

Beligan Lady, I'm sorry for your loss. She sounds like a wonderful dog.​

 

[SpringChickens]

Sounds like you made the right decision. Your son was the one who decided to get the dog; a lifetime commitment, by the way, so you shouldn't feel guilty saying "no".