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

[speckledhen]

My younger son emailed us this morning. He wants us to take his dog. Crud, we dont want another dog. My Cody died last year at age 12 and our Kes is 11 now. We decided that after she is gone, we don't want anymore dogs. I have no idea how old this dog is or if he's neutered, even; it's a male Dalmatian. I feel for my son, but I hesitate here:

Mom/Dad,

How would Kes like a playmate? Work is requiring more and more of me - causing me to be gone from the house 12-17 hours daily. I can't take care of Edward, my Dalmatian, in the way he deserves. I can't keep him in his cage for that long and out of the cage he can't wait for the bathroom for so long. I also don't have a fenced back yard that he can be in unsupervised. He always had a doggy playmate (always a female Dalmatian) before I agreed to take him; so I think he and Kes will enjoy time together. Edward is extremely submissive and would warm up to Kes after a few minutes in the backyard together. He sleeps 75% of the time and only plays with tennis balls or his stuffed Squirrel.

Please agree to take him as I hate the thought of giving him to some stranger or taking him to the pound.

I have Monday evening - Tuesday off from work to take him up there.

Chris​

 

[sparkles2307]

Really he just said "please agree to take him"!? Thats not guilt tripping or anything... you can say no if you want to! I am 25, my mom says no to things I ask all the time, its OK cause I am a grown up and dont live in her house anymore...

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Dalmations were once highly inbred when the 101 Dalmations movie peaked, but I dont know much more about them. I know that they were once thought to be very dumb, but they are in fact very intelligent. My friend had a large female who was absolutely the best, and sweetest tempered dog there was.

 

[Katy]

I guess you could take him on a trial basis to see how it goes with the agreement that if it doesn't work your son will be responsible for coming to get him and rehoming him. I know how hard it is to say no to your kids.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

Well, my two cents Cyn. I have two friends that had Dalmatians. Both were kept outside because they did not like the shedding short dog hair, neither dog listened really well and that was another problem. High strung but if taught to mind I didn't think they would have been a problem. They also liked to wander out of the yards a good bit.

Don't you just love it when the kids ask, mine brought me two young basset hounds once and they lived here to a ripe old age!

 

[speckledhen]

My realtor and friend just started a Humane Society here in our area. I guess she could find him a home, but that'd be strangers. Still, times are tough and this is one thing he may have to just suck up and do if he can no longer keep him. We can't really afford the vet care for our own dog other than her annual rabies shot. And if he is not neutered, I won't subject Kes to that at her age. I'm waiting for more information from him, but this is not an easy decision.

 

[texaschickmama]

Don't you hate to tell your kids "NO". This is a hard one. In the end, you have to think if Crud would "fit into" your family and home. Has he ever seen a chicken? What would he do? Would he really be submissive to your other male dog? Don't take him if you are not 100% sure, you know it is a BIG commitment. If you and hubby already thought you didn't want another dog after yours' passes, then really think about it. I haven't said anything you haven't thought of yourself, I'm sure. Remember, there are good families out there that would adopt him.

Sorry, I thought you had a male dog. That opens up a whole other can of worms...............................

 

[HennysMom]

Dalmations are very high strung..... I agree with TuffoldHen.

Had a friend that had 2 of them and...

they were comparable to a ankle biting yappy dog for the high strung part. They NEED human companionship ALOT and they can be chewers.

Now that being said - they were big babies

but.... still required alot of "neediness" attention, and that high strung thing...it just did them in. They do have health issues too, so check into that.

Good luck whatever your decision is.

 

[babymakes6]

Dalmations are very sweet and intelligent dogs. The only "problem" I know they can get is deafness. They can also get skin problems. Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

 

[Missouri chick]

I'd do it on a trial basis only. I've worked in the vet field 6 1/2 years. Some vets have nick-named them dam-nations. They can be very high strung and often aggressive due to a lot if inbreeding in the past. BUT, just like all breeds there are exceptions. I've met a few that were good dogs.