Cruella's Desire

Staying true to my dog series, let me introduce you to Sparky, the only one left of a pair of Dalmatians we used to own. Sparky is hands-down the sweetest dog we have. He's laid back, protective, fun to play with and oh-so-good with kids.

In general, people say that this breed is too energetic for small children. That may have been true of his brother, Scamp, but Sparky is the perfect gentleman. When we're outside playing, the only thing that concerns me is that he is a 60-lb. dog and Olivia is a 20-lb. baby. I also have to watch his tail. He's knocked Olivia down on more than one occassion (she does her best to push him out of the way and pull herself back up.) Sparky is also deaf, which is another reason Dalmatians aren't reccommended for small children--deaf dogs tend to spook and snap. That has never happened to us, although I do make a point to tell people he's deaf and I wake him up before Olivia plays with him to avoid any misunderstanding.

Dalmatians are SMART dogs. Just because Sparky can't hear doesn't mean we can't communicate with him. He responds very well to many hand signals--which took only minutes to teach him. His deafness also doesn't slow him down as a watchdog, which Dalmatians are very good at. (They used to run with carriages to keep away robbers and animals). His sweet personality turns absolutely viscious if he sees another dog even breathing on our property line, and his eyes pick up everything. He is also constantly guarding Olivia from Sammy, our ever-playful cocker. Nothing gets between Sparky and his baby girl as long as he's around. Olivia doesn't really appreciate this protective attitude, but I do.

Sparky's easy-going personality (which is very different from most Dalmatians...even his brother Scamp) means Olivia can pretty much do whatever she wants to him. When she was younger, she'd pull on his tongue, pull on his ears, pull on his tail and climb all over him. He responded with kisses (see below); he didn't even bark, growl or snap. Now she's tall enough to scratch his back and he loves her even more.

One thing that makes Dalmatians so loyal, I think, is their need for companionship. When we lost Scamp, Sparky needed to be with us 24/7. I don't care what you see on TV, it is impossible to share a house with a 60-lb. lapdog who sheds a new coat of hair every hour. That's when we got Sammy, and the two are never apart (more about Sammy later). Sparky absolutely does not do well by himself.

While I love Sparky and can't imagine Olivia growing up without him, I don't reccommend this breed to other families with young children. In many ways, Sparky is a very special dog. Perhaps if you introduced this dog to your family as a puppy, it would be OK. But if you're looking at an adult, I'd be very careful. I'm grateful that we go such a sweet boy with Sparky (again, his brother Scamp...totally different story...we named him Scamp for a reason). He is definitely a wonderful family dog for us.