So I've learned some things ...

We have now had Scrubs in our family for three weeks. And during that three weeks I have learned a lot about Dalmatians. Here's what I now know that I didn't know before.

• The Dalmatian is currently a victim of its own popularity. The release in 1997 of the live version of 101 Dalmatians created a demand for puppies that some unscrupulous breeders were only too happy to meet. Unfortunately many of these puppies were bought on impulse and have been abandoned to shelters and rescue groups. A concerted effort was made as the movie was released to provide information that would enable prospective owners to determine whether or not a Dalmatian was the right breed for them. Attempts were made to show both the pros and cons of Dalmatian ownership. The media, however, picked up on some of this information and completely changed the intent so that a very negative picture of the breed emerged. This is why John and I had some ideas that Dalmatians weren't good dogs to have.
• Apparently Dalmatians were bred to run with a coach and horses. They were also used to guard the coach and the horses. To guard, they required an intelligent nature, the ability to run all day, and an extremely high energy level. This is very true of Scrubs. He is very smart and has more energy than I can possibly express in words. It is also true that they inheritantly have a natural love of horses. We haven't tried this out yet. I'll keep you posted.
• Dalmatians need both physical and mental stimulation. Without it, they can easily become bored and destructive. In order to help this, we put "kongs" in his crate with him. We stuff these with food that he has to figure out how to get out. It usually distracts him for long enough that he falls asleep or feels mentally exhausted. However, without the mental stimulation, he's too excited to really ever fall asleep.
• Dalmatians are very energetic, intelligent, stubborn, and playful. Scrubs is smart but incredibly stubborn. He hears his name, knows his name, but will choose to not listen to his name if he prefers not to. I've been told that they want to test their owners to see how much they can get away with and that they will know what they can get away with with one owner (Wendi!) and not the other (John!)
• I love his tail. I can tell if he is playing, scared, or mad just by what his tail is doing. Their whip-like tails can also clear a coffee table in five seconds!
• Dalamtians are people-oriented. They are an excellent indoor & outdoor companion, but they are not a yard dog and need lots of people contact. This is incredibly true. I have read that they want to be a part of the family and do not want to be left out of social activity. During the last two days, we have had company come over while Scrubs is in his crate. He goes bonkers! He cannot stand to not know what is going on. Their feelings are hurt if they aren't playing with everyone else.
• Dalmatians love to go, go, go. They like jogging and biking but needs owner involvement. In other words, if I do it with him, he wants to do it, but he doesn't want to do much without John or I doing it with him. Scrubs tendency toward loving a good jog is one of the main reasons JB purchased him for me. He's going to be a great running partner!
• Dalmatians are mainly loyal to their owner and not usually a "love everybody" dog. He can, if he chooses, be very aloof with strangers. However, he is polite when introduced.
• They are called the "velcro" dog for their tendency to stick like glue to their owner.
• Dalmatians will "yawn and whistle" when they don't want to do something. I didn't believe this until I saw it. It is so funny!
• Dalmatians can have a hard time with very young children because they are so excitable. This is something we will really have to work on with Scrubs and an important reason we are taking him to "Puppy Kindergarten" classes next month. I'd never heard of these classes and quite honestly, would have deemed them fairly pretentious prior to owning a dog. But dogs really develop their fears and traits during their early months so we are going to teach this dog young! Scrubs like kids but just needs good supervision and exposure.
• Dalmatians, while usually healthy, can suffer from deafness, kidney stones, and skin problems. They can't eat table scraps and need a high protein diet. Scrubs was tested with the breeder and his hearing is fine. However the kidney stones and skin problems are something we need to watch.
• Dalmatians don't like cold weather. How perfect is that for me!? This is due to their short coat. Despite this short coat, they do shed a lot. This I have noticed.
• They are very clean, fairly odorless dogs. This is the reason that my cousin Sarah has told me her allergy isn't quite as bad in a house with a Dalmatian as it is with other dogs. It is also good since I can be a fairly authentic clean-freak.

Anyways, that may be more than you wanted to know, and I'm sorry if I am boring any of you with my talk about my dog. However, he's my new best buddy! I love this little guy. He drives me absolutely crazy, but is amazing companion to have in our home.