(Some observations on
living with Dalmatians)
Most of us rather prosaically cling to our accomplishments and our aspirations losing by this the immediacy of the moment and any possibility of immersing in its infinite possibilities. Dalmatians will have none of this; they live most ecstatically and exuberantly in the present. They live intimately in touch with reality, contrasting with the illusions in which we bind ourselves.
Yet we can learn from these, our canine companions. For when you look into the eyes of a Dalmatian and feel the depth of his unalloyed affection, or when you simply close your eyes and rest your hand on his warm body, he can take you with him. His touch with the unity of nature can carry you along providing an anchor to the infinite.
Paraphrasing R.H. Blyth in
Zen and Zen Classics
, "To know a Dalmatian we must know that he is the whole universe; the whole universe is contained within him, and nothing is excluded. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is the Land of Hope and Glory. He is the hallelujahs of the saints, and the face of God."
Dalmatians in Winter
-- Some early morning thoughts, inspired by the appearance and disappearance of three of my Dalmatians while walking through the snow laden woods on a very foggy early winter morning.
Spring's Promise
-- Having lived with Dalmatians for many years, I have found as the years go by and the better I know them, the stronger the bonds of affection have grown.
Having lived with people for an even longer period, I find that the more I get to know them, the more I like Dalmatians.
Now That She has Grown Old
-- It is a story as old as man's relationship with dogs: the passage of dominance and status between one generation and the next. The old boys just give up their positions gradually, grudgingly at first, but as the aches and pain of old age creep into their joints, they simply refuse the challenge, walk away, and slowly "fade away."
The girls do not seem to transition as smoothly, and the rites of passage are inherently more dangerous -- I don't know why this is, but most who have lived with canines for a long time have seen it also. The older girls will hold on and when their physical strength is gone they continue, it seems, by shear bluff and bluster. Younger females do not accede to this willingly, and an older girl will sometimes get involved in situations leading to serious injury and even her own death.
I observed what at first seemed to be a playful escapade between my two year old female, Punky, and Whispy, who is now eleven. At first it seemed a harmless event, but the demeanor of both females revealed a far deeper, underlying competition for position.
When Old Dogs Dream
-- Friends faced an unfortunate situation with their older dog many years ago when he inadvertently bit, on two separate occasions, different neighborhood toddlers.
The scenario was the same in both cases. The old dog was lying half-asleep on the front porch, enjoying the cool concrete as a respite from the heat of summer. A toddler approached to pet "pretty doggy", and the dog's reflex action and snapping teeth tore the infant's face.
Euthanasia for the dog was avoided only by placing him in an isolated "retirement home" for the final years of his life.
Bark that Greets the Dawn
--Some Dals will bark spontaneously when they first pop out of the door in the morning, not all, but some do this consistently, and my 3-year old Punky is one of these. I could write it off to a fleeting glimpse of the deer that frequent the woods just outside the dog's fenced area, but I doubt that that explains every instance.
I really don't know why she does this -- not that I haven't thought about it, but there just isn't any definitive answer.
Updated 10/1/97