One of the questions I get asked the most when people hear that I have a Dalmatian is “Why did you choose a Dalmatian?” It’s a valid question—they are definitely not a breed that is meant for every household. Getting a dog, and especially a Dalmatian, was not a decision I made lightly and I had so many reasons for choosing the breed that I did.
For me, being a pet owner was a core part of my identity. I had wanted a dog since I was a kid (though my dream breed changed based on whatever phase I was going through and they often didn’t stick), but I had never been allowed to have one. My parents made the mistake of letting me choose a cat from the shelter for my ninth birthday. Long story short, Electra became my whole life and I was absolutely devastated when she was gone. The effects of her death had such a severely negative impact on my life that my mom told me I had to get a dog—this lead to Indie’s nickname “Bereavement Puppy.
Because my puppy search came from a place of grief, I definitely wanted a higher maintenance dog that I could really dedicate all of my waking moments to. Dalmatians are definitely a high maintenance breed—they need lots of exercise, mental stimulation, tons of attention, and training.
In addition to that, I took a lot of things into consideration when trying to choose a dog (I ultimately landed on getting a puppy from an ethical breeder). I wanted a dog that was small to medium, low maintenance coat, fairly biddable, loyal to its family but aloof to strangers, low prey drive, solid off-switch, not too barky, a little bit protective, emotionally intelligent, goofy, but most of all, I wanted a Velcro dog.
I don’t think there was one perfect breed for me, it ended up being sort of a process of elimination. I looked at Papillons but decided I wanted something bigger and less vocal. Then, I looked at American Hairless Terriers—they are totally still on my list for a future dog, but I was intimidated by the “terrier-tude.”
Then, I remembered the Nederlandse Kooikerhondje (okay, quick confession in case it wasn’t obvious before this point: I have been a huge dog nerd since I was a kid). The Kooiker is a rare dog breed from the Netherlands that was orginally bred for duck hunting. I did some research on the breed and liked what I saw—good size, good temperament, good off-switch, trainable, not too barky, somewhat vigilant, attached to their people. On paper, they were a near-perfect breed for me.
I did hours of research, learned about all of the possible health issues (including the obscure ones), talked to breeders. I was so well-researched that not only did I discover the breed community drama, but I also was offered a mentorship from a wonderful breeder who lived about an hour away from me. Honestly, if she had any litters planned, I would probably have a Kooiker today instead of a Dalmatian. Ultimately, I just didn’t connect with the breeder who was taking applications, plus she was several states away so it ultimately just didn’t feel like the right choice for me.
To be honest, I had dismissed Dalmatians before doing any research on the breed—I assmed they wouldn’t be a good fit for me because of their energy level. But I could not get them out of my head. I kept going back to the “What if?” One thing that’s important to note about my family is that my step-dad had a Dalmatian in the 90s (like everyone else apparently) that he absolutely adored. Growing up, I would hear about how much he loved Dalmatians and about how Kinsey was the perfect dog. That probably influenced my decision to a certain degree.
I researched them casually alongside Kooikers, but soon enough, the casual research became intense research. I learned about possible health issues, dietary needs, and temperament. I talked to people in the breed and found that these dogs were goofy, empathetic, smart (but often use their intelligence to get into shenanigans), versatile, trainable but often on their own terms, and best of all, VELCRO!!!
The thing that usually draws people into the breeds (their spots) was actually one of the things that made me hesitate the most. I did not want a flashy dog. But the other characteristics won me over—and the fact that well-bred (emphasis on the well-bred) Dalmatians are not prone to cancer or any other very serious medical conditions or allergies—which are unfortunately often severe and way too common in backyard bred Dalmatians.
I applied to adopt some dogs from some Dalmatian-specific rescues but the more I researched, the more I wanted to go with an ethical breeder. I wanted a dog with as few surprises as possible. I ended up finding a few ethical breeders through an ethical breeding group online, and reached out to a few. One of them happened to live a couple of hours away from me, and unlike many breeders, she was open to selling a dog to a young person who was new to the breed (and new to dogs in general). Her own first dog was a Dalmatian (the one who inspired her to become a preservation breeder) that was sold to her in her 20s, and she wanted to give other young people the same opportunities.
I know that I had a whole list of things that I was looking for in a dog, and anyone who has met Indie knows she is definitely not all of those things—my girl loves to chase birds, lizards, squirrels, etc. and is a total extrovert who treats random people off the street like they are her sole purpose for living, which is a nightmare for me, an introvert—but she is honestly close to being absolutely perfect.
So my decision to get a Dalmatian was not linear, not impulsive, and not based in aesthetics, but it was the best decision I could have made for myself.
Spots & Thoughts 