Apollo - by Bridgid Janak
We adopted a wonderful Dalmatian that we named Apollo. We were not planning on adopting, but really missed our previous Dalmatian, Loki. Dalmatian Rescue was at the pet store when I went to purchase supplies for our two cats and other dog, a mutt named Boomer we had previously adopted from the SPCA. Apollo let me know right away that he wanted to live with us. He was friendly (tail wagging furiously), eager, (licked me all over when I took a look at him), and STRONG.
My husband, Jeff, is the dog lover in our family. When we adopted Boomer, it was so he could have a dog. Boomer bonded with me instead. So, when I saw Apollo, I immediately thought he’d be perfect for my husband. When I got home, I told Jeff about Dalmatian rescue. He decided to go, “just to look”. When he got out of the truck, Apollo made eye contact with him from across the parking lot immediately and started barking. The people working there that day told Jeff Apollo hadn’t done that for anyone all day. Another strange coincidence was that Apollo was born right about the time we had to put Loki to sleep for health reasons.
We still weren’t sure we wanted to take on the responsibility of another pet just then. We had a 1-year-old daughter, a 10-year-old son, Boomer, and two cats. So we walked away. A couple of months later, Dalmatian Rescue was at the pet store again. We asked about Apollo. Seems he wasn’t working out with the family that adopted him, and he was coming back. Dalmatian Rescue was considering putting him down. Because of his excessive exuberance, nobody wanted to adopt him. We knew there was something special about Apollo, so we agreed to foster him. Of course, fostering often leads to adoption, and that’s exactly what happened in our case. We figured it was just meant to be.
Owning a Dalmatian takes patience, persistence, understanding, firmness and lots of love and affection. The rewards, however, far outweigh any work required for raising one. Dalmatian personalities are HUGE. Everything they feel and do is in a big way. They are extremely affectionate and demanding. Apollo wants to be the first to get any attention. He gives great hugs by putting one paw on each shoulder and snuggling. He will lie full-length on top of Jeff while they watch TV in the evenings. He can’t wait to curl up tightly against me and lay his head on my lap when I sit down. And, by the way, he has learned the command, “no tongue”.
Our previous Dalmatian, Loki, had been epileptic, had stomach problems, and many allergies. But, he was one of the family. We loved him dearly and still miss him to this day. Apollo is one of the most beautiful and healthy Dalmatians I’ve ever seen. He looks magnificent when he is running at full speed. He does not have one single health problem. He and Boomer both are very protective of their family. A doorbell is not necessary in our house. Furious barking alerts us to any visitors.
Both dogs are 4-years-old now. We also have 4 cats. Our daughter is 5 and our son is 14. Our daughter and Apollo are best friends. She hangs on him, drapes his neck with her play necklaces, and hugs him. He snuggles her, playfully and gently places her arm in his mouth, and licks and snuggles her when she cries.
Talk about Dalmatians doing things in a big way. Our family joke about Apollo is that you don’t get between him and his tennis ball. I have never seen a dog more obsessed with his favorite toy. We have a huge foyer that is great for playing catch. We throw the ball across the foyer, and he races after it, hurdling over, or barreling through any obstacles. One of the things I’ve learned about Dalmatians is that they do not move out of your path; you move out of theirs. Their heads are as hard as a rock. Twice he has put his head through a wall while chasing a tennis ball, and it didn’t even slow him down. I wish I had a camera at the right time. I would like to share the picture I have in my mind of him with his head in the wall, retrieving his tennis ball. What a funny sight!
While I’m busy sewing, he drops his tennis ball into the trashcan beside me and stares at it until I pick it out, clean off all the loose threads, and throw it for him. If I don’t pick it out fast enough, he pulls over the trashcan with his paw and retrieves it. In fact, any box, bag or container we happen to be working with usually ends up with a slobbery tennis ball dropped into it.
Outside, in the pool, a tennis ball caused Apollo to learn how to swim. (Loki had never learned to swim and had to be watched carefully around the pool.) We threw the ball into the center of the pool, and Apollo absolutely had to have it. He becomes the world’s greatest belly flopper, sailing through the air and landing with a noisy splash. One day Apollo brought us one of his tennis balls that he had chewed on until it popped. After filling with water, it sunk to the bottom of the pool. Have you ever seen a dog put his head into the water, and look around underwater without getting into it? While we were laughing at that surprising sight, imagine our astonishment when he dove to the bottom to retrieve his ball! Now, he has actually learned to swim on the bottom of the pool so he can look for his tennis ball.
Apollo also goes absolutely nuts over reflections. Sunset can be a crazy time when it makes patterns on the floor or walls. He will dig at them, bark at them and bite at them. My daughter loves to play with him using a mirror or magnifying glass. We love to play with him with a laser pen. That little red dot just totally blows his mind. Once he accidentally bit a hole in the headliner of our SUV while attacking reflections. Oops!
Speaking of driving, he loves to look out the window when he rides in the car. 60 mph seems to be the limit of wind he can stand. We have to make sure the power windows are locked so he cannot step on the button and choke himself. He looks so striking that we get lots of stares and smiles for him.
Apollo’s personality is bigger than life. He is one of the most passionate dogs I’ve ever seen. He makes great party entertainment with all his silly personality quirks. Life would be so boring without him! THANK YOU Dalmatian Rescue for giving us the opportunity to love such a wonderful dog!
