Savannah's new home - by Robert Robida
Early in February, after considering adopting a puppy, we met one of the DRNT volunteers in a school parking lot in Park Glen, Ft. Worth, TX. We had selected Savannah from the website and when we saw her, we fell in love with her. She was very timid, but, seemed happy to have a fuss made over her. We brought along our 5 year old Dalmatian, Rozie, just to be sure the two girls would potentially get along. It seemed like love at first sight for both Dals. On the spot, we renamed Savannah....and called her Sadie.
Sadie adjusted well to her new home. She was playful, but still very timid. And, she HATED to be crated when we had to leave for work or church or errands. But, we had to crate her because she was new to the house and we didn't want her to get hurt or do any damage!
Life in a crate really freaked Sadie out. She cried, whined, and messed in her crate. We decided to send Sadie to dog training. She went for three weeks, and when she returned, she was better behaved, happier, but, she still did not like being left in her crate.
When she was still tiny, we let her sleep on the bed with us! Two adults and two Dals...that makes for a full bed! In time, Sadie was content to sleep on the overstuffed chair in the bedroom at night.
During the day, we just didn't know what to do with Sadie. She HATED the crate, and it seemed to be the cause of create anxiety for her. So, she graduated to the garage in the Spring, the backyard in the summer, back to the garage in the Fall, and finally the master bathroom in the winter! The garage has a puppy door, so she was able to get in and out at will. She frolicked in the back yard, and finally was well behaved in the master bathroom. She is totally housebroken and is just a big love bug.
She and Rozie are great pals. They play well together, sleep together, and, we discovered, do very well together in a large dog-run at the vet when we travel on vacations. As long as they are together, they are fine.
Sadie went through a relatively destructive period. She ate all the silk flowers in the outside planter, destroyed (and ate) some of the plastic garden lights, and ripped up linoleum in the bathroom. All were replaced, and the linoleum with tile! Today, Sadie has become quite the creature of habit. She loves her twice daily walk with Rozie, she goes outside to do her business on command, and eagerly goes into her crate (no top) in the master bath every morning--without being asked--Monday through Friday. She, and Rozie, seem to know when it's Saturday and Sunday--they get to be around us all day.
Sadie and Rozie are both loveable pets, and, we just can't imagine life without these two. They both have great personalities, but they are very different from each other. Both have great Dalmatian smiles. Rozie is a barker, Sadie is a whiner!
We are so happy with BOTH of our Dals, and, if we could, we'd adopt another. But, really, two Dals are more than enough!
