Ink Spots:
A Dalmation's Diary

Welcome to my dalmation diary about and for dalmation dogs (or dalmatian, if you prefer). Take a peek at what's going on in this dog's world!

Mar 31, 2008, Why This Dog Doesn't Blog (Much)

Don't blame it on the dog. My human has not been keeping up with my blog even though I faithfully lay by her feet when she is at the computer and stare at her while trying to send her telepathic messages on all kinds of topics. Actually, I exaggerate. I don't stare at her (unless she has food of some kind anywhere near her). I also haven't been sending her any important telepathic messages because I'm either totally engrossed in licking myself or I'm blissfully sound asleep. Things that are much more enjoyable than trying to come up with something new and fascinating to bark about. (Besides, there's enough barking going on right now between the presidential candidates and I expect to hear some real howling soon.) Then there's the nail thing. Mine are long. Very long. I hate getting them cut and long nails, at least on this old dog, mess up my typing. Thank goodness for the backspace button! Anyway...we'll try and catch up later, right now my nails need licking, uh, I mean shining.

Nov 19, 2007, Sick as a Dog?

There is a serious bug going around down here in South Louisiana. Not one you can look at, but a mysterious one that seems to knock the socks off of people because my two humans have both been "sick as a dog!" At least that's what I heard one of them tell someone on the phone a couple of days ago. Yep, they were pretty darn sick. One after the other, but; sick as a dog? Come on. I am a dog. I know first hand what it is to be sick as a dog. First of all, when a dog gets sick, we don't announce it (every half hour) to anyone within earshot while we moan and groan about our misfortune. Also, when dogs get sick, we pretty much go off to our favorite dark corner, bed, or kennel and want to be left alone. Totally. Humans on the other hand want to be left alone only after they've been waited on hand and foot and have everything they think they might need within reach (when they aren't passed out sleeping). When a dog gets sick, we eat grass. It helps us get rid of whatever bad thing is in our stomach and it also helps our stomach to settle down. And NOT ONCE did I see either of my humans eating grass. Sick as a dog? I don't think so. Sick as a people is more like it. Maybe the next time they get this way, I'll suggest they try a mouthful or two of the green stuff. On second thought, considering how green their faces looked while they were sick (not to mention the color of...well, you know), they probably wouldn't appreciate the advice.

Nov 10, 2007, Pongo. Happy, Healthy, Totally Deaf.

My #1 human recently met a couple and a very special member of their family. Pongo. A twelve year old male dalmatian who happens to be totally deaf. They bought him from someone local who, unlike registered breeders, apparantly did not have the litter tested. Not all vets even offer the test which is not cheap and, if I remember correctly, it can't be performed until the dog is a few months old. I would be willing to bet that by the time Pongo was old enough to be tested, he was already a much loved member of the family and his deafness didn't matter to them. I'm so glad they kept him. So are they. It takes special people to love and care for special needs dogs. Pongo does not interact like hearing dogs. It's kind of sad that he cannot respond to the nuances of human voices. I get all excited and happy when my humans talk excited and happy to me. Pongo has no idea what his humans sound like. The upside though is that he can't hear them when he's being scolded! Pongo relies on smell and sight to know when someone is near. He also relies on his little pal, Lucy. Lucy is a mini doberman. He reacts when he sees (or senses) her reactions. She both mothers and bosses him. He knows what's going on through her. He and she make a great pair. Add his human mom and dad to the mix and you have a great family. Deaf dalmatians often wind up in shelters. Deaf dalmatian puppies often wind up being put down as breeders try to stop the gene that causes it. It's a controversial issue. However, if you wind up with a deaf puppy, love it, work with it, be patient with it and please, please, have it neutered or spayed. In fact, have it neutered or spayed regardless. Too many dogs sit abandoned in shelters as it is because of overpopulation. Until next time, wags and kisses!

Nov 9, 2007, Dalmatian Costumes and Other Things

Dalmatian costumes and other dalmatian themed fun stuff.

Nov 7, 2007, Use of This Website. Privacy and Policies.

Your privacy and comfort using this site are important to us.

Oct 31, 2007, Boy Has Time Flown

Geez, I didn't know it has been so long since the last entry; but then, I have no idea what day, month or time it is anyway. My humans have been super busy lately. Mom has started working part-time and working her home business as well. Yep, she goes off three days a week and I get to do whatever I want. Which is what I do when she's home. Snooze all day. Well, not ALL day, just most of the day. Sometimes I get into such a deep sleep, my #1 human comes over to see if I'm still breathing. As a senior citizen, my age makes her worry a bit more than she used to. It's great. I get a whole lot more attention and baby-talk than I did when I was younger. And if my arthritis is acting up... I really get the royal treatment! Let me limp or have a hard time getting out of my bed and my humans are all over me with sympathy. I love it. In fact, I even add a few extra limps for good measure. However, when the treats come out, I forget and start jumping up and down like a pup. I'm hoping they think Scooby Treats are a miracle drug. Have a safe Halloween and don't forget... chocolate is toxic to dogs. DO NOT let your dog get into your Halloween stash. That's a scare you don't want to experience.

Sep 18, 2007, So Much for a Pleasant Nap

There I was, next to the sofa, snoozing away. On the sofa was my #1 human, also snoozing away like she always does during football games on tv. Everything was just swell until that darn cat of ours who was also on the sofa, snoozing, starts doing her "I've got a hairball" hack. The sound brings my human out of her state of semi-consciousness and as she hollars at the cat about going "outside" before any hairballs appear, she hops off the sofa - still half asleep. And trips. Over me. It would have been funny except that as she tripped, she stepped hard on my foot. I yelped, she yelped and the cat continued her "hairball on the rise" hacking as she evaded all the commotion she just caused. As I try to limp off, my human is attempting to both comfort me and herd the cat to the door at the same time. Once she gets the cat out the door, I got the royal treatment. She was so sorry for stepping on me. I got a lot of attention and a nice foot rub. An hour later, I'm still getting a lot of extra attention. You know, dogs don't really give much thought to this guilt thing; but we're sure glad you humans do!

Sep 13, 2007, Indoor Dog Potty!

This is the neatest idea. My #1 human found a product called WizDog. It's an indoor dog potty! If you have a senior dog, a dog with a health problem, one that has to spend long hours inside until you can get home or even if you have a puppy that is being housetrained, then this product might interest you! I'm not sure how well it would work for a male dog, especially a large male dog, but for females of any size - this is too cool! We've seen a few other ideas for such things, but this looks like cleanup would be easy. If I lived in a condo in a city (especially a highrise), I sure as heck would want one of these. Fortunately, I don't live in one and my bladder is still tight as a drum! No problems here, except for when it's raining outside. I WILL NOT go out when it's raining. I'll hold my bladder until I pop if necessary!

Even if you aren't interested in the potty, check out the website and listen to Daisy the dog tell her story.

Sep 12, 2007, Pet Identification. Low Tech to High Tech

Pet Identification Choices. Tags and Chips.

Sep 11, 2007, Links We Like

Here are some of Dottie's favorite dog sites. Some are serious and some are just plain fun.

Sep 9, 2007, It Smelled So Good, I Had to Roll In It!

I know you just don't understand it, but we dogs LOVE to roll around in things that smell. Yeah, things that smell. In the wild, dogs do this to conceal their own scent. In the non-wild, dogs do it JUST BECAUSE THEY CAN! Anyway, Casey (my retriever pal), found something delightful in the back yard and was throwing herself all over it. She was having such a great time on her back trying to rub this scent onto herself that I couldn't stand it a minute longer. I had to nose her out of the way, do my own sniffing, and then ROLL in it myself! We took turns snorting, smelling the grass (trying to find just the exact spot for the ultimate perfuming of ourselves) and then rolling all over it. We were happy as pigs in mud. Lucky for us, when our humans gave us their own sniff test, they couldn't smell anything. If they could have, we'd both have been put into the bathtub! Yep, we're still perfumed and loving it. What a great summertime day.

Sep 7, 2007, Play With Your Dog! You'll Both Benefit.

Why and how to play with your dog.