I got my Homer my very first Dalmatian in 1985. I was working for the studios as an animal trainer and the company I worked for bought 2 puppies for a pilot that we were going to work on. The TV show was about a PI that had a dalmatian puppy as a sidekick. So we bought two puppies  so they could double each other. I got one of the pups and named him Homer the other pup was named Sherlock. The pilot was canceled before we even shot one episode!!!! That's OK I still kept my wonderful pet!!!

Homer was the best dog and the worst dog all in one. He was truly a fun dog but I was a novice pet person so he got away with tons of stuff.

"Homer" Hapi-Dal Easy To Spot . This photo made it into the AKC breed book. I got the letter telling me about it on the day I had to let Homer go to the rainbow bridge.

He was my constant companion and helped me get through some pretty tough times in my life. Homer was always there…. when my Dad got sick, trying to find my way through this world as a young adult, some lonely valentine's days and my divorce. Homer taught me so many great lessons and started a passion within me that still burns to this day. Dalmatians and showing dogs.

Homer was structurally not the best put together dog. He had beautiful open markings but was refined and very straight in the rear. We did manage to get one point. I decided to neuter him and get a show puppy.

Homer was the most patient boy!!!!

A lady I had met who had helped me with Homer had a litter of puppies. She had a 3 month old little bitch that she was growing out. I saw her and fell in LOVE!!!!! Lyra of Dotzink Dalmatians didn't give me an answer right away when I asked her if the puppy was for sale. Glad to say that Lyra did sell me the beautiful puppy and I named her Holly. Lyra had already registered her Dotzink's Diamonds and Pearls.

Holly had the BEST temperament. She was the Alpha in my house for over 12 years. Her and Homer were worth there weight in gold and I never fully grasped how vital a fair alpha dog and bitch are to a pack until I lost them both. Holly had lots of nice things about her her. Her main fault was a low tail set. Funny how that is still one of my biggest bugaboos along with no angles in Dals to this day.

"Holly" Dotzink's Diamonds And Pearls

This is a blast from the past photo!!!! Holly and some of her pups from 2 litters!!!.

Shortly after this Lyra had another litter and I got Banker. Another great dog with a fantastic temperament. He finished his championship but i never used him in my breeding program.

Banker at 4 months

"Banker" Ch. Dotzink's You can Bank On It

 

Holly was to be my foundation bitch and when she was just 4 months old I contacted the owner of a dog I saw in the magazine and said "I have a 4 month old bitch and when she is ready I would like to breed her to your dog" She probably thought I was crazy but I did indeed breed her to Andy "

"Andy" Ch. Sugarfoot Dots Ring Dancer

That litter produced 7 puppies. I kept a male who I named Louis . He was my first homebred champion and a group placer too. His litter sister Allie also finished and won a couple of Best in Sweeps. I was pretty proud of these pups.

"Louis" Ch. Easy To Spot Miserlou

"Allie" Ch. EZ To Spot All American Girl

Holly's second litter was with Frasier. I did not keep anything from this litter. Brisa went to a performance home.

Holly X Frasier puppies

Jodene Wilhoit contacted me and wanted to breed her bitch Stormy to Louis. That was pretty exciting because I thought Stormy was a lovely bitch.

That litter produced 8 puppies. I took a stunning black and white puppy that I co-owned with Jodene that I named Hannah. Hannah finished her championship in no time with Best of Breeds and group placements. Jodene kept a boy from this litter and named him Merlin. He also finished his championship.

 

"Hannah"  Ch. Magic Acres Smoke N Mirrors ETS

The next litter I had was Hannah and GE. This litter taught me some VERY important lessons. I had always had wonderful temperaments
on my Dalmatians so I never really thought about it. This breeding gave me just what I wanted in structure and spotting and movement but did not have stable temperaments. I really had to stop and reassess my breeding program. I put down almost the entire litter and the stud   dog too. Now when I do ANY breeding temperament is at the top of my list!!!!

Hannah seemed happier with Jodene so Jodene kept her and whelped her second litter sired by Mickey. Mickey is a dog that I co bred with Lyra and Mickey has a stellar temperament. This was a black to black breeding with no livers that we could remember in the pedigree. Well we were quite surprised when we got 3 liver puppies in this litter!!!! We did some research some 8 generations back and found a liver. I kept a little liver bitch that I named Sydney. She became the princess the second she walked in the door!!!!

 This is my all time favorite photo… Me and Sydney!!!

I adore this little girl. Sydney is a little on the dark side with a deep rich color of liver. She has 5 points and won her class a DCA in 2005. I have always wanted to win a pitcher from the DCA and I did!!! And what makes it even more special is that Sydney won it!!! Sydney has done a fabulous job in the whelping box. She had 3 litters and I was very happy with all three litters.

 

This photo melts my heart…. Syd and her babies….

"Sydney" Easy To Spot Rockets Red Glare RN

 

Sydney at 8 1/2 years.

This litter also produced a lovely black and white boy named Freedom.

"Freedom"  Ch. Dotzinks ETS Freedom Of Pal

Sydney's first litter was with "Marshall" Ch. Chessman's Above The Law. My Grandmother had just passed and Sydney was due to whelp any day. I was afraid that I would miss the funeral if Sydney started whelping. Sydney was a good girl and ended up whelping on on my Grandmother's birthday!! I named this litter with the theme of Heaven. From that litter I kept "Ella" Easy To Spot Oh My Heavens! who is my VERY drivey agility dog.

Ella at 8 weeks

"Ella" Easy To Spot Oh My Heavens! AX AXJ

Sydney's second litter was with "Denny" Ch. Signature Kalon Cetina Say What. I kept a liver girl who needed 5 singles to finish her championship. Aquinnah is GORGEOUS!!!!! She truly hated the showing. So She is now living with a great family with 4 young girls and a Dal sister named Izzy. I get photos and she is much happier with her new family. Chase also finished his Championship and is starting to work on his Rally titles. He is also a trail dog.

 

"Denny" BISS AM/CA Ch. Signature Kalon Cetina Say What

Sydney x Denny puppy link

"Aquinnah" Easy To Spot It Is What It Is

So I began looking for a sire for Sydney's third and last litter. I really loved quality of Sydney's first two litters and after seeing what Sydney consistentley produced it gave me a better idea of what I was looking for in a stud dog. I went to the DCA national and went over LOTS of dogs and talked with their owners and breeders. I came home with one choice that stood out above the rest. Slade is a Stevie son that took my breath away.

"Slade" BISS Ch. Rockstars Reconsider Me, ROM, TDInc. DCA 2006 RWD and BISweeps, DCA 2007 AOM

There was one hitch. Pam Fisher only breeds to bitches with titles. UGH!!!! So at the age of 7 Sydney and I started her Rally career! I had said I would NEVER do obedience again….. Once again the lesson of never say never strikes again. Sydney got her Rally Novice title in 3 shows and her first Rally Advance leg and then came into season….. I bred her to Slade and she had 10 puppies. All 10 were bi-lateral hearing!!! I named this litter using the theme of Never.

Sydney x Slade puppy link

By the time the pups were 4 weeks old I picked the puppy I was keeping and by the time the pups were 5 weeks old there was another little pups that decided she was staying with me no matter what!!! The puppy I chose to keep was "Dax" Easy to Spot Never A Dull Moment and the puppy that chose to keep me was "Grace" Easy To Spot Never Look Back!!!! Dax has Won a Best in Sweeps and has 3 majors and 4 major reserves. Grace has one major and is singled out to date. I am working with Grace to be my up an coming agility dog. She is sooooo much fun!!!! Dax will work on his Rally titles and grow up and hopefully be a special.

"Dax" Easy To Spot Never A Dull Moment

"Grace" Easy To Spot Never Look Back

This was a whole bunch of fun to go back and look at old photos and it brought back a flood of wonderful memories. All the friends I have made along the way are beyond priceless. The people that are still a part of my life… and all because we shared a part of our journey together…. all because of the dogs.

I think of all the wonderful puppy people I have had the pleasure of sending a puppy to be a part of their family. It just warms my soul to see the photos and hear the stories of one of my puppies living a wonderful life full of love and the endless joy that they bring to their families lives.