Our most recent addition...

[saxguy64]

Okay he's been with us since September. In that time, he's become a total daddy's boy. I absolutely needed that after the loss of my boy, Nuke. He's a rescue, and I truly don't know for sure who rescued who. ❤️

Introducing... Marshall! Yes, the previous owners had kids, and they named him. They also had no clue about the breed and their needs and... idiosyncrasies. Kinda like parrots, they're definitely not for everyone, but after 8 of them over the past 30 years, they're our favorite.

Our dogs all come to work with us every day, so you can safely say we're very bonded, but in the same breath, they get lots of socialization that way. It's awesome to be able to do that. (Yes, birds come too sometimes, but only during warm weather) Marshall gets to spend much of the day in my office with me, and always wants to be close, unless there's a nice sunbeam shining on his bed. 🙄

I've recently been promoted by my goober of a dog. I'm now officially his chin rest 🤣

Like I said, he loves to be close, so he's there behind me in my chair. A. LOT.

And of course, 60+ pounds of him can manage to fit (and sleep) almost anywhere...

Personal space... Y'all think parrots have no concept?

More to follow...

 

[LaManuka]

Oh it just makes me so happy to see how happy the two of you make each other!! 😍 Marshall has to be just about the luckiest boy in the world, you are both so blessed to have found each other!!! 💝

 

[Jcas]

Beautiful dogs! Marshall ( I love the name 😁) is so lucky to have found you but I know that feeling where YOU know YOU’RE the lucky one ❤️

 

[Inger]

You know the spots on the top of his head are kiss targets, right?

 

[foxgloveparrot]

Now THAT is a stunning dog! Congrats!! Love the name Marshall btw, it def suits him :—)

 

[saxguy64]

I'm definitely the winner here. He's a special dog with a sad past. Most of his first 2 years were spent in his crate. Original owners bought him because the kids wanted a dalmatian like the cartoon one on TV. They had no clue, didn't socialize him or train him what to do or not to do. He got into things, so easier to lock him in the crate so he couldn't. He was a basket case, and had no idea how to act around other people or other dogs, how to play, and had zero confidence. Fortunately, they realized they couldn't, or wouldn't, give him what he needed, because they were too busy for that. 😡 He was finally surrendered, and transported to a rescue.

First foster home had another dog, and they started fighting. What else was he supposed to do? No on ever taught him. Sooooo, they took him to a behaviorist, who was great, and broke it down into steps of what to do. They didn't listen, fighting happened again, and the woman stuck her hands in trying to break it up. She got bit. DUH! Then he's labeled a bite risk, hugely lessening his chances of being adopted, or escaping euthanasia.

His last chance foster was a board and train situation with a wonderful woman who runs a pet resort and specializes in anxious dogs. He was with her for almost 4 months. The transformation was miraculous, but the rescue was very guarded about him. Very picky about making sure a potential adopter understood the breed. When we found him and inquired, the very first reply was, "do you have any dalmatian experience?" Why yes. Yes we do. We were currently on dal number 7 over 30 years and we love everything about them. The personality, all the quirks, all of it. Then they contacted our vet and personal references, and of course all they heard was, these are dalmatian people. Having parrots was a huge bonus, because they understood the level of commitment to our animals we have.

And so, we finally got to schedule a meeting with him. I really didn't want to get my hopes up, and was expecting a total head case that didn't want to interact with us. If he didn't choose us, it was a no go. Thus far, we had only seen a few pictures of him, and his bio was still full of old information. Not good with other dogs, no cats, no kids. We brought our dogs with us to meet him. I never expected what we met when we got there. Sweet, gorgeous, calm loving boy who loves everyone and gives the best hugs ever! Love at first sight, done deal. ❤️ He's not without sin, he's a relentless counter surfer, and I've watched him swallow a half a loaf of garlic bread in the two seconds it took to get to him when I saw those paws up on the table. 😱

Speaking of paws on the table, have I mentioned anything about his level of athleticism? He's extraordinary, even in the land of dalmatians. The couch is merely an obstacle to be hurdled on his way from A to B. The dinner table is either a place to steal food if unattended, or a cozy place to rest.

As is his crate...

His favorite place seems to be anywhere that's warm, and/or has a sunbeam to lay in. Took me a few minutes to realize why he kept jumping up at one of our daily stops, the bank. Yup, there was a sunbeam right there 🙄

And yes zero effort to hop up there, and that's a regular standing height counter. 🤣

Okay, as you see, he's pretty photogenic, so........

The evening we adopted him and went to bring him home, we found out that he actually had a photo shoot booked just a few weeks later by his foster mom, and she asked if we'd consider letting him still go to it. Sure, why not? It actually paid pretty well, and we let the money go to the rescue. We didn't know what the shoot was for, but what the heck. Sooooo, the day came, the foster mom/trainer picked him up, and he was off to a two day shoot all over Boston with 12-15 different dogs each day. Marshall was the only one who got to shoot both days. Turns out it was a big wig photographer from Los Angeles , and Marshall was his favorite, and the only one allowed off leash at all during the shoot. He was so impressive, and super validating for the trainer who really deserves all the credit for him being as good as he now is.

Photographer thought he looked uncomfortable, so he gave him his personal backpack to use for a pillow...

Yup, he's a star. "You may worship me, my adoring public." 🤣

He was so relaxed, he settled down for a nap... on a busy sidewalk... next to a construction site. Good boy, Marshall man.

I'm so excited for the release of the book/collection, which we're told will be sometime in 2024. Anticipation is killing me!

 

[LaManuka]

It just breaks my heart that Marshall was on his "last chance", and through no fault of his own. How many more must there be out there like him, but who don't get another chance?! Thank goodness the Universe brought you together when it did!! 💖

 

[saxguy64]

Like parrots, there's so many out there in shelters and rescues. It's heartbreaking. All told, Marshall was in the rescue for almost 6 months before we found him. Everything for a reason, right? He's home now. ❤️

 

[Jcas]

What a great story! It’s so wonderful that Marshall was able to find the ( clearly!) perfect home. You are awesome for giving him the opportunity to live his best life; and kudos to the trainer who put so much work into him. What a photogenic little pooch! The picture of Marshall on top of his crate makes me think of my first dog Aristotle, a Coonhound we picked up on the road and could never find where he came from. He was scared of storms and for some reason he thought that on top of his crate was safer than in his crate 😁. Enjoy your boy; rescue dogs are awesome!

 

[Kat57]

I'm definitely the winner here. He's a special dog with a sad past. Most of his first 2 years were spent in his crate. Original owners bought him because the kids wanted a dalmatian like the cartoon one on TV. They had no clue, didn't socialize him or train him what to do or not to do. He got into things, so easier to lock him in the crate so he couldn't. He was a basket case, and had no idea how to act around other people or other dogs, how to play, and had zero confidence. Fortunately, they realized they couldn't, or wouldn't, give him what he needed, because they were too busy for that. 😡 He was finally surrendered, and transported to a rescue.

First foster home had another dog, and they started fighting. What else was he supposed to do? No on ever taught him. Sooooo, they took him to a behaviorist, who was great, and broke it down into steps of what to do. They didn't listen, fighting happened again, and the woman stuck her hands in trying to break it up. She got bit. DUH! Then he's labeled a bite risk, hugely lessening his chances of being adopted, or escaping euthanasia.

His last chance foster was a board and train situation with a wonderful woman who runs a pet resort and specializes in anxious dogs. He was with her for almost 4 months. The transformation was miraculous, but the rescue was very guarded about him. Very picky about making sure a potential adopter understood the breed. When we found him and inquired, the very first reply was, "do you have any dalmatian experience?" Why yes. Yes we do. We were currently on dal number 7 over 30 years and we love everything about them. The personality, all the quirks, all of it. Then they contacted our vet and personal references, and of course all they heard was, these are dalmatian people. Having parrots was a huge bonus, because they understood the level of commitment to our animals we have.

And so, we finally got to schedule a meeting with him. I really didn't want to get my hopes up, and was expecting a total head case that didn't want to interact with us. If he didn't choose us, it was a no go. Thus far, we had only seen a few pictures of him, and his bio was still full of old information. Not good with other dogs, no cats, no kids. We brought our dogs with us to meet him. I never expected what we met when we got there. Sweet, gorgeous, calm loving boy who loves everyone and gives the best hugs ever! Love at first sight, done deal. ❤️ He's not without sin, he's a relentless counter surfer, and I've watched him swallow a half a loaf of garlic bread in the two seconds it took to get to him when I saw those paws up on the table. 😱

Speaking of paws on the table, have I mentioned anything about his level of athleticism? He's extraordinary, even in the land of dalmatians. The couch is merely an obstacle to be hurdled on his way from A to B. The dinner table is either a place to steal food if unattended, or a cozy place to rest.
View attachment 57595
As is his crate...
View attachment 57594

His favorite place seems to be anywhere that's warm, and/or has a sunbeam to lay in. Took me a few minutes to realize why he kept jumping up at one of our daily stops, the bank. Yup, there was a sunbeam right there 🙄
View attachment 57596
And yes zero effort to hop up there, and that's a regular standing height counter. 🤣

Okay, as you see, he's pretty photogenic, so........

The evening we adopted him and went to bring him home, we found out that he actually had a photo shoot booked just a few weeks later by his foster mom, and she asked if we'd consider letting him still go to it. Sure, why not? It actually paid pretty well, and we let the money go to the rescue. We didn't know what the shoot was for, but what the heck. Sooooo, the day came, the foster mom/trainer picked him up, and he was off to a two day shoot all over Boston with 12-15 different dogs each day. Marshall was the only one who got to shoot both days. Turns out it was a big wig photographer from Los Angeles , and Marshall was his favorite, and the only one allowed off leash at all during the shoot. He was so impressive, and super validating for the trainer who really deserves all the credit for him being as good as he now is.

Photographer thought he looked uncomfortable, so he gave him his personal backpack to use for a pillow...
View attachment 57598

Yup, he's a star. "You may worship me, my adoring public." 🤣
View attachment 57599

He was so relaxed, he settled down for a nap... on a busy sidewalk... next to a construction site. Good boy, Marshall man.
View attachment 57602
I'm so excited for the release of the book/collection, which we're told will be sometime in 2024. Anticipation is killing me!
View attachment 57600

Oh my goodness, he’s absolutely beautiful and I loved reading your story. I was having a moment in tears missing my Kellygirl (My yellow head Amazon) that I recently lost and was perusing parrot forum ~ You made me smile reading about Marshall and seeing his photos. The sunbeam and the bank countertop (his choice of seating) made me laugh. He had such a rough start and you’re truly meant to be together. Thank you for sharing these beautiful photos and sharing him. He’s gorgeous. Blessings!

 

[saxguy64]

Well THIS is new. Someone figured out that if he sits up straight in my chair behind me, he can give me shoulder rubs 🙄🤣❤️ Strangely enough, he's actually doing a pretty good job!

 

[LaManuka]

Well THIS is new. Someone figured out that if he sits up straight in my chair behind me, he can give me shoulder rubs 🙄🤣❤️ Strangely enough, he's actually doing a pretty good job!
View attachment 57819View attachment 57820

Oh that's just too cute, and he looks like he's got a real look of concentration on his face too!

 

[kme3388]

Marshall is so adorable, and precious. Congratulations on the new edition.

I adopted a puppy last year named Rex. We did some research on Labrador retrievers before we adopted him. Unfortunately most of that consisted of information for the English Labrador retriever. We adopted an American Labrador retriever. No, we didn’t know there are 2 different types. They are quite different. Rex is extremely high energy. We are having a behaviorist coming over to our house in March to see if there are other ways of doing things. The behaviorist actually mentioned Dalmatians of being very high energy as well. So we will be having Ekkies, and hyper dogs in common. Hopefully Marshall isn’t hopping fences, and gates too 🤦‍♀️

If you have calming tips please do share!

 

[saxguy64]

Haha, strangely, Marshall is very respectful of gates and fences. I find it really funny, since the gates we use are easily a foot shorter than everything else he hops over or on top of with no effort whatsoever. I don't know what I'd do if he decides to ignore the gates. 😱

Yeah, dals are very high energy, and super smart. Biggest trick is learning how they reason, and what motivates them, like any dog. We've had dals for 30+ years, so it's become second nature. Nuke was planned to be a service dog for our son, and it was a whole different universe in the way he did everything. He was 3/4 herding dog, (German shepherd/border collie) and 1/4 lab. He was a relentless herder of everyone and everything. As a puppy, our then senior dals routinely took him off property to lose him, and came home without him looking innocent and proud of themselves for their service 🤣

So Rex, I'd say lots of mental stimulation, and physical exercise. Busy mind is really tiring for them which is great, and then lots of walks and/or free run in the yard if you can. Take your time when walking and allow him to sniff. A lot. Walks are about his need to learn his environment, and that's also a lot of the mental stimulation part. Our getting some exercise out of it is a bonus. Thank goodness for our invisible fence so I can let the spotty ones run, play, and burn off some of that energy, but I still have to take walks. Not nearly as long or as many with the frozen snow banks along the road, but in nicer weather, we walk 5-6 miles a day, depending on available time and their mood. I just follow their lead, and if we get to the end of our road, (exactly a mile) we head back, and that's a nice two miler. Smart dogs need a job, something that gives them purpose. Obedience, trick training, agility are all great things to keep them engaged.

I'll be starting agility with Marshall in the spring. He's been to one class before we adopted him, and he's a natural. Absolutely fearless and did every obstacle without question, except he didn't understand what was expected with the weave poles. The trainer was totally impressed, especially for a dog that 3 months prior was a shut down, scared basket case with zero confidence. He's come a long way! ❤️

Oh yeah, both of the spotty ones are fully capable of jumping up and snatching a bird out of the air. Tucker is my only one with interest in flying, and it definitely has the dog's attention, so they're NEVER out together. Just not safe.

 

[kme3388]

Here’s Rex! My husband uses him for hunting. He’s a great hunting dog. Being pint up in a house isn’t going well 😂 why would we ever want to be in a house when there are so many fun things to do outside? He can’t clear the privacy fence but he sure can the chain link.

 

[saxguy64]

OMG what a handsome boy! Maybe he'll calm down some with age... We learned a ton with our first dal. The typical growing out of the puppy stage at a year or so definitely does not apply to them. So, we hoped for two, then three... Yeah, puppy energy for them goes until at least 5. 🙄🤣 Hopefully Rex settles in before then 🤞

 

[kme3388]

OMG what a handsome boy! Maybe he'll calm down some with age... We learned a ton with our first dal. The typical growing out of the puppy stage at a year or so definitely does not apply to them. So, we hoped for two, then three... Yeah, puppy energy for them goes until at least 5. 🙄🤣 Hopefully Rex settles in before then 🤞

I have to agree. We are going to be on the 5+ years of age before calming. When we went to get him neutered his vet told us that in most cases she’ll tell people it will calm the dog some. She doesn’t say that with the more hyper dogs like Rex. Thank you for the tips. Rex loves hunting, and such. Being indoors is disastrous! 😂😂😂 hopefully the behaviorist can help some too.

 

[GaleriaGila]

Okay he's been with us since September. In that time, he's become a total daddy's boy. I absolutely needed that after the loss of my boy, Nuke. He's a rescue, and I truly don't know for sure who rescued who. ❤️

Introducing... Marshall! Yes, the previous owners had kids, and they named him. They also had no clue about the breed and their needs and... idiosyncrasies. Kinda like parrots, they're definitely not for everyone, but after 8 of them over the past 30 years, they're our favorite.

Our dogs all come to work with us every day, so you can safely say we're very bonded, but in the same breath, they get lots of socialization that way. It's awesome to be able to do that. (Yes, birds come too sometimes, but only during warm weather) Marshall gets to spend much of the day in my office with me, and always wants to be close, unless there's a nice sunbeam shining on his bed. 🙄

I've recently been promoted by my goober of a dog. I'm now officially his chin rest 🤣
View attachment 57583
Like I said, he loves to be close, so he's there behind me in my chair. A. LOT.
View attachment 57584

And of course, 60+ pounds of him can manage to fit (and sleep) almost anywhere...
View attachment 57585View attachment 57586

Personal space... Y'all think parrots have no concept?
View attachment 57587

More to follow...

Okay he's been with us since September. In that time, he's become a total daddy's boy. I absolutely needed that after the loss of my boy, Nuke. He's a rescue, and I truly don't know for sure who rescued who. ❤️

Introducing... Marshall! Yes, the previous owners had kids, and they named him. They also had no clue about the breed and their needs and... idiosyncrasies. Kinda like parrots, they're definitely not for everyone, but after 8 of them over the past 30 years, they're our favorite.

Our dogs all come to work with us every day, so you can safely say we're very bonded, but in the same breath, they get lots of socialization that way. It's awesome to be able to do that. (Yes, birds come too sometimes, but only during warm weather) Marshall gets to spend much of the day in my office with me, and always wants to be close, unless there's a nice sunbeam shining on his bed. 🙄

I've recently been promoted by my goober of a dog. I'm now officially his chin rest 🤣
View attachment 57583
Like I said, he loves to be close, so he's there behind me in my chair. A. LOT.
View attachment 57584

And of course, 60+ pounds of him can manage to fit (and sleep) almost anywhere...
View attachment 57585View attachment 57586

Personal space... Y'all think parrots have no concept?
View attachment 57587

More to follow...

Ohhhhhh myyyyyyyyyy gawwwwwd! I want one!
Oh, and Saxy, I'll need you to move in so that you can take care of him... walking, feeding, training, vet stuff, rough-housing, grooming, you know. Rent won't be much, and doggies stay for free(food not included!).
I'm so excited!

 

[saxguy64]

Well then, well be right over, sis!

 

[TeekoGreenCheek]

So pretty!I love Dalmatians! ❤️ this is my handsome Shiba inu!

柴犬​

Definitely my other son.