Ruff & Rocky Road: Pet Tales
Amazing dogs with black spotson a snow-white coat, Dalmatians are always attracting the eyes of passers-by, and for the aptly -named ‘Lucky’, as Helen Flanagan found out, the forever love of a pawsome family.
Dalmatians were originally bred as hunting and carriage dogs in days gone by, with origins of the breed traced back to present-day Croatia and its historical region of Dalmatia.
Today, the strong, hardy yet harmless, friendly and certainly elegant breed, is extremely popular with celebrities such as Ed Sheeran and Ariana Grande. They gained even more recognition with the release of Disney’s animated film 101 Dalmatians popularising the breed as beloved family pets, inspiring many
to own these captivating canines.
Such was the case for Kain and Emma Damiani, who whilst living on Melbourne’s Mornington Peninsula, finally gave in to their kid’s wishes and drove to a breeder in Bendigo to pick up the last pup in the litter.
He was considered somewhat smaller than usual however it didn’t take long before Lucky’s size increase was rapidly overtaken by his puppy naughtiness, crazy habits and questionable sense of smell.
After the family’s relocation to Noosa, and rather than just leaving footprints in the sand at Marcus Beach, Lucky had a penchant for bluebottles – more a feast than a passing interest – and oblivious to the sting, he swallowed twenty, vomited in the car on the way to the Animal Hospital and seven hours later, he was home happily chewing the carpet.
Dalmatians have a unique sensitivity to certain medications, primarily related to their liver function. A reduced ability to metabolise uric acid may lead to the formation of urate stones and as a result, the inability to pass gall stones naturally. And so, Lucky had an expensive operation to remove gall stones at Queensland’s only specialist hospital — in Ipswich!
A love of chicken did not deter Lucky from gutsing chicken skewer … yes skewers and all, and subsequent surgery for their removal was another costly affair.
Then there was the early morning walk along the foreshore of the Noosa River and Gympie Terrace, when an off-leash Staffordshire Bull Terrier took an instant dislike to Lucky and Kain, leaving both with puncture wounds before bolting, hopefully tail between his legs.
After giving up his adolescent days, for an 8km walk and sniff in the morning, and 5kms in the afternoon, Lucky is happy to languish on the lounge, watch television, check out the kitchen bench to see what’s on the menu, ‘vacuum’ any food that happens to fall from the kids’ dinner plates, and ultimately enjoy his pre-packaged refrigerated fish, designed for dogs with sensitive tummies.
When it comes to dream-time Lucky has to decide where he will sleep. Will he be able to squeeze his 62kg body onto Kain and Emma’s bed, 2-year-old Primrose’s, 7-year-old Vienna’s or 10-year-old Rachael’s?
Will the dashing Dalmatian also be thinking about the $60,000 bill for surgery and vet services thus far?
No way. He’ll be humming “I should be so Lucky, Lucky Lucky Lucky” because Kain and Emma have pet insurance!
Lucky indeed!
