Damn that Dalmation!
 

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Ashes! She was the most beautiful of dogs, but also the craziest. Like biting her tail on the way back from Virginia Lake in Reno, Nevada and then chasing it. This threw a spray of blood all over my windows-- front, sides, and rear hatchback. Chasing ducks into Virginia Lake, partly my fault though I could not resist letting the leash slip out of my hand. She liked playing tug of war with my Dad's old dress shirts. That's the blue thing in three of these pictures.

I've heard they're a handful. Beautiful dog, though. :)

You speak of her in the past tense - has she crossed over the rainbow bridge. My condolences if you have lost your fur friend.

She crossed a long time ago after picking up Valley Fever in Scottsdale around 1985. She made it another five years or so living to about 19 but with very bad arthritis. My parents put her down around 1990. We got her around 1971.

Dalmatians are hyperactive and very protective. At least, this one was.

Wow. 19 is a wonderful lifespan for a larger dog. I wonder how long she would have gone without the Valley Fever.

My Standard Poodle had two bouts of Valley Fever when we lived in Arizona. Fortunately I had read about Valley Fever in the Phoenix paper one Sunday so was aware of the symptoms. When he presented I immediately suspected that was the case and it was confirmed. He recovered from both episodes but lost a good amount of his stamina. He could run for miles and never tired chasing jack rabbits. He's living a calmer quieter life now at the age of 12.

I was away working at Information Access Company in Belmont, CA while Ashes lived with my parents in Scottsdale but that sounds very familiar. Ashes could run back in forth in our back yard for a good hour before the Valley Fever, she had problems running after that. Then the arthritis set in after my parents moved to Rohnert Park, CA. I was at Law School for much of this time at the U of MN.