A Pedigree for Free

Lay Low Trace is a Dalmation from champion blood lines with proportionate spots. Her parents were show dogs but Trace has never participated in a dog show. Trace had one litter of eleven pups at age five in 2001. Her pups were so cute they were photographed in a red flyer wagon while people stopped to ask if they could purchase a pup. Trace’s first owner placed an ad in the paper seeking a new owner for Trace.

Brian answered that ad and found Trace to be more than just a spotted dog; Trace became a fast friend and companion. Brian recalls their first meeting. Trace looked exhausted from raising eleven pups and was a little on the thin side. He talked to the owner about her likes and dislikes and prepared for her arrival.

Brian arrived to take Trace home. Trace got in the car, she looked straight ahead and sat like a statue on the front seat next to Brian. She looked so scared Brian decided to give her a big smooch right on the end of her snoot. Trace took a deep breath and blew air out of her mouth then a big grin spread across her face. Whew! What an ice breaker.

Trace arrived at her new home. Brian let her know this was her home too and that she could sit in a chair. Trace ate some food and while Brian was eating his food Trace came over and let out a big belch. Whew! Doggie breath! Brian could not finish his dinner so he made the bed for them to get some sleep. This dog deserves something special. No less than silk sheets and an Italian hand made bed cover. Trace ever so gently crept up on the bed cover feeling the texture of the silk sheets and linens with her paw pads. Careful not to harm the sheets, she crept ever so slowly toward the center of the bed and went to sleep.

As time went on, Brian found that the Dalmation breed of dog is a mischevious breed indeed. Trace has a love for food that leads her to investigate interesting smells without any hesitation or thought of the consequinces. Trace has removed cereal boxes from the cabinet, taken dog bones from a neighbor’s yard, eaten frozen spinach that was left out to thaw, eaten Slim Fast powder, sugar, stolen cake from a baby at a birthday party and enacted many more feats of scavaging food. Trace is alive today because of the quick action taken by Brian and Jan when she swallowed Motrin pills left on the dining room table; she was rushed to a pet emergency center for a stomach pump and weeks of antitoxin treatment. She recovered with no kidney damage.

Lesson learned: Never underestimate a dog’s curiosity; they need to be treated as you would treat a child. A beautiful dog with a loving disposition, she certainly lives up to her name; Lay Low Trace.