"What?"
That's what everyone asks. Her name is Kuuipo. She's eight and a half weeks old, and she's a dalmatian rescue puppy. She's also the newest member of our family.
Kuuipo means "Sweetheart" in Hawaiian, and she is. I think the name is actually pronounced with a whole lot of syllables, like Koo-oo-ee-po, and I'm really not sure where the accent goes. We sort of run it together and call her Kweepo. Even at that, when I took her to the Balloon Glow Alumni dinner tonight at LeTourneau's hangar out at the airport, one little boy who asked her name looked at me like I had mortally offended him. He just glared at me and then walked off.
Kuuipo's mom was owner-surrendered (whatever that means--the shelter doesn't give details) to a North Texas Humane Society. On the day she was scheduled to be "euthanized" (read murdered because an owner probably didn't care enough or couldn't be bothered), the Dalmatian Rescue of North Texas (DRNT) found out about her and got her out of the shelter. About a week later, they discovered she was pregnant. She's a small lady but still had twelve puppies. Two were too small to live, but ten are healthy and playful. Kuuipo decided she wanted to come and live with me. I played with all the puppies and held the three females, but Kuuipo was the one who chewed on my ears, gave me kisses, and ran back to me after I set her down. She picked me, so I picked her.
Notice to readers: First, please pay attention to the fact that dalmatian is spelled with a "tian" not a "tion." Okay, that's a pet peeve. I used to have a Hotmail account with dalmatian as part of the username. I gave the address to a group of students, who promptly sent e-mails to someone else with the same username but spelled incorrectly. Second, if you take a dog home, he or she is family and is yours for life. I like the way the DRNT puts it: These dogs need to find their forever homes. Dalmatians are eager, active, willful, one-person dogs. They tend not to be family dogs and are not usually great with kids. They are deeply loyal and loving. My dalmatian Hero has been one of my best friends for over nine years. My other dogs are too, but they are more family dogs. Hero thinks of herself as my dog (or maybe thinks of me as her person). She follows me everywhere and pitches a fit whenever a door is closed between us. Ann of DRNT says, "If you don't want velcro, you don't want dalmatian."
But if you don't mind being followed around at close range and having a dog nudge open the shower door every 2 to 3 minutes just to make sure you're still there and still okay, you might be a good dal pal. You just can't beat a dalmatian for love and loyalty--two virtues we could use a lot more of in this world.
Lots of folks seem to get dogs--including dalmatians--without thinking through the commitments or obligarions involved, and then those dogs end up in shelters or with rescue organizations. If you want a dog, rescues are a good source, and Dalmatian Rescue of North Texas (DRNT) is a great place to start. Their Website links to lots of rescue organizations.
