Dalmatian puppies and dogs in Delaware

NOTE TO ALL DALMATION LOVERS: THIS DOG IS NOT A TYPICAL DALMATION. PLEASE DO NOT APPLY SIMPLY BECAUSE OF HER BREED. **NOTE TO ALL POTENTIAL ADOPTERS: THIS TEMPLATE CONTAINS VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING THE REQUIREMENTS TO ADOPT THIS DOG. PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY! Dog Name: Mary J Blige Breed: Dalmation Sex: Female Age: 4.5 years old Weight: 55 lbs. (approx) Medical Needs: None Housebroken: Yes Crate trained: Yes. Her crate is her safe place. Good in the car: No. She must be crated and leashed with a prong if a car ride is necessary but I am working on changing that for her. Good on a leash: No but Mary J is slowly learning that the leash is not bad. She will accept it and a prong collar. It is still very much a work in progress, though. Energy level: Medium Need a fenced in yard: A securely chain-link fenced in yard, no less then 4' high, is mandatory in order to adopt this dog. Dog Friendly: Absolutely. Mary J loves all dogs. If yes, does your foster need another dog in its adoptive homes? Another dog in the home is mandatory in order to adopt this dog. The more dogs, the better for her. Cat Friendly? Not sure. Kid Friendly: Mary J is distrustful of humans, regardless of size. If yes, what's the youngest child you'd recommend they be placed? Any child old enough to understand not to approach/chase her. Special traits that make your foster special or that we need to know about them? Mary J was pulled from an Ohio puppy mill eight months ago. I can't speak to what happened to her in her life up to that point but I can tell you that I brought a wild-eyed, feral animal into my home that I had absolutely no idea what to do with or more importantly, how I would ever find a home for her. She was skin and bones, filthy and completely shut down. She allowed me to bathe her and feed her but that was it. The first two months were spent with her wearing a leash 24/7 in the event she got away from me. Her life consisted of her crate, putting weight on her and trying to get her outside, where she fought that leash and dragged me around the yard in terror. Her only joy was being around the other dogs in the house. She would just stand with them or near them whenever she could. And so after two months of no progress except for some eye contact and not being bitten, I removed all restraints from her except her collar. I let her out in my fenced yard on her own. That's when I saw her start to change. She loved being with her fur friends. Her tail came up. Her appetite improved and she started to fill out. Her coat became silky and shiny. Her ears perked up and her eyes softened. It turned out that Mary J was actually a beautiful, perfectly marked Dalmatian, albeit small for her breed. With my dogs and each new foster I brought in, she learned. They taught her the joys of running around the yard barking at things, how to play with toys, how to rough house. Our quiet home reassures her enough that she spends more time outside the crate, napping on the carpet with a buddy or two. I got into the habit of crawling into her crate every day and petting her, hugging her, kissing her head and talking to her which she hated at first but now accepts with no cringing and will even lie next to me--sometimes. She is developing a quirky little personality and a little bit of sass! More importantly, she is developing the confidence to spend most of her time in the house instead of her crate. But there are still things to consider and consider seriously: Mary J does not trust humans and will allow none of them to approach her or pet her unless she is in her crate where she has no choice. She will take a treat from your hand, though, and lately, when people come to the house, she will approach them and lick their hands in greeting. Mary J does not like men although it is not as blatant over time as it used to be. Due to the first two items, Mary J is an extremely high flight risk so all doors and gates must be secured at all times and, if you do have to take her somewhere, a prong collar and leash attached to both collar and prong is necessary . She is a fast runner; if she gets out she will not come back. She is used to a quiet home. Sudden noises or movements scare her. Loud voices make her nervous and she will bark at you, basically telling you to keep it down. Why, you ask, with all these restrictions and requirements in place, would I make her available for adoption? That's nothing short of insanity! It's because I can see, now, what Mary J is becoming and what she can be in the right hands. I know how playful and quirky and sweet-yet-sassy she is. Because I see it, I know for a fact that there are some exceptional people out there who will see it too. She is as ready as she will ever be for the dog (s) and people who will continue loving and teaching her. Please don't apply for this dog because you know Dalmatians or because you're looking for a family dog. She is not a typical Dal and for sure not a family pet--yet. But if she strikes a chord in you--if you see the potential in her to be the most extraordinary dog, if you believe she is worth the time, the patience, the love, the effort, the frustration it will take to help her reach that potential and you can see her being a loved member of your family one day then by all means, fill out an app. Let's talk. Fosters Location: Milton, DE Application can be found here: https://www.grrde.org/adoption-application (if you already have an approved application on file email GrassRootsDE@gmail.com and ask the app team to pull your app. ##1631928##