Hansen

I got on line to look for a dog with no particular breed in mind. The Dalmatian Rescue site caught my eye. I liked the idea of a rescue dog, as they’ve been in foster homes and you have a sense of their personalities - most importantly, how they are with kids. When I saw Hansen’s face, I felt an instant connection. Even more important, his bio had the word “mellow” – the magic word for me.

Hansen’s foster mom said that when people came to see him, they didn’t want him because he was so shy, especially with men. When we went to meet him, he turned his back on us and tried to hide (not likely with his bulk) and wouldn’t look at us. When we touched him, though, the tip of his tail wagged. We knew he wasn’t unfriendly, just shy.

Hansen was 108 pounds when he was rescued. His foster family took 20 pounds off of him, and we’ve taken off another 8. When we first got him, he was exhausted after walking once around the neighborhood. Now he happily trots 3 miles at night. He’s got a lot more energy and obviously feels great.

Everyone who meets him says three things: 1. Aren’t Dalmatians supposed to be hyper? 2. Isn’t he fat? 3. He’s so beautiful!  I always say that Hansen is just a big spotted couch. The kids literally lie on him and if he’s had enough, he just walks away. He is so gentle and undemanding, just a big sweet presence. Jeff says Hansen’s a mama’s dog because he’s particularly attached to me and follows me everywhere. If I’m in the office, he’s squeezed in under the closet shelves. If I’m in our bedroom, he’s lying in my closet.

We are so grateful to his foster mom Ruth (and her family) for taking such good care of him for months while he waited for us to find him. Here's what the kids have to say:

Casey (6): We were so excited to have a dog that I couldn’t go to sleep. But finally I went to sleep. And when I woke up, I saw a dog at the bottom of the stairs. I ran downstairs but the dog, named Hansen, ran away. I went over to M ommy and said, “I’m glad we have a dog in the house.” Hansen is cute. We all love Hansen. Hansen has a lot of spots and brown eyes. We can lie on Hansen and make him go away. But the parents don’t lie on him. Luka doesn’t pet him as gently as the bigger kids and parents do. He got washed on June 10th. He eats baby carrots.

Gaylen (4): I like petting Hansen. We got Hansen.

Luka (2): I love Hanthom.

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