This past year with KiKi has been more fraught than I could ever have imagined. At times her behaviour has strained relationships with friends and family members. She is not Flash, she is not Leica. She is, however, ours. Entirely. We adopted her, in some peoples opinions, hastily. Time though, was not on our side. Leica was ageing and failing before our very eyes in her isolation. KiKi was all we wanted, a female Dalmatian we could bring home to help Leica and us move on. Her behavioural issues I firmly believe are not her true nature, but the result of her earlier experiences. Time and patience have helped lessen their impact and we continue. Her affection for and connection to Leica, in my estimation, far outweigh any other concerns. Leica for her part, has taken to KiKi with an attitude which I think is far more indicative of the truer nature of their breed.

In all her craziness, since I first saw her, she has a grip on me.