There’s no doubt that, through centuries of domestication, we have developed a very particular connection with dogs. We have bred and refined their characteristics to suit our own, human ends. Whether to hunt, to guard, to herd or retrieve, we have bent their development to our needs.The degree to which their evolution has been manipulated by us is at times extreme and has brought about all manner of breeds which seem now disconnected with our modern lives. For years we have been asked what our dogs are ‘for’, meaning what purpose they serve, what utility they might have. The reality for most dog owners these days though is that the dog has no utilitarian function, they have become simply pets. More disturbing though is the transition from utility to pet to fashion accessory. Many dogs now find themselves is the same position as any other transient fad in our lives. Breeds are now in or out of fashion, fashions which have a much shorter lifespan than the animals involved. It’s not just the cliche that “A puppy isn’t just for Christmas” that we need to be concerned about any more, it’s the thoughtless buying of dogs which are entirely unsuited to the reality of our lifestyles. Personally, we’ve always thought Siberian Huskies to be incredible, beautiful, wonderful, captivating dogs. At the same time though, their nature suggests that they would not be a good fit in terms of how we might manage their needs. Sadly it seems many people do little or no research into the reality of any given breed characteristics, choosing instead on the basis of their superficial appearance or their size. Dalmatians are lively and energetic, they demand exercise and stimulation. Fall short in fulfilling these needs and you can expect a cost in terms of soft furnishings. Taken to extremes, if the needs of the dog are not met the situation can easily get out of control as the animal gets increasingly frustrated.
While we can imagine nothing more endearing than a litter of Dalmatian pups, cared for by Leica or Flash or KiKi, we chose nonetheless to have all of them spayed and Django too is neutered. Quite simply we did not feel that we, given that we are not professional dog breeders, could hope to find good appropriate homes for their offspring. As time has passed, Leica with us now for fifteen years, the decision is tinged with some little regret as we know one day she will have to leave us, but we still feel it was the correct one. KiKi and Django are perhaps the living proof that even in a fairly exotic breed of dog, we should think more responsibly about how, having managed their evolution we should think too about how we manage their numbers. Our current methods, involving the destruction of thousands of dogs every year cannot continue to be our solution. So Leica will be the last of her name, the last in her line.