Dulcie's Legacy

Dulcie has to be the most special Dalmatian ever born. There are none that I know of who were born with such a distinct heart on their shoulder as she was born with. It had to mean something...at the time she came into my life, I had no idea what that would come to mean.

Dulcie was a "soulmate" to me, if such a thing exists between human and canine. I had a special love for her that I had never experienced with any other dog or animal in my life. There was something different about her.

Upon her disappearance, I immediately turned to Dalmatian people and shelter people in my quest to find her. I used the phone at first, but then had my son help with a flyer on the computer. I had rarely used the computer up to that point, and with phone call costs adding up, I decided to get on the internet implore breeders and Dalmatian lovers to help in my search.

Again, with my eldest son's help, I had a page for her up and began to spread the word. I immediately found that many people cared and were willing to help, with not only looking for her and keeping their eyes open for my beloved dog, but the story of her disappearance helped others see how easily lives can be so drastically changed.

People read her story and decided to get their dogs tattooed and/or microchipped. Some became more diligent in not leaving their dogs unattended, either in yards or in their vehicles.

Somehow, and I can't remember exactly how it happened, I became aware of the great need for more help in Dalmatian rescue, and since I could not do much more, I decided that what I could do was network Dals in need. I also began to collect lost and found sites on the internet, and put together an email which I would send to those with lost, missing, and stolen pets to try to help them in their search. Out of this was born my stolen pets page.

I came to know many special people through the internet...Dalmatian owners and those who love other dogs as much as I do. Through my efforts to find Dulcie and the passion that I felt for Dalmatians and rescue, many became aware of the need for help. Some were inspired to adopt first dals, or to add a dalmatian to their canine family. Some became involved in rescue. Some just helped spread the word.

Dulcie's gift to me and to others was to open a new world of friendships, to share our love of Dals and other dogs, to learn from each other so many aspects of dog ownership...training, health, the puppy mill and pet shop problems, to help curb the problems of overcrowded shelters..each and every dog spayed or neutered helps! I have learned more about dogs in the time she has been gone than I ever had learned up to that date in March of 1997.

I made friends, I lost friends, I regained friends. Through it all, through all the tears and frustrations, my love for this spotted girl and my hope that I would find her, kept me pushing forward. Nothing was going to stop my quest.

I would often pray for some sign from God or Dulcie that would let me know what had happened or where she was, and how she was doing. I did get some signs, but my stubborn determination to believe she was still alive caused me to misinterpret those signs. (Maybe...I am not so sure now...)

Within a very short matter of time, I had Deva. So many offers of Dalmatians, and I refused to accept. I could not replace Dulcie, but one person would not take no for an answer. She had wanted to at least meet me, and I did so but had no intention of coming home with another Dalmatian. Deva had other plans, and she sat next to me and melted into me, against my wishes. Dulcie had to have had a paw in that. She could not bear to see me so sad and alone. Deva came home and did give me the kind of love that only a Dalmatian is capable of. Still, there was such a void....I could not stop my search for Dulcie.

I would continue asking for a sign, for a dream, for some kind of vision. One night, after asking for a dream, Dulcie did come to me in a dream. But she was not to tell me where she was or how she was doing. In this dream, she was sleeping at the end of my bed, in her usual spot. My first thought was that she was there in spirit..that she had died but still with me. I immediately shoved that thought out of my mind, and decided that dream meant that she was there because that was where she wanted to be.

Some time later, I read about a special Dalmatian who was in desperate need of a home. Fannie was far away and in danger of being killed. She was not working out in any of the foster homes she was in, and was being shuttled back and forth between the overcrowded shelter and various foster homes. I felt Dulcie very strongly, nudging me to help this poor dog. Even though she was in West Virginia, a long long ways from Washington State, and without quite knowing how I would get her here, I could not help but speak up and take this girl. Fannie came into my life, and in the process, she inspired both the SPOTS (Spots 'n' Pals Overland Transport Service) to be born, but she inspired quite a few other adoptions of Dalmatians as well. Their stories can be read by clicking on the "Rescues" page at the Dalhouse, which is Fannie's (now) Uncle Frank's page. Fannie arrived on Valentine's Day, which is also Pet Theft Awareness Day, one of my causes. (I have tried very hard to raise awareness and to support Last Chance for Animals, in the fight against pet theft.

Fannie came here and still, there was both joy and happiness, with a match in looks to my heavily spotted Deva. Deva and Fannie became best buddies, but there was still an emptiness in my heart for my missing girl. I still could not stop my searching for her.

Then there was Nell. Nell was a dal who was dumped a few miles away, and no one could get near her. She would head out onto the highway, not looking at traffic at all, paying no heed to blaring horns or swerving vehicles. I had thought that I would have no trouble picking up this abandoned dog and was quickly brought down to earth..she would have nothing to do with anyone, not even me! On the third night of worrying about her, after three long days of trying unsuccessfully to coax her to me, I prayed to God, St. Francis, Dr. Doolittle, Mr. Ed, and anyone else who could help....and a special prayer that Dulcie could somehow help me get this girl to safety. The next day, after finding her at a campsite, she wagged her tail at me and began to follow me to my Bronco. I believe that Dulcie did indeed have a talk with her that previous night.

Still....my search continued. A week ago, there was a notice that was on all the Dalmatian lists that a female Dalmatian was found in Redmond, WA, and she had a heart on her shoulder! For all the false leads that I have gone on, this one just HAD to be Dulcie. Emails were coming in fast and furious from all over the US and Canada, and as far away as Australia and Ireland, alerting me that this might be Dulcie at last. In the time it took for me to get the phone number and call the couple there, someone had emailed Dulcie's url to them, and when I called, I was devastated to hear that this young Dalmatian was not my beloved missing dog.

That night, I was outside with my dals, and I looked to the sky and begged God to give me some kind of answer. I could not keep this up much longer. Two and a half years was long enough....I needed to have my Dulcie home.

The next day, I got an email about a couple of dogs that were in the shelter thirty miles away. One was a liver dal, and one was a black and white. I had to drive there immediately and look.

I drove to Ellensburg the next day, parked in front of the shelter, and walked around to the kennels. A slightly built, young, and sweet, liver dal greeted me, but there was no sign of a black and white Dalmatian. I noticed that he had a patch on the right side of his head, that was just like the one on Dulcie's left ear...a mirror image. I went into the office to inquire about the other dal, and found that the black and white dal had been adopted..but that dog was the male littermate to this boy.

I was asked if I wanted to take him out into one of the pens, and thought, why not? I knew I was treading on dangerous waters...but the poor pup needed some attention and interaction. Besides, this is what volunteers did all the time, and I could evaluate his temperament, so that I could post him to the rescue lists and help him get a home.

The director was in no hurry to take this dog from me, and let me sit with "Thomas" while she dealt with other people. Thomas worked his magic, (and again, I think Dulcie was behind me, nudging me along..) and he came home with me. He had been howling all day, ever since his brother had been adopted, and I could not leave him there. (I am calling him "Derby" as his patch reminds me of a derby worn cocked to the side of the head.)

Still....the ache in my heart would not leave. The pain that I felt for Dulcie had not lessened one bit. I had to find her, and no matter what was to happen, I was determined I would not give up.

Then came that call, that nearly stopped my heart. Dulcie was allegedly hit and killed that day, more than two and a half years ago. I still am struggling with the news, still do not want to believe it is true. I still have questions, and until there is some kind of admission and answers, I feel there can not be any full and total closure. I cannot totally heal without the answers I need. There are still some small pieces to the puzzle that need to be put into place. My biggest fear is that this is a lie and that I will be giving up my search too soon, and that she is still out there somewhere, wanting me to find her.

Update (I am not giving up my search until I do know this is true. I am not going to quit based on what amounts to a rumor at this point.)

But, I have to think of all these signs that I do believe came from Dulcie. She may have been trying to tell me that she loved me and wanted me to have Dals in my life so that I could be happy again. She has sent me in new directions in my life to help as many Dalmatians and other dogs as possible, and she inspired me to help others who also need a supportive shoulder because of missing pets.

I had started my pet theft support list because of Dulcie, and I knew that I could not be the only person who was still agonizing over a lost dog. There are pet loss sites on the internet, but they all dealt with pets who had crossed to the Bridge, and there was nothing for those who were left wondering and worrying about missing pets. This list fills that need for now.

Dulcie has been a very special dog indeed. I had come to believe that the heart on her shoulder was there for a reason, and still believe that. As someone told me, Dulcie IS Love. Pet Theft Awareness Day is Valentine's Day, and there is no other dog that better represents the love that is between a human and a canine and the devastating effects of this most horrendous event than Dulcie. She has raised awareness about Pet Theft Awareness Day and Last Chance for Animals, and I know that there were quite a few donations made to LCA "in her honor" (not "in her memory...a big difference!)

Dulcie also gifted her breeder, I believe. Shortly before I was notified of this incredibly sad news, I was contacted by Gerry. He had made the decision to stop breeding, in part due to Dulcie's theft, when he became even more acutely aware of the incredible need for rescue and the severe plight that Dalmatians have been experiencing. He had contacted me to help find a liver male puppy for his ten year old son. I put the plea for a liver pup out on the dal lists, and within an hour, there was an email from a friend in rescue in southern CA. We are working on making the arrangements, and Gerry has sent his application for the adoption of this puppy. I hope this will work out, but he called me to discuss a few details shortly after I got this news on Dulcie, and struck me as so very odd that the man who brought Dulcie into my life would be the first person that I spoke to by phone regarding this most recent and horrible development. I needed to cry on his shoulder, and he has been very supportive through this past two and a half years.

There was one other sign that I believe was Dulcie's way of speaking to me. I do not mix up my i's and my o's when typing, but with each email or post about Dulcie, when I would state that I believed she was still alive, I would have to backspace and correct that word, as every time, and I mean every time, I would type the word alove.

There has never been a dog like Dulcie and there never will be again. I cannot yet give up entirely, but at least I have something solid to go on. I will be doing what I can to get to the bottom of this, but I have to cling to some small shred of hope that this news is a lie and that she just might still be waiting to be found. There cannot be any closure until I know for certain, one way or another, what happened that day.

Back to Update on Dulcie
click here for sad news