About Us
Welcome to Classic Dalmatians. We are located in Sparks, Nevada. This page gives an overview of my background and breeding approach.
I don't have litters often, but I do occasionally. I encourage you to check the page Current Movers and Shakers for more information about my current litters and breeding plans.
After puppies are born, I start preparing them for their lives ahead. They nurse and grow, l remove dewclaws, their hearing is tested, I have them microchipped, and I start handling and exposing them to the world in a manner that encourages health and wellbeing. All my puppies received equal care while in my care in a loving manner.
I got involved with Dalmatians more than 30 years ago when I started showing them in conformation at AKC dog shows. Since then I've gotten AKC championships on all my dogs as a Owner-Handler and produced several litters. I'm a member of dog clubs at the National level, breed level, and all- breed level. I imagine if you go to a dog show in the western US ... yes, the public is welcome ... that you may come across me around the Dalmatian ring. And if you do I hope you'll say hi.
Dalmatians make excellent companions to both individuals and families. They are smart, energetic and clean. They don't have a strong odor since they don't have a lot of oil in their coats. They are eager to eat and aren't known to be picky. They don't have an undercoat like a lot of breeds do, so they often would like to wear a dog coat in a cold climate. They will shed hair, some more than others, but generally speaking Dalmatians are low maintenance since they don't need regular clipping or brushing like many breeds.
All of my dogs and their offspring will be pets, and therefore good temperament is an upmost priority to me of both the dam and sire when considering to breed. Equally important is health screening, and therefore my dogs and their mates are tested, and poor results mean no breeding, regardless of how things look on the surface. The third element I focus on is breed standard. The AKC stipulates breed standards of all breeds that can be registered with them. Check the AKC website for more information about breed standards. These three elements are my priorities when breeding.
Circa 2010, the Dalmatian breed went through a notable juncture when the DNA was discovered by veterinary scientists at UC Davis, CA that maps Dalmatians to high uric acid (HUA). This is a health condition that could lead to urinary tract stones. It's much the same thing that occurs in humans and is quite unpleasant if stones form and start trying to leave the body. Any breed can get stones, but Dalmatians are prone due to their coloring. It was long suspected by some that it was a genetic issue, and their discovery made it fact.
Decades earlier a research scientist, aware of this issue in Dalmatians, made a discovery of how to eliminate the mutated DNA and produced a single Low Uric Acid Dalmatian (LUA). You may wonder then why in 2010 there was a juncture, and in part it boiled down to finally having the DNA proof after decades of waiting, and for getting LUA Dalmatians registered with the AKC. Since the AKC has an established documented process for registrating dogs with them, the process was carried out. And in light of this process, I think it's appropriate to note that there was and is no financial gain by anyone for doing this. The effort is entirely to help the wellbeing of the animal.
This led to developing a mindful strategy for bringing back the LUA aspect into Dalmatians being shown, bred, and made as pets. So a strategy was formed to mindfully breed not only LUAs to LUAs, but also LUAs to HUA Dalmatians. The strategy is consistent with breeding for health, temperament, breed standard, and patience. I contributed a baseline litter to the LUA program in 2011. I did this by breeding my HUA female to an LUA male. Several other breeders at the time produced LUA litters too. Currently, 2026, I have two LUA females that I'm showing and using for breeding. Their pictures are on the Current Movers and Shakers page.
Please note that both LUA and HUA Dalmatians can live long and happy lives with the proper diet, exercise, and maintenance, and both can be impacted if they don't receive this. HUA Dalmatians have high uric acid, so that condition should be managed throughout their lives, and when their owners do they will thrive. There's an easy and noncostly way to do this by feeding a lower protein diet, and pet stores carry many options. And just to clarify this, feeding your Dalmatian costs the same whether they are LUA or HUA. A simple cheek swab DNA test will determine if a Dalmatian is HUA or LUA, and I perform this test on my litters before puppies are transferred to new owners.
I hope this overview has been helpful. At More Information I've provided links that cover Dalmatians and LUA Dalmatians. If you have questions, you're welcome to send me an email. My email address is listed there too