So don't tell Libby, but I have been spending quite a bit of time with another dog lately!

As it so happens, my Uncle Bill and Aunt Dianne made the mistake of telling me that I can go to their lake cottage whenever I want to. :) As a result, I've pretty much decided to spend every free minute of my summer there. Not only is it less than an hour away from home, but I can spend time with my family (including one of my closest friends, my cousin Arianna), relax on a warm Michigan Lake, sleep as long as I want, enjoy their wireless internet and Tivo (we don't "rough it"), and eat their delicious food, and it doesn't cost me a penny! Hopefully they won't get too sick of me... because this is too good of a deal to give up!

Also, they have a dog, a dalmation named Tiberius Caesar ("Tiber"), whom I've gotten to spend lots of time with recently and over the years. When they were younger, he and Libby actually had several "play dates", which included a lot of Libby excitedly running in circles around a confused Tiber. Ah, good times. They were actually born only a few months apart (I like to say Uncle Bill and Aunt Dianne copy my family-- they also have 2 sons and 1 daughter, all slightly younger than my brothers and me... and they got their dog soon after we got ours. Coincidence? I think not!), and they are both turning 14-years-old this year!

Although Libby and Tiber have both been a part of our families' lives for well over a decade, it wasn't until I was visiting the cottage last week that I had the thought, "How come we never chose to breed Tiber and Libby?" I mean, by the time Aunt Dianne got Tiber, I think Libby's ability to have puppies was... removed... but, regardless, it seems like such a waste in retrospect! They could have had such cute puppies!

I thought that this entry could explore what could have happened if we would have had the foresight to make little Tiber-Libbies. First off, we need a name for the new breed. Since Tiber is a dalmation and Libby is a spitz, we could call them... Spitzations! In fact, it's such a good idea that I already have a slogan for them: "Check out the new sensation-- the Spitzation!" I tried combining the names the other way around, but "Dalmatitz' just sounds awkward. :)

Anyways, in order to get a good assessment of the puppies' looks and traits, we need to examine the parents more thoroughly:

Libby's Traits
1. White, long fluffy fur
2. Pointy ears
3. Curled tail
4. Small stature, ~20 lbs
5. Reddish "eye crusties"
6. Top Dog mentality
7. Loves being cold
8. Had a fatty tumor
9. Thinks she's a huge wolf
10. Favorite "enemies": mailmen, kitties, & squirrels
11. Favorite treat: anything on mom's plate
12. Likes being petted when she's tired
13. Lots of energy/loves to run
14. Very intelligent

Tiber's Traits
1. Short black/white spotted fur
2. Floppy ears
3. Straight tail
4. Medium stature, ~60 lbs
5. Allergies (to even normal dog food)
6. Momma's Boy
7. Loves sitting in the sun
8. Had once come back from the dead
9. Thinks he's a lap dog
10. Favorite "enemies": anything that makes whirring noises & helium balloons
11. Favorite treat: carrots
12. Enjoys being petted if on neck or ears
13. Lots of curiosity/loves to sleep
14. Very nervous

So, here's one possibility of a Spitzation:

Awww...
1. Libby's fluffiness
2. Tiber's dark spots
3. Libby's body shape/size
4. Tiber's ears, tail, and eyes
5. Libby's confidence
6. Tiber's lap-dog-ness

Or, here's another possibility:

Awww...
1. Tiber's shorter fur
2. Libby's scruffiness
3. Tiber's body shape/size
4. Libby's ears, tail, and eye crusties
5. Tiber's skittishness
6. Libby's non-stop energy

How could we not have wanted to make fluffy spotted puppies? Man. What were we thinking?

So far I haven't found any dalmation-spitz's in existence online, but I must admit, I only looked for like 2 minutes (where I found someone else's theory of what they could be called: "Spotz"! haha!), but maybe someone is making millions on this idea. Who knows? Or, if not making millions, at least making really adorable little spotted balls of fluff. :)