Dally Rally for Spay/Neuter September 9, 2000

It was a beautiful sunny, breezy day in Redondo Beach, a perfect day for a walk! At 10:30AM the first Dalmatians and their families began arriving and stopped by the Save the Dals booth to chat and show off their beautiful spotted friends. An animal control officer from Los Angeles County Animal Shelters arrived with spay/neuter information and doggie gift bags for all the participants. The Save the Dals' information table was laden with brochures and articles printed courtesy of San Diego volunteer Mike Prendergast, who drove all the way up with his wife and daughter to participate. Dennis Herbold, a member of the Dalmatian Club of Southern California, brought donuts for everyone.

The Dalmatians were delighted to see so many of their own kind! The ears were perked, tails were wagging and eyes shone with happiness. Play bows abounded. Azar, a rescued Dalmatian in care of Save the Dals, was so excited about being with all her new spotted friends that she jumped three feet straight up into the air from a standstill. By the time 11AM rolled around, there were twenty-seven Dalmatians with their families. What a beautiful sight to behold!

And then the walk began The Dalmatians, of course, love to go walking and the tails wagged even harder. The line of people and spotted dogs seemed to stretch forever as they rounded the corner and went down the hill. Dennis reported that the police officers at the firing range were having pizza and many of the Dalmatians wanted to go join them. One officer astutely remarked "They are all Dalmatians!"

And then about a half hour later, they started coming back around. The humans were a little tired but the Dalmatians were just getting started. Fortunately, the Redondo Beach Dog Park was at hand so those who wished took their Dallies to play in the park. Others chatted and drank cold root beer at the Save the Dals booth.

We got to see several of our Dalmatians that we had placed in the last couple of years, including Nina, Torro (formerly Kyle) and Athena (formerly Darla). They were looking just wonderful, a testament to the excellent care their owners give them.

Everyone seemed to have a great time and we are looking forward to doing another fun event soon! Many thanks to everyone who helped plan the walk and who participated in the walk to support spay/neuter!