Featured mutt: Dalmation/springer spaniel mix

This featured mutt is Sebastian, a dalmatian/springer spaniel mix owned by Sabrina Packard in Orrington, Maine. Here’s what Sabrina had to say about her mutt:

We were blessed with a pup four years ago. Our dog is a perfect match of English springer spaniel and dalmatian. His name is Sebastian, and he is always working the ground and finding mischief.

He looks like a Dalmatian with the nose of a springer spaniel. He has all the energy of both breeds, but only the temperament of a springer.

He is loving, obedient, cuddly and smart. He does not have one aggressive bone in his body. He is 60 pounds and a little taller than a springer. He has the short hair of a Dalmatian, but the texture is so soft you could pet him all day.

We have a 40-acre lot for Sebastian to explore, and he has the best time springing in the tall grass. He will get in the water to play with our other pups, but he won’t explore it on his own unless they are instigating the play. I believe it’s because of his short hair. He doesn’t have the insulation to keep warm.

Sebastian was trained at home and in spite of his energy, he will sit and stay, lie down and stay, sit pretty and herd the cats where I need them to go.

He exits the house on command, enters the cars on command, eats on command, has the softest mouth and will only take a treat on command. He is such a great addition to our family.

Sebastian and his siblings were an accidental litter. The family owned the mother and the father, and the mother birthed her litter during the winter. It was extremely cold out and the dogs lived outside with mom.

The owner brought the pups into town (10 of them) in a banana box. They were four weeks old. I was at my bank and saw them and had to have one. We bottle fed Sebastian and he slept in a shoebox with some TY beanie babies to make him feel at home.

I later met one of Sebastian’s sisters and she is more the size of an English springer spaniel but looks just like my dog. She is a therapy dog and well mannered like her brother.

Note: Below is another dalmatian/springer mix named Cooki.