Page 155 - It's a Rum Life Book 3 "Ivy House Tales 1970 to 1984"

CHAPTER 28

DINAN AND THE COATS
For some time we had been driving horses for pleasure and a few years previously paid a
visit to the British Driving Society Annual Show at Smith’s Lawn Windsor Great Park.
We had seen a carriage dog actually at work. A Dalmatian.

A DALMATIAN
Ruth was intrigued and as I had always wished for the family to have a dog, investigations
began.
It was Mrs Marylian Watney, whose husband was the President of the Coaching Club of
Great Britain who helped Ruth get started.
We had found a Dalmatian breeder quite local to us and purchased Dakata Dinan a very
young “liver” spotted Dalmatian dog pup.
Dakata was the kennel name of the breeder and all her dogs had names beginning with D.
The name Dinan came from the historic town of the same name in northern Brittany, linked
with a dog we had met on holiday in France and which was a favourite of daughter Helen.
So Dinan he became.

Following the tips from Mrs Watney, Dinan’s training began at once. He lived close to a
carriage so the wheels became part of his life. He spent much of his time in a stable with
“Juno” the family driving mare.
His feed was always placed between the wheels of a carriage and bit by bit horses and
their vehicles became his life.
The whole thing is largely instinctive, it just needs this prompting and encouragement to
make the essential connections.
Dinan was also allowed into the house and as he grew he was given an old chair in the
north facing studio we had inherited with our lovely home from its previous artist owner.

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