It reminds me of my dalmation mix and my mother...very different.  My mom and I were living together after my dad had left her.  She had a small fox terrier mix named Teddy.  I decided that I wanted a dog of my own so I got a dalmation mix who was quite a bit bigger than my mother's dog and very intelligent.  Unfortunately, she had a lot of bad habits.  I named her Cindy.  Cindy would scream if you tried to make her stay in the yard and would rake the screen with her nails...I had to replace the screen door.  

I was working until early evening and didn't have my own car so my mom would take me and pick me up from work.  So she was alone with just the two dogs.  Cindy figured out pretty quickly that my mom was not an alpha (I was).  So she would pick on my mom's dog and do whatever she wanted.  If my mom would try to discipline her, she would do things to get back at my mom.  She went into my mom's bathroom, took! some AlphaKeri lotion from under the sink, removed the top and poured it on the rug.  My mom went after her with a broom and Cindy growled at her.  My mom left her alone and was practically in tears when she picked me up from work.  

Cindy was well-behaved as long as I was around but a terror when I wasn't.  She also chewed my mom's shoes (but not mine).  Finally, my mom decided that the dog had to go...and if I insisted on keeping the dog, I could go too.  She couldn't live with Cindy because she was afraid of her.  Cindy was difficult for me too because she had so much energy and I had to take her for walks after work every evening (which would tire me out but not the dog) and then she would wake me up at 5:00 in the morning.  I found her a home with a guy who liked to hunt and would take her out in the country to run...much better for the dog, better for me and especially better for my mother. 

 

The next dog I got was Alice who looked like she was part shepherd but her mother looked like a border collie.  She was just a little puppy so my mom was okay with her.  I got married and moved out while Alice was still young and she became a very active dog.  Every time she would see my mother she would get excited and jump up and down.  My mom would back away and say "why can't she forget me".
            
                                                                  Submitted by Janet