My Artist Vernon Q Powell flute is on consignment where it will travel to trade shows and be sent to prospective buyers who are able to master it: Certified Powell 14K Aurumite #13381
I received an email today from the wonderful person who watches over it. She described the handmade Powell as “beautiful.” And yes, it is, and, in a way, it is beautiful like my Dalmatians. I wrote back to her:
I received an email today from the wonderful person who watches over it. She described the handmade Powell as “beautiful.” And yes, it is, and, in a way, it is beautiful like my Dalmatians. I wrote back to her:
“I hope you do think my flute is beautiful. Have you played it? Its sounding is magnificent - if made by one who knows how to produce and shape it . It is rich and sonorous in the lowest octave and equally, full and clear in the upper - without a thin reediness anywhere.”
BIS GCHB CH Nobledal N Engco Bold Honest Hunter - NP74742305 - b. April 30, 2022
Let’s pause right here. The above description also fits my experience of producing a different beauty in pure-bred Dalmatians. Observing them, nurturing them, bringing out the best in them of their fine qualities – beauty, brains, balance, and bonhomie. A magnificent creature with no harshness, a Dalmatian ready to be positively tuned to a companion where both can resonate with one another. The above description of my Powell hints that I know of less adaptable flutes, beginner flutes, dropped over a rail when sliding down a banister to get to marching band practice. Intermediate flutes, or “this one that sounds the best so far.” Getting on to something, something I wanted to keep learning about, improving, and enjoying. My life with Dalmatians is also learning, improving, and enjoying everything about this breed but especially the way they relate to us, their humans.
And so with a beginner flute, a first Dalmatian. In my case, "DJ" was a gift from a household that could not keep an adolescent male - of great beauty and fire - that was bored out of his mind being left alone all day. His choice to chew the fiberglass bumper of his owner’s sportscar sent him to our home. “DJ” you were my first. His personality, sense of humor and presence of mind put other breeds to shame. I had somehow stumbled upon a rare flute! A few years later, when a member of my dissertation committee learned of my love for Dalmatians, he asked me to please take the instigator, explorer puppy from his recent litter. "She keeps leading the others out under the fencing..." The smart one - I wanted her immediately. "Lady" was named by our young children.
Over the years, I continued my flute performance, learning the literature, playing in various ensembles and symphony orchestra. I purchased a succession of flutes each of better quality than the last, seeking the sound I desired to produce for more tonal color and demanding solo work. My Powell Handmade Aurumite 14K Flute of sterling silver and 14K gold with its fabulous sound is the pinnacle of flutes I have owned. It is no longer made. The closest to it does not have the gold incorporated that helps the sound. Its value has increased to $25,766. It needs a master's hand or someone who is on their way to mastering it. While of course it is the playing of a flute that produces the sound, it is the freedom to nuance a particular sound in a superbly made professional flute that matters most.
Over the years, I continued my flute performance, learning the literature, playing in various ensembles and symphony orchestra. I purchased a succession of flutes each of better quality than the last, seeking the sound I desired to produce for more tonal color and demanding solo work. My Powell Handmade Aurumite 14K Flute of sterling silver and 14K gold with its fabulous sound is the pinnacle of flutes I have owned. It is no longer made. The closest to it does not have the gold incorporated that helps the sound. Its value has increased to $25,766. It needs a master's hand or someone who is on their way to mastering it. While of course it is the playing of a flute that produces the sound, it is the freedom to nuance a particular sound in a superbly made professional flute that matters most.
BIS GCHB "Hunter" 22 months
In the same way, I have the ideal type of Dalmatian in my mind that I want to see, like the flute sound I want to hear. One can have a beautiful flute that produces excellent quality notes or one can have an exceptional flute that gives freedom of expression as well. One can observe a line-up of Dalmatians, developed by breeders working toward the epitome of their vision of an American Dalmatian. When they begin moving, I watch how they go. I begin to see the ones moving closest to the picture I have in my mind. Even so, there are distinctive intrinsic qualities to the Dalmatian like no other breed. It is those expressive ones, capable of learning with great understanding, who also move about with effortless grace, those are the ones I want to breed and improve upon for health and longevity. It is that Dalmatian that offers a freedom of expression when working and moving together, that is similar to the freedom of expression in producing an exquisite sound on a flute. The quality of the flute and the quality of the Dalmatian are essential for freedom of expression by their owners.
“Early in my performance, I had the privilege to play a Haynes flute of very low serial number in my hometown. It was loaned to me by a local family to play in the community symphony. It had a magical silvery tone, not thin, but shimmering - an elegant sound in chamber. Yet, it could not hold its own in a driving wind ensemble or large orchestra. Still, for solo work, it could linger in the air like a wisp of mist. The time came for me to return it because I was moving away from the family who had loaned it. It was a flute made for another time. I wanted to keep its sound with me, but not be limited by it.”
“In replacing the sweet Haynes, I sought to produce a sound that would carry in a large hall without any kind of edge. No brittleness, or brashness. I needed a sound - delicate and sweet - reminiscent of that Haynes - that could linger in the mind over many bars hence but also allow me to play boldly - rounding down, deep into the core of a note without fear of its shattering – to play it freely making it the only flute sound in the world. I could play that flute “carelessly” and it would come alive to me.“
The sweet mystery of that paragraph is that it gets to the heart of what I experience when I team up with one of my Dalmatians, bred to be a smart, responsive companion. “Carelessly” means to play my exceptionally-made Powell flute with abandon, to not worry that there’s a particular key or note that requires my attention but be free to get to the heart of the matter of the sound, the melody, and its contribution. There is a similar joy and freedom of going on with an intelligent Dalmatian who responds to the slightest cue and produces the beauty in action we both desire in whatever contribution we are making together. The flute voice - with all its underlying complexities - compares with the Dalmatian’s effortless movement and all its complexities in breeding, balance, and harmony. Both are sublime.
GCH CH AGCH MACH8 PACH Noble Archer Of Rockledge UD BN RE MXB3 PAD MJS3 PJD MJPB PAX MFB2 TQX T2B8 SWA SCM SBE RATN CGC TKP - NP31365505 b. April 14, 2012 Frozen: 2014, 2015
When I grasped the beauty of the Dalmatian mind in “DJ,” I saw how God had made this particular creature of his to move, to work, to play and desire be with their humans. I saw the Master’s magnificent workmanship. I also saw a need in the breed to preserve and improve upon this quality. From then on, only a Dalmatian, but always a Dalmatian with a certain joie de vivre, a quick wit and a desire to learn, to team up. Like the sweet sound of the Haynes, there must always be intelligence, eagerness and love behind the eyes of my Dalmatians.
Hunter, February, 2024, gently meets a new friend who will spend the weekend with him. He is careful and respectful and restrains his adolescent power and exuberance; he is a very intuitive Dalmatian.
Our Dalmatians arrived first as gifts, then they came as puppies selectively purchased as my knowledge of the breed grew: DJ, Lady, Steamer, Arther MacArther and then Polo.
"Polo" GCH CH MACH Nspird Noble Strider UDX VER RAE MXC MJS MXP MXF T2B2 CGC TKP - NP21468304 2008 -2019*
Polo was the first Dalmatian puppy I purchased to move in the show ring, and to compete with in agility and obedience. In my forties, I learned I had early sensorineural hearing loss, it affected my work with colleagues and interfered with my ability to play flute in ensemble. I played my Powell flute less and less, frustrated by the effort and the loss of the sound I loved to hear. Yet, there was always a Dalmatian at my side, one of tremendous potential and goodwill ready to help me on a new journey of enjoyment.
Rowerdennan Noble Kona Kamea By Rockledge CDX BN RE MX MXG MXJ MJS MXP MJP MFS TQX MFP T2B SWM SHDN RATS CZ8P TKP FITS VXA UL-I NP26938111 b. July 14, 2010
Kamea arrived soon after Polo. I chose her from a Scottish breeder who had retired to the north shore of the island of Oahu, Hawaii. I had the second choice of eight females but she was my first choice of 16 puppies after watching them play with abandon for two days. She was the one who sat on the slight mound in the grass and watched her siblings. At times, she would keep her position with a calm poise as her littermates rushed by or purposefully bumped into her. On other occasions, she would join in and romp with the ones she selected. She was the stand out in intelligence and decision making out of 16 puppies and just eight weeks old. One can see above she has a slight high tail but all else about her was and is perfection in my view. Kamea is the foundation bitch for Noble Dalmatians, NOBLEDAL. She will be fourteen July 14, 2024. She is the sweet Haynes flute of my memory. Kamea has mastered many different and demanding competitive dog sports under the tutelage of her forever owners. She demonstrates beyond any doubt the versatility in freedom of expression when training, working and moving with an exceptional Dalmatian. Kamea "one and only" is the dam of our stud Archer and a favored grandparent of our stud Hunter.
“I have wondered who will play my 14K Powell next, to bring out its tonal qualities. I prefer Galway sound to Rampal and that Powell flute allowed me to go from thin and silvery to a rich fullness. Playing that one and only Powell is like eating a ripe pear.”
BIS GCHB Hunter 22 month adolescent Stud: Fresh, Chilled, Frozen: 2023
And, like all committed preservationist or heritage breeders, I have a certain type of Dalmatian I prefer. “Beauty, brains, balance and bonhomie” isn’t just a clever phrase; it gets to the heart of the way I interpret our American Dalmatian standard. Where we are now in our breeding program, I have the "pear" that is ripening in Hunter.
“I am sad I do not make those flute sounds anymore that used to hang in the air long after I stopped breathing them out. I hear them in my mind and miss the pure pleasure of giving them to others. My flute is for one who really cares about tonality, who wants to make it sing soft and sweet in an intimate setting or fill a concert hall, arrestingly rich and powerful.”
Our Dalmatians are for those who understand their eloquence, who really care about their minds as well as their hearts, who appreciate their humor and how they move and will keep them trim and employed. I miss them when they leave me, but they go on to greatness in the hearts of their loving owners and in the eyes of others who take pleasure in watching them perform. May my Powell flute go out and be so fortunate.
“Treat it with utmost care. I did.”
That was the last line in my letter to the person now in possession of my treasured, one-of-a kind Powell flute. When I place one of our Dalmatians I take the same care. Treat my Dalmatians the same.
*Post Script: On the loss of your Dalmatian - timing when they leave us to get their angel wings.
So many cherished Dalmatian companions in forty years of ownership have their angel wings. Our last time like this personally was our dear Polo, in 2019 when he was entering his eleventh year. His ashes are still on my husband’s dresser. Dalmatians of our breeding are expected to live to 13 or longer given good diets, meaningful exercise and loved as the active companions they are. They love to team up with their humans. Their working intelligence and need to serve makes their aging disabilities and eventual departure very tragic. They recognize when they are unable to do what they had done before - no matter how kind and wise the owner is in downsizing their teamwork. The working Dalmatian knows his worth and knows what is expected. Our Polo had vision in one eye after surgery at age eight and did all he wanted for two years after. When he began going blind at ten due to natural aging in his other eye, that was when he lost his joy. My husband had to stop doing agility with him. Polo could still follow his beloved red flyer and chase it out in its direction when it was first tossed, but his focal sight was gone. He could no longer spot it to leap into the air and catch it. He could not follow it to the ground. He would run, then slow to the vicinity, and then my utility excellent obedience Dalmatian would locate it on the ground by scent and retrieve it. He returned half-heartedly, however. The day he looked at me when I threw it and his expression communicated perfectly his despair and unwillingness to play that game anymore, I dropped to my knees and hugged him. We took walks, we did other things together after that. Polo later developed other health issues that sapped him further.
The main point is an intelligent Dalmatian still desires to team up and please, yet understands his frailty when he finds he cannot perform as he has before. One sees a number of self-conscious, distraction behaviors if such a Dalmatian is tasked to go ahead. He believes he is expected to perform well. The intuitive and resourceful owner will find other games to restore confidence. Our stud Archer will be 12 this month, April 14, 2024. He still enjoys some active sports. Yet, we have retired him from agility without injury because we want to keep him that way. He loves to chase his red flyer, although, he no longer runs fast to catch it when his younger mate, Arrow, beats him to it.
So many cherished Dalmatian companions in forty years of ownership have their angel wings. Our last time like this personally was our dear Polo, in 2019 when he was entering his eleventh year. His ashes are still on my husband’s dresser. Dalmatians of our breeding are expected to live to 13 or longer given good diets, meaningful exercise and loved as the active companions they are. They love to team up with their humans. Their working intelligence and need to serve makes their aging disabilities and eventual departure very tragic. They recognize when they are unable to do what they had done before - no matter how kind and wise the owner is in downsizing their teamwork. The working Dalmatian knows his worth and knows what is expected. Our Polo had vision in one eye after surgery at age eight and did all he wanted for two years after. When he began going blind at ten due to natural aging in his other eye, that was when he lost his joy. My husband had to stop doing agility with him. Polo could still follow his beloved red flyer and chase it out in its direction when it was first tossed, but his focal sight was gone. He could no longer spot it to leap into the air and catch it. He could not follow it to the ground. He would run, then slow to the vicinity, and then my utility excellent obedience Dalmatian would locate it on the ground by scent and retrieve it. He returned half-heartedly, however. The day he looked at me when I threw it and his expression communicated perfectly his despair and unwillingness to play that game anymore, I dropped to my knees and hugged him. We took walks, we did other things together after that. Polo later developed other health issues that sapped him further.
The main point is an intelligent Dalmatian still desires to team up and please, yet understands his frailty when he finds he cannot perform as he has before. One sees a number of self-conscious, distraction behaviors if such a Dalmatian is tasked to go ahead. He believes he is expected to perform well. The intuitive and resourceful owner will find other games to restore confidence. Our stud Archer will be 12 this month, April 14, 2024. He still enjoys some active sports. Yet, we have retired him from agility without injury because we want to keep him that way. He loves to chase his red flyer, although, he no longer runs fast to catch it when his younger mate, Arrow, beats him to it.
GCHB CH Nobledal Arrow By Eng Co N Bellemar CD NA NAJ NF SWA RATN CGC - NP60973306
b. July 26, 2020 and super quick at everything
b. July 26, 2020 and super quick at everything
In such competition with Arrow, Archer chooses to nonchalantly eat meadow grass rather than lose to his swift Arrow. I have trained the two to retrieve different flyers one after the other. When he has a flyer to himself, Archer is happier and runs fast enough to occasionally leap and catch it - especially if I throw it high and short. Arrow has her own proclivities. She chooses her flyer by scent. If I happen to mix them up she will chase hers that I've just tossed by mistake to Archer and disdain the one thrown for her. Yes, we breed them to be this discerning. Archer loves us passionately, desires to help, to perform and to be with us. We make sure this ethic of his is respected and reciprocated every day.
"Polo"
GCH CH MACH Nspird Noble Strider UDX VER RAE MXC MJS MXP MXF T2B2 CGC TKP
GCH CH MACH Nspird Noble Strider UDX VER RAE MXC MJS MXP MXF T2B2 CGC TKP
Despite their expected longevity, we council our owners not to be in some competition to see how old their dear one can live. We advise for the sake of their Dalmatian friend not to keep the suffering one too long because they cannot bear to let him go. When the Dalmatian is suffering greatly, their light is dimmed and it is clear their joy is gone, we advise - as difficult as it is - to send them on to God to be free of that, to receive their angel wings and reward for being such noble, loving friends. We were with Polo when we gently euthanized him; our veterinarian shed tears with us. We feel great loss when we must say goodbye to these magnificent companions. The emptiness is real and not to be slighted.
I trust God's word that in his love for all his creation, he has a place for his Dalmatians and all his good creatures in heaven. God's word in the Bible indicates a different status of the spirit animals in heaven. Many Christian leaders have also addressed the question of what happens to animals after they die: John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, Martin Luther, who founded the Lutheran Church, Pope John Paul II, all attested to the truth that the whole work of creation belongs to the plan of salvation - the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things.
New Living Translation (NLT):
Let everything that breathes sing praises to the LORD! Psalm 150:6 (The last verse of the Book of Psalms in the Bible)
In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all. Isaiah 11:6
"The wolf and the lamb will feed together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. But the snakes will eat dust. In those days no one will be hurt or destroyed on my holy mountain. I, the LORD, have spoken!” Isaiah 65:25
“I will make a covenant of peace with my people and drive away the dangerous animals from the land. Then they will be able to camp safely in the wildest places and sleep in the woods without fear." Ezekiel 34:25
On that day I will make a covenant with all the wild animals and the birds of the sky and the animals that scurry along the ground so they will not harm you. I will remove all weapons of war from the land, all swords and bows, so you can live unafraid in peace and safety. Hosea 2:18
For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.
Romans 8:19-21
They serve us so well, nobly, with great affection. The emotional crossover is real. The horror of their absence is real. When the Dalmatian experiences his loss of ability to team up with his people his anguish is also real and terrible to him. Treat him then with the utmost care and respect., and gently.
I trust God's word that in his love for all his creation, he has a place for his Dalmatians and all his good creatures in heaven. God's word in the Bible indicates a different status of the spirit animals in heaven. Many Christian leaders have also addressed the question of what happens to animals after they die: John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, Martin Luther, who founded the Lutheran Church, Pope John Paul II, all attested to the truth that the whole work of creation belongs to the plan of salvation - the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things.
New Living Translation (NLT):
Let everything that breathes sing praises to the LORD! Psalm 150:6 (The last verse of the Book of Psalms in the Bible)
In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all. Isaiah 11:6
"The wolf and the lamb will feed together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. But the snakes will eat dust. In those days no one will be hurt or destroyed on my holy mountain. I, the LORD, have spoken!” Isaiah 65:25
“I will make a covenant of peace with my people and drive away the dangerous animals from the land. Then they will be able to camp safely in the wildest places and sleep in the woods without fear." Ezekiel 34:25
On that day I will make a covenant with all the wild animals and the birds of the sky and the animals that scurry along the ground so they will not harm you. I will remove all weapons of war from the land, all swords and bows, so you can live unafraid in peace and safety. Hosea 2:18
For all creation is waiting eagerly for that future day when God will reveal who his children really are. Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay.
Romans 8:19-21
They serve us so well, nobly, with great affection. The emotional crossover is real. The horror of their absence is real. When the Dalmatian experiences his loss of ability to team up with his people his anguish is also real and terrible to him. Treat him then with the utmost care and respect., and gently.
They live in our hearts forever. We thank God for the time we have with them and tenderly entrust them to Him in heaven.
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