From Beavertown to Broadway

Dalmatian breeders tapped for a star turn in canine musical

By Tricia Pursell

BEAVERTOWN ¡ª Several Snyder County-native pooches have risen to New York City stardom recently.

Otis, a good-natured and intelligent 13-week-old Dalmatian puppy with a signature black patch around one eye, was considered a natural by the filmmakers of a commercial for ¡°The 101 Dalmatians Musical,¡± a Broadway theater experience now playing in cities across the nation.

¡°He did above and beyond what they wanted him to do,¡± said Danny Hackenberg, of The Double-D-Dalmatian Plantation in Beavertown.

¡°He did a super job.¡±

After he and his wife, Darla, were approached by officials from the musical to provide a puppy for the commercial, which they at first were told was to promote a dog food, Darla prepared Otis by training him to do things such as walk properly with or without a leash, and to come when called.

The 60-second commercial took three days to film, beginning in Connecticut and ending in Times Square. Otis is seen leaving his farmhouse in the country, and taking a bus to New York City, running down the street at the feet of crowds of people, and ending in an office building, where he is to audition to play a part in the musical.

The full commercial, filmed in June, can be viewed at the Hackenberg¡¯s Web site, www.

double-d-dalmatians.com.

Getting started T he Hackenbergs have owned Dalmatians for the past 20 years, but did not begin breeding them until about three years ago.

Danny had wanted a dog that was obedient, and the more he saw Dalmatians riding on the fire trucks in various parades in the area, the more he believed ¡°they must be a really good dog,¡± he said.

They bought their first Dalmatian in Mifflinburg, and kept a female from her litter, who then had her own litter.

The Hackenbergs had the second pooch for 12 or 13 years before she passed away.

By that time, they had fallen in love with the breed and wanted another. But as they began their search, they realized the market for them wasn¡¯t as big as it was when the ¡°101 Dalmatians¡± movie was at the height of its popularity.

So they turned to the Internet, and found one in New Jersey ¡ª the now 4-year-old Kaitlyn. Because of the obvious scarcity of Dalmatians, the Hackenbergs decided to try their hand at breeding her as well. That¡¯s when they got back on their computer and found Kinser, a male Dalmatian from Ohio.

The breeding eventually turned into a business and hobby for Darla, who said there is indeed a demand for the dogs.

¡°We just kept adding dogs, because the demand was there,¡± Danny said. ¡°We have dogs all over the country.¡±

The Snyder County-born dogs can be found in the ritzy Rodeo Drive neighborhood of Beverly Hills and in South Dakota. Four have been shipped via airplane, but most people drive ¡ª often across the country ¡ª to pick up their puppies.

The Hackenbergs currently have eight dogs, ranging in age from 7 months to 4 years.

Four of the adult dogs also became New York City stars in April, when a coffeehouse and drugstore contacted the Hackenbergs to bring the dogs to advertise for their Firehouse Coffee. Men and women paraded up and down the streets, wearing firefighter uniforms, with the dogs. The Hackenbergs said the dogs adjusted well to the city sights and sounds.

¡°The 101 Dalmatians Musical¡± will come to New York City in April, and Pittsburgh in May.

¡ö Send comments to tpursell@dailyitem.com.





How did they get them to do that?

¡®Come here¡¯ and other training tips from the pro

¡°First of all, always teach your puppy the word NO. Always use a stern strong voice when your puppy has done something wrong or bad. When your puppy has done good or performed a command, always praise them with a excited happy voice. When working with puppies and adult dogs, voice tone is very important. Also it is helpful if you use a hand signal along with the voice command. The signal you use is up to the trainer.

¡°To get our dogs to come, we clap our hands and call ¡®come.¡¯ When they respond, we always reward them with a small treat. To get them to sit, we push their butts down along with the command ¡®sit¡¯ and reward them with a treat.

When you have that mastered and they are in the sitting position, tell them to stay, back away from them and once again reward them with a treat.

¡°The tone of voice and the reward treats are very important tools on training your puppy or dog.

¡°To potty train your puppies, always take them outside a lot when you first bring them home. And again praise them and reward with a treat when they relieve themselves.

Also if they are sleeping and they get awake, take them outside right away. This is very important.¡±

¡ª DARLA AND DANNY HACKENBERG, DOUBLE-D-DALMATIAN PLANTATION IN BEAVERTOWN



Think you want a Dalmatian?

Dalmatians are lovable and loyal companions, Darla Hackenberg said, that like a lot of attention and love to run.

Several of their puppies were sold to people looking for jogging partners.

Two of the Hackenbergs¡¯ Dalmatians like to sleep with the couple at night, and like to ride on the tractor with Darla from time to time.

They all have seven acres of land on which to roam, right next to Walker Lake.

Dalmatians are also intelligent dogs, they said, and can learn at very early stages of life.

They require very little grooming; however, their white fur, which sheds a lot, is not a good match for dark clothes or furniture.

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