Conversas com Animais

In this Pet Parenthood interview, we bring you a story from the other side of the world. With our lovely friend António Forjaz, we're lucky to present you to Cristiano, a Portuguese (half-Brazilian) Dalmatian - now rare to find, and incredibly beautiful!

How did Cristiano come into your life?

My wife and I were looking for a new family member, and in Rio de Janeiro everyone has a dog. We started thinking about the idea of adopting and in less than 3 days we decided it was time to move forward. I wanted a dog able to run with me, and we found a Dalmatian would be the perfect fit  :)

What does Cristiano mean to you?

He is my buddy, a friend, and means comfort and home since Cristiano was brought into our lives while we were living in Rio de Janeiro, away from Lisbon, our hometown. He is an incredible company. He is a motivation to go outside and do even more activities during my day. My end goal is to tire and amuse him, not the other way around!

How does he change your life every day?

You have to know that having a dog is a commitment and it makes you responsible. By having to walk him daily or organizing our holidays considering his existence our just by being present. It's like having a small child (a great test to pass!). Nonetheless, we were already very active before Cristiano joined our family, so it only made us solidify our lifestyle model of walking around and being more connected with nature.

What did Cristiano teach you about you?

In fact, he teaches us what total responsibility in life means: we watch him grow and how the education we give him has an impact on his personality. This teaches us about our patience, understanding and affection levels, which I think will be reflected in our children later on.

Long story short, taking care of this lovely being means:

Energy, movement and playing around. And when it comes to relax, he's an incredible feet warmer!