When 101 Dalmatians was released as a feature film a few years back Ken Bromberger was living in Missoula, Montana. He and his girlfriend at the time really took a liking for the breed and she surprised him with a gift of a puppy she got at a pet store at the shopping mall. At the time there "was a lot of bad rep for a while", about the breed, Bromberger said, "So he kind of sat for a little while." He had previously given her a Dalmatian for her birthday so this one was her way of giving back.
He got his name, Cosmic Charlie Mingus after the famous jazz musician but it wasn't until later that they noticed that he in fact has a "C" in the fur of his right ear. Cosmic Charlie is a song by Mingus.
"He's been a great dog," Bromberger explained, "Most of the Dalmatians are not that friendly toward strangers but he's much more 'labbish'," pointing out that Charlie is very approachable.
"He has a ton of energy. When we first came out here we'd go to Westcrest dog park and he'd have every single dog there chasing him around, because he is so playful and energetic." Charlie is slowing down a little bit now at the age of 13 but he is still often mistaken for a younger dog.
Bromberger pointed out that Dalmatians are a shedding breed, as he removed a bunch of extra fur.
Charlie loves mangos as a dietary supplement but otherwise is a normal eater.
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