Francesca Carsen never expected to train a Jack Russell terrier and a miniature horse to do tricks together. That decision was made by the dog and pony themselves.
“When I got Dally, she used to watch me train him,” Carsen said. “I turned around one day and she jumped up on a step stool onto him.”
Dally, the Jack Russell terrier, and Spanky, the ornery miniature horse, have been performing, playing and adventuring together ever since, and on Monday they showed off their tricks to the crowds at the National Western Stock Show.
Once Dally and Spanky started jumping and doing tricks together, they became inseparable. Dally and Spanky, and the book she wrote about them, “The Great Adventures of Dally and Spanky,” seem to have a special effect on kids, Carsen said.
“Parents who have bought that book for their kids say that it’s helped their kids that are naughty,” Carsen said. “Like you can find a friend in unlikely places.”
The show is special for people who don’t have horses or dogs, and for city kids who don’t get many chances to be around animals because it teaches them to love animals and be compassionate, Carsen said. The parents love it too, she said, even though they often pretend they’re only there to get a photo for their kids.
Dally and Spanky have been basking in their success, but Dally’s time in the spotlight hit a road bump five days ago when Carsen discovered she was blind.
“She was starting to bump into things,” Carsen said. “It’s so sad. I took her in thinking it was a neurological problem. And they said she’s blind.”
Despite her blindness, Dally took to the stage twice Monday alongside Spanky and Carsen’s other dog-and-pony duo, Jet and Boots. After the show, the animals posed for pictures with fans. And when it was over Dally stretched across Spanky’s back for an afternoon nap by the show ring.
