Who: Sonya Wenker, 31, wife, full-time mother and admitted “dog wrangler.”

        On display: “Six or seven hundred” Dalmatian items including: figurines, stuffed animals, Christmas ornaments, Slinky's, dominoes, picture frames, a teapot and a beer sign. Mrs. Wenker also owns “lots of Dalmatian jewelry,” custom-made stained glass plates, pillows, blankets and clothing. Some of her other spotted collectibles include: a handcrafted step stool, cookie jars, napkin rings, salt and pepper shakers and a soap holder. An avid traveler, Mrs. Wenker has visited 37 states and many foreign countries. Naturally, she has tried to bring back a Dalmatian souvenir from each destination.

Sonya Wenker sees spots everywhere in her Silverton home. (Brandi Stafford photo) | ZOOM |

        Where: Throughout the Silverton home she shares with her husband, Chris, and their 3-year-old son, Bradley. The family owns two live Dalmatians named Domino, 8, and Disney, 4.

        Seeing spots: “I started collecting Dalmatians about 14 years ago,” Mrs. Wenker says. “They were always my favorite dog. I always wanted one.

        “I can't even say why I liked them so much,” she says. “It wasn't as if we knew anyone who had one. I'd never even played with one. 101 Dalmatians wasn't even my favorite movie. There was just something about the color contrast. All that black and white Plus, I always wanted a big dog.”

        The dog lady of Silverton: “My husband isn't near as enamored with them as I am,” she says. “He supports it and has contributed to it, though. When we were dating, my first apartment was all spots. The bed had a Dalmatian print comforter, the towels in the bathroom were spotted, well, you can imagine. When we got married and moved into the house, he suggested that we limit it to the "nicer' stuff.”

        Baby dogs: “Before Bradley was born,” she says, “I had too much time on my hands. I'm a "scrapbooker,' so I have a whole album full of my dogs.”

        Second generation: “When Bradley was born,” she says, “We made a birth announcement with the dogs on it. In the picture, I was lying on the couch holding the baby with Disney and Domino. On the back it read: "My three sons.'

        “Bradley and Domino have a very special relationship,” she says. “They play together all the time. For a while, Domino was sleeping with Bradley on his bed. They have really bonded. But when we first brought Bradley home, they couldn't figure it out. What was this creature that was taking up so much of mommy's time all of the sudden?”

        Family affair: One Halloween, Mrs. Wenker dressed Bradley up as a Dalmatian puppy and took him trick-or-treating with the family dogs. When the family received an invitation to a costume party, Bradley reprised his role and his mother dressed as Walt Disney's Cruella De Vil.

        “I know that sometimes I go a bit over the top,” she admits. “But anyone who knows me knows that all it takes to make me happy is a $5 Dalmatian (collectible) and I am tickled pink.”

       Share your prize possessions with Marsie Hall Newbold by mail: c/o The Cincinnati Enquirer, 312 Elm St., Cincinnati, OH 45202 or e-mail marsolete@aol.com.

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