With three dalmatians at his side, Charles Young of Natchez has found true companionship.

&uot;Their the closest companions,&uot; he said. &uot;(They’re) real protective towards me.&uot;

Young and his three dalmatians, Lee, Sugar and&160;Sarah make regular trips between his Lower Woodville Road home and their other home in Monticello.

Of all the dogs, Lee is especially devoted to his master.

&uot;This dog — he stays in close contact with me,&uot; Young said. &uot;He won’t even go out of the yard unless I go with him.&uot;

And unlike some dogs, Lee has a habit of watching people while they are having conversations.

&uot;He pretty much knows what we’re talking about,&uot; Young said with a laugh. &uot;He’s the nearest thing to being like a human I’ve ever seen.&uot;

And Sarah, who is three years old, has the perfect size and markings for a female dalmatian, Young said.

&uot;You won’t find a prettier female dalmatian in the state of Mississippi,&uot; Young said.

Young got the dogs from his daughter, Bonita Kaiser, who raised several litters of dalmatians.

The dalmatians and Young’s fourth dog — a 12-year-old bulldog, lead a busy life.

&uot;The thing they love more than anything else is running with me on the four-wheeler,&uot; Young said.

Young said the earliest years of a dalmatian’s life are the hardest.

&uot;They’re hard to raise until you get (them) up to two-years-old,&uot; Young said.

At that age they stop chewing on everything, he said, admitting that the breed has a habit of biting if treated poorly.

&uot;You can’t kick (them) and you can’t spook (them),&uot; Young said. &uot;There ain’t no dog in the world more defensive than a dalmatian.&uot;

But the dogs love to be petted and crave attention.

&uot;If (people) are good to (them) they’re good to everybody,&uot; Young said.

The Dart is a weekly feature in which a reporter throws a dart at a map and finds a story wherever it lands.