What Makes Dalmatians Fire Station Dogs?

Dalmatians are large, long-legged dogs that are known for the distinctive black spots on their otherwise white bodies. The tradition of the dalmatian at the fire station goes back to the times when fire wagons were drawn by horses, but it continues to this day. Today, the dalmatian is an easily recognizable symbol of the fire-fighting profession.

  1. History

    • The dalmatian breed is about 600 years old, and from the seventeenth century through the nineteenth century, they were employed as coach dogs. Their role was to run alongside horse-drawn carriages, preventing other dogs from spooking the horses. Two dalmatians would take their places by the side and to the rear of the horses to protect them, and because of this, the breed was developed to be very calm around horses.

    Duties

    • The duties of the fire station dalmatian were very similar to what they did as coach dogs. While the fire fighters made their way to the blaze, the dalmatians would prevent other dogs from interfering with the fire engines movement. Once there, the dalmatian would prevent people from interfering with the equipment. During the early days of firefighting, the firefighting companies would be in direct competition with each other to see who could get to the blaze first, and sabotage was common. At the fire house, the dalmatian also guarded the firefighting equipment.

    Features

    • The dalmatian breed has many features that makes it suitable for a career at the fire house. They are large dogs that have a great deal of endurance and stamina. In their days as coach dogs, they could travel upwards of 20 to 30 miles per day. They could keep up with the horses and defend them against both other dogs and humans. They are known to be alert watchdogs when they're on their own territory and they formed close bonds with the horses that pulled the fire engines.

    Horses

    • Horse-drawn fire engines were first introduced during the mid-nineteenth century, and they remained in common use until the beginning of the twentieth century. Dalmatians developed close relationships with the horses that pulled the fire engines. Horses are social animals that require company, and the dalmatians, which had been bred to be dogs comfortable with horses, could provide them with that companionship.

    Misconceptions

    • Though dalmatians can be prone to deafness, the breed as a whole is not deaf. It is a common misconception that dalmatians were chosen for fire station work because they cannot hear the siren and be alarmed by it. Dalmatians are actually highly alert dogs with a keen sense of hearing that historically allowed them to fulfill their duties as guard dogs.