![]() “It’s true that there is a problem with deafness in the breed, but that story is totally false!” “I once heard that on national TV and could not believe my ears,” says Chris Benoit, president of the Chicagoland Dalmatian Club. It’s that Dalmatians are kept at firehouses because they’re deaf and therefore, the siren does not bother their ears nor make them “spook” like it would other dogs. While all the facts are well founded, there is a common but false rumor that these spotted dogs that breed enthusiasts would like dispelled. The tradition has been carried on, and it may be as much for the looks and appeal of these beautiful dogs as it is for their nostalgic tie to yesteryear. The horses are gone from the fire stations today, but the Dalmatians aren’t. And, when they took off for a fire, the dog would run alongside the pumper. And, since every firehouse back then had a set of fast horses to pull the pumper wagon, it became common for each group of firemen to keep a Dalmatian.Īgain, the spotted dogs not only guarded the firehouse horses, they kept them company during their long, boring waits between fires. When horse numbers grew here in the New World, the number of Dalmatians grew with it for the same reason they were popular in the Old Country. They couldn’t pull that ruse on the Dal, since they’re very alert dogs.” “IF the coachman stayed to guard, a robber would sometimes distract him in conversation while others pilfered the goods. “When the coaches reached the inn, the coachman left the dog to guard the team as well as luggage in the coach,” Esmeralda explains. They’d keep up with the team as far as it ran, sometimes over 20 or 30 miles a day. Back in the stagecoach days, the ‘Dals’ would run alongside the coaches, or under the rear axle of the moving coach. Dalmatians take to horses and become ‘companions’. “Horses are gregarious and feel the need for company. “Dalmatians have always gotten along well with horses,” says Esmeralda Treen of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a recognized authority on the breed. ![]() They were used by coach drivers centuries ago in England, Scotland and Wales. In fact, this practice became so common that Dalmatians were first called “coach dogs”. Once the knowledge of this trait spread, more coach drivers went to great lengths to get Dalmatians to watch their teams. When they became close as with a team, no stranger would dare lay a hand on them. Why? Because it was observed that Dalmatians formed an amazingly tight bond with horses. Horse theft was so common back then that many stagecoach drivers strung a hammock between two stalls at night, then slept behind their horses to guard against thieves.īut, if the driver owned a Dalmatian, he could sleep in the house or the stagecoach hotel. It all began in the days of stagecoaches. Why is that? Why do Dalmations and firehouses go together like smoke and fire? The answer is interesting, and one you’ll likely recall every time you see the Dalmation/firehouse combo from now on. Reprinted from May/June 1992 issues of Reminisce MagazineĮver see a fire truck in a parade without a Dalmatian in the seat up front or in the lap of a smiling fireman riding in back? Ever visit a firehouse without having one of those black and white spotted dogs come wagging up to you?
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