A brief history of the Dalmatian
Early Days
This unmistakable and well known breed of dog most likely gained its name from Dalmatia, Croatia, which is largely accepted to be it's country of origin. The people of Dalmatia kept athletic, spotted dogs for hunting purposes. Despite this, the true beginnings of the breed are mysterious. In fact the Dalmatian may be thousands of years old; evidence of this has been found in ancient Egyptian drawings that depict strong but lean dogs with spotted coats. Interestingly, these dogs are often seen depicted running with chariots and horses, and one of the most famous attributes of the Dalmatian is its affinity for equines.
As seems typical in the timeline of the Dalmatian's history, we again stumble upon another 'mystery' as sorts, as we don't know how the spotted hunting dog of Croatia actually begun to establish itself in other countries. A popular tale is that these sleek, energetic dogs travelled with Romanies throughout Europe. Despite the lack of solid evidence, we do know that the Dalmatian dog was in Britain by the late eighteenth century, and was officially recognised by the American Kennel Club in 1888.........
The Dalmatian as a Carriage Dog
After outliving it's purpose as a hunting dog, the Dalmatian found a new working role amongst the privileged people of Britain. These dogs, along with the Great Dane, accompanied coaches and carriages as a guard dog. The Dalmation's extraordinary athleticism and endurance allowed the dog to keep pace with the horse drawn carriage on long journeys. Furthermore, it was considered highly fashionable to have a smart dog running alongside ones entourage, and what could be better than a Dalmatian with such a striking coat, to act as a status symbol alongside a grand carriage and beautiful horses. This would have been a blatant expression of ones wealth. For the dogs however, fashion came at a price, as running by the large wheels of coaches was extremely dangerous It is difficult to know whether the breed was naturally dispositioned to get along with horses, or whether it was a result of selective breeding on the part of humans. Nevertheless, Juliette Cunliffe notes that it was once a common claim that a Dalmatian was at its happiest sleeping in a horses stable.
Firehouse Dogs
The fashion for dogs with coaches began to decline as the nineteenth century came to a close, however, the Dalmatian's ability to run alongside horses was utilised by the fire brigade, during a time when fire fighting equipment was still pulled by horses. The dogs could clear a path to allow the firefighters to to drive their horses through the streets at a faster pace, and would then guard the equipment whilst the fire was fought. This practice was more popular in America, and as a result of this, the Dalmatian is often as the mascot of the Firehouse, and often is often kept by a member of the Firehouse in honour of the Dalmation's past heroic deeds.
The Companion
The twentieth century saw the Dalmatian become a companion dog and a popular show dog. Arguably this is one of the most recognisable breeds of dog in the world, largely due a certain book published by Dodie Smith in 1956, which only five years later was made into a feature length animated film by the Walt Disney Company. Of course that book, and film of the same name was A Hundred and One Dalmatian's, and it made the breed truly iconic.
Today, the Dalmatian is an intelligent, energetic, good tempered companion dog. He has however not lost his speed and endurance, meaning those who consider owning a Dalmatian must first ensure that they can give this breed the excercise and attention that is required. Usually the Dalmatian excels at activities such as agility.
Meet Larkin: The Canine Model for this Article
The handsome Dalmatian in all the images for this article is the lovely Larkin. He is four years old, and is owned by Erin Nelson. Larkin's favourite hobbies are playing soccer and going out for rides in the car. This dashing Dal is also a bit of a celebrity, Larkin has made an appearance on his local news. I'm sure most people will agree he is absolutely adorable. Big thank you to Erin for the photos...scroll down for more cute pictures of Larkin....
Bibliography
Camp, Francis. Dalmatian. Dorking, Interpet Publishing 2000
Cunliffe, Juliette. The Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds. Bath, Parragon, 1999
Hoffman, Matthew. Dogs: The Ultimate Care Guide. New York, Rodale Press, 2000
Wilcox, Charlotte. The Dalmatian. Minnesota, Capstone High Interest Books, 1997
American Kennel Club Website http://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/dalmatian/