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Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Did you know?

The magnificent Dalmatian
was originally bred and trained for the specific purpose of preventing highway robbery?
Dalmatians, or "coach dogs," ran alongside of horse-drawn stage coaches
and acted as a buffer and bodyguard to ward of robbers, also known as highwaymen.

When the first fire engines arrived on the scene
it was only natural to chose Dalmatians to assist them, since the breed was accustomed to running long-distances and to being around horses.
 Their bright white coats, covered with large black spots, made them a highly visible warning sign to bystanders and onlookers, as the dogs ran ahead of, and cleared the path  for, fire engines racing towards a fire.

Of course today they are no longer needed but fortunately, Firemen did not fire the gentle Dalmatian from his position in the  Department. Instead, they honored him, by adopting the breed as the official firehouse mascot.


6 comments:

Michelle said...

I have a friend with a Dalmation and they are beautiful dogs.

Allison said...

How interesting!

camp and cottage living said...

That is so interesting. I knew about the dalmations use in the firehouses, but not on coaches in the past.
It's amazing how much smarter I'm getting from reading everyones blogs!

ain't for city gals said...

Yes, we learn something new every day from reading blogs...I have always thought the Dalmation was a beautiful dog..you don't hear much about them anymore...and I can't remember the last time I saw one.

Bev said...

Always loved the dog..Thanks for the information on them!!

Granny Annie said...

And did you know after the movie 101 DALMATIONS came out,people grabbed them up by the thousands then many, not knowing how to care and raise a Dalmation, dumped them in the country so we now have lots of black and white strays running wild.