![]() ![]() But, they were kept on as firehouse mascots and served other purposes at the fire station: they kept the men company on their long shifts and they also were quite good at catching rats, too. Once automotive engines replaced horses, the dogs were no longer needed. ![]() The dogs also successfully guarded the firemen’s belongings while they were hard at work. The Dalmatian would serve as coach dogfor the firefighters’ trucks, keeping the horses calm and alerting people to the idea that a firetruck was coming around the corner. Why Do We See Dalmatians with Firemen? Via/ Library of Congressīack in the old days, firemen would haul their water tanks, and later water pumps for hydrants, using two or three horses to get the heavy firefighting gear to the scene of the fire. As it became known what these dogs were good at, they were bred and specifically sold to be “coach dogs” running alongside carriages. It was then that the breed quickly caught on as an early anti-theft device among the aristocracy. It is not known if they even came from Dalmatia (which is in Croatia), but it is said that Romani Gypsies used them as horse and guard dogs and brought them to Western Europe with them. The origins of the Dalmatian breed are not well understood. ![]() A trend in the old days was to clip the ears of Dalmatians as a matter of routine, something fell out of practice by the late 1800s. Dalmatians are also said to be good guard dogswho keep watch against horse thieves, ultimately making travel safer for those in a carriage on a long journey. ![]() The dogs also will keep other animals away from horses thereby preventing them from getting spooked, which they are very prone to. Via/ Wiki Commons Why Do Dalmatians and Horses Get Along So Well?ĭalmatians instinctually like to keep pace with horses while running, and seem to calm the horses down in return. But how did these spotted dogs end up synonymous with fire stations? Read on to find out. And, as it turns out, Dalmatians are very good with horses. The kinds of horses a nobleman had, and the types of dogs he had to go hunting, became a mark of distinction. In the 1600s an aristocrat might have had a pack of Dalmatians running alongside his carriage to show the world just how important he was. English nobleman took pride in their large packs of hunting dogs, their stables full of speedy horses, and all the trappings of a high-born life. As with anything to do with status, the more you had of something the better it was. Riding horses was most often a rich man’s folly, a tradition started by the English gentry on their vast estates. Most families would have had horses for a wagon or even oxen or mules if they had anything at all. Before cars or trucks, man used animals to get around. October 1 is a pet holiday known as National Fire Pup Day, a day to honor the Dalmatian breed that has worked side by side with firefighters for generations. This entry was posted in Dalmatian and tagged 9/11, Dalmatian, road dog title, Twenty. Image of “Twenty” from New York City Fire Department (FDNY) Facebook page The Dalmatian Club of America also continues the tradition of road work with their breed by offering Road Dog Titles Sadly, Twenty took her final run to Heaven in 2016. She would jump into the truck, s tick her head out the window and bark. After seven members from Ladder 20 died on the 35th floor of the North Tower on 9/11, two sheriffs from Rochester, New York showed up with a Dalmatian puppy named “Twenty.” She became Ladder 20’s mascot and therapy dog as she helped build morale in the years following that tragic day. The tradition of teaming a Dalmatian with a fire department lives on. It was only natural to include their remarkable spotted dogs. Then, as now, firefighters took pride in their companies and would turn out for any occasion, such as a parade, to show off polished brass, a shiny red wagon/truck, and gleaming leather. The dogs defended the horses from other dogs as they rushed to the scene of a fire, then stood guard over the horses and fire equipment. One might say that Dalmatians were the very first sirens. Once the wagon turned onto the street, the dogs would run alongside the trucks – still barking – to clear the way. Back in the mid 19th century, the first horse-powered fire trucks started to appear in cities at the sound of an alarm, one or two Dalmatians would run out of the fire house and bark to warn pedestrians to get out of the way, a firefighters’ wagon rushing out of the building was imminent. A natural affinity for horses is what lead to the Dalmatian being associated with fire departments. ![]()
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