A History of Dalmatians

Dalmatians are a fascinating breed. They stand out with their unique coats, athletic build, and high energy, but, often, not much is known about them. They are a bit of a mystery!

A Rich History

Scientifically, Dalmatians are grouped with retrievers, but they actually don't line up strictly with any modern breeds. While spotted dogs go back in history even to the Egyptian King Cheops, ultimately, records seem to indicate that dalmatians were formed from the breeding of other dog breeds such as the Cretan Hound and Bahakaa Dog. This blend created dogs that hunted deer and thrived alongside horses, lending to their later careers as carriage dogs.

Continuing with their mysterious nature, even the origin of the name 'Dalmatian' isn't exactly clear. While most often attributed the Dalmatia, an area in Croatia, it isn't believed that the name originated there. Many theories float around even today about how this beautiful breed got it's name, from the "dalmaticus" fur worn by monks in the 14th century (my favorite theory) to the time-smoothed word 'Damachien' (a blended term coming from the word 'dama', which is a Latin word for fallow deer and a French word for dog).

Regardless of the Dalmatian's origins, the breed became known for their many abilities, including herding, retrieving, guarding (they'll be your personal burglar alarms), and keeping away vermin. And, of course, they made great carriage dogs and would accompany those who could afford to travel by carriage on their journeys, protecting both the passengers and horses.

Fire Dogs

The most famous job a dalmatian has ever had is being a fire dog. All of the skills mentioned above made them more than adequate mascots for fire stations in the early days when horses were still used to pull the water pumps. In this job, they functioned as living alarms, alerting people that the fire carriages were coming and to clear the way.

This job earned them a permanent spot (no pun intended) amongst fire houses, especially in the United States. Even after the automobile came to the fire stations, these dogs held their place of importance and status.

For better or worse...

...this breed spiked in popularity due to... you guessed it... 101 Dalmatians. Though the movie first came out in the 1960s, it was re-released in 1985. This led to a surge in Dalmatian ownership, sometimes to those who weren't prepared for these beautiful pups to have so much energy! This also led to less than discerning back yard breeding, and a bad rep for the breed.

Today

These days, the Dalmatian community are much better about implementing ethical breeding practices. While deafness and uric acid problems still can affect the breed (deafness can occur in any breed that has the white or Merle fur gene), both are things that breeders should take very seriously. There has been a large push to breed Dalmatians who will yield puppies who have Low Uric Acid levels, meaning that they don't produce the crystalized stones that the High Uric Acid pups are susceptible to having, if they are fed the incorrect diet. Additionally, hips, thyroid, and eyes can all be tested to meet the OFA regulations for a healthy dalmatian. When seeking out a breeder, you should look to see that at least hearing, uric acid, and hips (in the parents) have been tested for, and that they are AKC registered.

In Conclusion...

There is more that could be said about the Dalmatian breed, and you can find more details here (where I pulled info from). We at St. Rocco's Dalmatians hope you take the time to do even more of a deep dive into this fascinating breed, especially if you are thinking of purchasing your first Dalmatian1