Why are dalmations used in the fire service?
Dalmations were originally used in the fire service during the time of the horse drawn carriage for 3 reasons. Dalmations were used to guide the horses down the streets, to the fires. The horses were naturally afraid of the fire scenes, and needed some coaxing to get close enough to allow the steam engine to pump the water for the fire. Dalmations have great stamina and can easily run through and under the carriage to keep the horses going where they needed to be. After getting the horses to the fire scene, the dalmation’s next job was to protect and guard the horses. Horse thefts were very common during that period, and firefighters needed a way to gaurd their horses while they were busy fighting the fire. Again the dalmation was perfect for this job. Finally, the dalmation was also known as a “coach dog”. Essentially that means the dalmation breed has a great relationship with horses, making them the only breed capable of fulfilling the needs of the fire service. The dalmation not on
