Dalmatians were made famous in the Walt Disney 1959 animated film “101 Dalmatians”. They were believed to originate in India where they were treasured by gypsies because of their flashy markings and their fun loving personalities. They traveled throughout Europe and Asia and eventually arrived in Europe in the late 1780’s. The aristocracy wanted to use them for hunting but discovered they loved to run along side the horse drawn carriages, so they were used for companion or “carriage dogs”. Dalmatians received the name “fire dogs” since they lived in the stables with the horses that pulled the water pumpers used to put out fires. When the alarm rang the dogs would run behind the horses or lead the way through the streets to the fire. |
