Firefighters and Dalmation dogs?

Question

Seems like every movie or advertisment about firefighters has a dalmation in it.

How did all this start? do they really have dalmations around? what is their purpose? Are they used to find bodies?

ok so what does that have to do with firefighters?

Answer 1

dalmations are not uncommon to be deaf.

they used to be used as "protection dogs" for the horses.

some dogs have herding instincts and a horse cart running down the road while envoke herding dogs to nip at the horses.

not so with big tall agressive dogs lke what dalmations used to be.

also, the deafness reduced chances of them giving a **** about the nosie of the carts.

Answer 2

Today the Dalmatian serves as a fire house mascot, but back in the days of horse drawn fire carts, they provided a valuable service. Dalmatians and horses are very compatible, so the dogs were easily trained to run in front of the engines to help clear a path and guide the horses and the firefighters to the fires quickly. They are still chosen by many fire fighters as pets in honor of their heroism in the past.




Dalmatians have been used throughout history for serious work. They have been sentinels on the borders of their homeland of Dalmatia and Croatia during wars. They worked as shepherds, as draft dogs, as hound dogs, as hunting dogs, as retrievers and as preforming dogs. Dalmatians are not only intelligent, but they also have excellent memories. Their speed, endurance and lack of a fear for horses, enabled them to become superb coach dogs for the horses and the engines.

Dalmatians first known as "coach dogs" were first used in the 17th, 18th and 19th. century in England, Scottland and Wales. Wealthy aristocrats sought out the unusal looking spotted dog for use with their coaches. They are very physical and strong and muscular and able to run long distances. They would run along side the coach or just behind the rear of the horses. These eye catching canines lent an air of superiority to the coaches of the wealthy as they traveled through the vilages. The dogs were an important part of any stable that housed teams of pulling horses. A stable dog has a calming effect on the horses and makes them feel comfortable in their stalls. Many of the dogs were said to have litter right in the same stalls as the horses.

Horses are gregarious and feel the need for company. The dalmatians served this purpose. They would run along side the horses or under the axle of the coach and keep up with the team for as much as 20 - 30 miles per day. They would also help to clear the way for the team and keep other dogs from interfering with the horses.

Also, horse theft was so common back then that coach and stage coach drivers used the dogs as guards to protect the team and the luggage in the coach.






The dogs were first used in the fire service when most fire companies were volunteer or privately operated. There was some competition for services. Some of the firefighters were actually recruited not only for their strength in fighting fire but for their fighting abilities to protect the company and its equipment. Insurance compaines paid the fire company that put out the fire, so the one that made it to the scene, hooked up to a hydrant and completed the task, got paid. The dogs worked well at this task of protecting not only the horses, but the equipment in the stations and on the fire ground as well.

Early firefighters took tremendous pride in their compaines. They would turn out and parade through the city at almost any occcasion. Polished brass and brillant paint scemes and the gleaming leather were always maintained. Just as the dalmatians worked with private coaches, they worked fire comanies. When dalmatians appeared with the engines, peolpe gawked just as they did with the coahes in England.

The end of the era for Dalmations as a coaching dogs for fire departments became about the advent and introduction of motorized cars and fire engines. However, they are still on duty in many fire stations today acting as companions to the firefighters and as watch dogs protection the equipment!

Answer 3

We used to live in a small town and my grandfather breed dalmations and we donated one to the fire dept...so some places do have dalmations around.

Answer 4

the idea of usinf firefighting dogs was firs used in germany.
they are not used a lot know.
the dogs that finds people who are trapped are consider peramidic not firefighting dogs.
anyway they have stoped using them a lot they use them very rarly just to help out with investigations to know where the fire stared and that is it

Answer 5

Its just one of those things that come about. A lot of FD's don't have dogs except for SAR purposes.