Why dont you see dalmations anymore ?

Question

I was on the phone with a friend and somehow this came up and i said i would post it on here to get answers.

Answer 1

They were so overbred that the breed itself suffered terribly from temperament and health issues. Hopefully people will leave them alone and allow the dogs to recoup from selective breeding now.
Cocker Spaniels also had that problem whenever Lady/Tramp made it big. When you overbreed a group, it leads to issues. You can see that with the health of labs now too.

Answer 2

They originate from the western coast of Croatia from a region known as Dalmatia. They are most famous for their affinity for horses which is why they were commonly used by fire departments when fire departments used horse drawn fire engines. They were used to gaurd the horses and fire equipment. Since the movie "101 Damatians" popularity for these dogs surged and puppymills capitalized by mass producing the breed in an irresponsible manner creating many health problems still evident in the breed today. Dalmatians are most prone to deafness. Many people have mistaken the Dalmatians deafness for stupidity which has also become a stigma of the breed. The reputation of the Dalmatian has been tarnished which has made the breed less desirable than it once was.

Answer 3

I have to agree with the 101 Dalmatian theory. Everyone wanted it because it was so cutely displayed on the big screen. Now personally I love Dalmatians in fact my last two dogs were Dalmatians. I can understand how people would think that they are high strung and energetic, but it's a generalization of their behavior. I have ran into a Dalmatian that was powerful and energetic; however, both of mine were very gentle and loving not at all overpowering and demanding. All Dottie and Abbey ever wanted was to be petted.

Answer 4

They were extremely popular 10 years or so ago when 101 Dalmations was re-released. But they are not the easiest dog to own and many were dumped quickly by people who thought they wanted one. I still see them around, just not as much. The fad has passed (thankfully).

Answer 5

Actually, they are a victim of their own negative publicity.

When the Dalmatians movies came out, the Dalmatian people and the Shelters and such made it clear that they are "horrible dogs" and "terrible with kids" and "have lots of health problems" and "are stupid, messy, and high energy". This negative campaign turned people off to dalmatians, which was great because the shelters didn't get a bunch of them post-101 Dalmatians, but that information stayed out there and scared too many prospective owners off.

They are actually good dogs, but need an exeprienced, active and patient owner to handle them.

Border Collie are much more "high energy" Dalmatians are closer to a Weim in energy level.
They are not "horrible dogs" - it's horrible breeding and lack of training and exercise.
They have no more "health problems" than great danes - and less than Golden Retrievers, Labs, and other overbred dogs.
They aren't "terrible with kids", but they aren't stuffed animals and kids forget that.
They aren't "stupid", but have a will of their own.

Answer 6

Wendy is right-- after 101 Dalmations puppy millers and BYBs jumped on breeding them, producing very badly bred dogs. Then, once the families realized they had a dog with an array of temperamental and physical problems, they ended up in shelters

Answer 7

I do still see dalmatians occasionally...but it might just depend on where you live.

Now that the craze of Disney's "101 Dalmatians" is over, maybe they have become less common. This is a good thing, however, because those crazy fads are never good for the breed.

Answer 8

I see Dalmatians often in my area and I see lots of dogs who obviously were bred with Dalmatians because of their spots.

They were very popular after the movie and if another Dalmatian movie comes out they will jump up again.

Answer 9

well im 16, and over the summer, we went on a cruise to alaska and we stopped in british columbia(a part of canada) on our way back, i think the town was port rupert, and it was amazing how many dalmatians they had, every other person was walking onbe, and well i have neevr seen a dalmatian in my life before this, so there are places where they are popular still, but not in america lol

Answer 10

Well, with every hit new movie comes a type of dog. In 101 Dalmatians there were, of course, the Dalmatians--and instantly everyone wanted one. Dalmatians everywhere--in homes, in pounds, in streets, in rescues. Now that the craze is over, there aren't as many of them.