I see a Dalmatian flag and black dog statue in the landscaping in front of a home. You don’t often see people who walk their dogs with Dalmatians, so it does not appear to be one of the more common breeds for domestic use. I do think they are statuesque and graceful dogs. Like everyone else, I have seen a Dalmatian with the Clydesdales and, of course, in “101 Dalmatians.” Cruella de Vil has to be one of my favorite villains. Last year, I visited several Balkan countries including Croatia — which includes the Dalmatian region. The coastline is spectacular.
History
According to Wikipedia, the first illustrations of the Dalmatian have been found in Croatia: an altar painting in Veli Lošinj dating to 1600–1630, and a fresco in Zaostrog. The first documented descriptions of the Dalmatian trace back to the early 18th century and the archives of the Archdiocese of Đakovo, where the dog was mentioned and described as Canis Dalmaticus in the church chronicles from 1719 by Bishop Petar Bakić and then again by church chronicles of Andreas Keczkeméty in 1739. In 1771, Thomas Pennant described the breed in his book “Synopsis of Quadrupeds,” writing that the origin of the breed is from Dalmatia, he referred to it as Dalmatian. The book “A General History of Quadrupeds” by Thomas Bewick published in 1790 refers to the breed as Dalmatian or Coach Dog.
Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of the Adriatic Sea, stretching from the island of Rab in the north to the Bay of Kotor in the south. The hinterland ranges in width from 50 kilometers in the north, to just a few kilometers in the south; it is mostly covered by the rugged Dinaric Mountains. Seventy-nine islands — and about 500 islets — run parallel to the coast, the largest (in Dalmatia) being Brač, Pag, and Hvar. The largest city is Split, followed by Zadar and Šibenik.
The name of the region stems from an Illyrian tribe called the Dalmatae, who lived in the area in classical antiquity. Later it became a Roman province, and as result a Romance culture emerged, along with the now-extinct Dalmatian language, later largely replaced with related Venetian. With the arrival of Croats to the area in the eighth century — who occupied most of the hinterland — Croatian and Romance elements began to intermix in language and culture.
After the Medieval Kingdom of Croatia fell in 1102, its cities and lands were often conquered by, or switched allegiance to, the kingdoms of the region during the Middle Ages. The longest-lasting rule was the one of the Republic of Venice, which controlled most of Dalmatia between 1420 and 1797. Between 1815 and 1918, it was a province of the Austrian Empire known as the Kingdom of Dalmatia. After the Austro-Hungarian defeat in World War I, Dalmatia was split between the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes which controlled most of it, and the Kingdom of Italy which held several smaller parts, and after World War II, the Socialist Republic of Croatia as a part of Yugoslavia took complete control over the area. Following the dissolution of Yugoslavia, Dalmatia became a part of the independent Croatian state.
The Regency in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was a period at the end of the Georgian era, when King George III was deemed unfit to rule due to his illness, and his son ruled as his proxy, as prince regent. It is noted for its elegance and achievements in the fine arts and architecture. This era encompassed a time of great social, political and economic change. War was waged with Napoleon and on other fronts — affecting commerce both at home and internationally — as well as politics. However, despite the bloodshed and warfare, the Regency was also a period of great refinement and cultural achievement, which shaped and altered the societal structure of Britain as a whole. It was during this period that the Dalmatian became a status symbol trotting alongside horse-drawn carriages, and those with decorative spotting were highly prized. For this reason, the breed earned the epithet the “Spotted Coach Dog.” The breed was also used to guard the stables at night.
The breed had been developed and cultivated chiefly in England. The first unofficial standard for the breed was introduced by an Englishman Vero Shaw in 1882. In 1890 with the formation of the first Dalmatian Club in England the standard became official. When the dog with the distinctive markings was first shown in England in 1862, it was said to have been used as a guard dog and companion to the nomads of Dalmatia. The breed's unique coat became popular and widely distributed over the continent of Europe beginning in 1920. Its unusual markings were often mentioned by the old writers on cynology, the study of matters related to canines and domestic dogs.
Duties
The roles of this breed are as varied as their reputed ancestors. They were used as dogs of war, guarding the borders of Dalmatia. To this day, the breed retains a high guarding instinct; although friendly and loyal to those the dog knows and trusts, it is often aloof with strangers and unknown dogs. Dalmatians have a strong hunting instinct and are an excellent exterminator of rats and vermin. In sporting, they have been used as bird dogs, trail hounds, retrievers or in packs for wild boar or stag hunting. Their dramatic markings and intelligence have made them successful circus dogs throughout the years.
Dalmatians are perhaps best known for working for the firefighters for their role as firefighting apparatus escorts and firehouse mascots. Since Dalmatians and horses are very compatible, the dogs were easily trained to run in front of the carriages to help clear a path and quickly guide the horses and firefighters to the fires.
Dalmatians are often considered to make good watchdogs, and they may have been useful to fire brigades as guard dogs to protect a firehouse and its equipment. Fire engines used to be drawn by fast and powerful horses, a tempting target for thieves, so Dalmatians were kept in the firehouse as deterrence to theft.
Body
The Dalmatian is a large-sized, well-defined, muscular dog with excellent endurance and stamina. When fully grown, according to the American Kennel Club breed standard, it stands from 19 to 23 inches tall. Both the AKC and The Kennel Club in the UK allow height up to 24 inches but that is not ideal. The outline of the dog should be square when viewed from the side: the body is as long from fore-chest to buttocks as it is tall at the withers, the shoulders are well laid back, the stifle is well bent and the hocks are well let down. The Dalmatian's feet are round with well-arched toes, and the nails are usually white or the same color as the dog's spots. The thin ears taper towards the tip and are set fairly high and close to the head. Eye color varies between brown, amber, purple, and blue, with some dogs having one blue eye and one brown eye, or other combinations.
Coat
Dalmatian puppies are born with plain white coats and their first spots usually appear within 10 days; however, spots are visible on their skin from birth. They continue to develop until the dog is around 18 months old. Spots usually range in size from 1.25 to 2.5 inches, and are most commonly black or liver on a white background. The liver is the recessive color in dalmatians, meaning that both parents have to "carry" liver to produce liver pups. If both parents are liver, then all puppies will be liver-spotted.
Other more rare colors include blue (a blue-grayish color), brindle, mosaic, tricolored (with tan spotting on the eyebrows, cheeks, legs, and chest) and orange or lemon (dark to pale yellow). Patches of color may appear anywhere on the body, mostly on the head or ears, and usually consist of a solid color. Patches are visible at birth and are not a group of connected spots; they are identifiable by the smooth edge of the patch.
The Dalmatian coat is usually short, fine, and dense; however, smooth-coated Dalmatians occasionally produce long-coated offspring. Long-coated Dalmatians are not acceptable in the breed standard, but these individuals experience much less shedding than their smooth-coated counterparts, which shed considerably year-round. The standard variety's short, stiff hairs often weave into carpet, clothing, upholstery and nearly any other kind of fabric and can be difficult to remove. Weekly grooming with a hound mitt or curry can lessen the amount of hair Dalmatians shed, although nothing can completely prevent shedding. Due to the minimal amount of oil in their coats, Dalmatians lack a dog odor and stay fairly clean relative to many other dog breeds.
Litter size
Dalmatians usually have litters of six to nine pups, but larger litters of up to 15 puppies are common.
Health
Like other breeds, Dalmatians display a propensity towards certain health problems specific to their breed, such as deafness, hip dysplasia, allergies and urinary stones. Reputable breeders have their puppies BAER or Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response-tested to ensure the status of the hearing on their pups. The Dalmatian Club of America lists the average lifespan of a Dalmatian at between 11 and 13 years, although some can live as long as 15 to 16 years. Breed health surveys in the U.S. and the UK show an average lifespan of 9.9 and 11.55 years, respectively. In their late teens, both males and females may suffer bone spurs and arthritic conditions. Autoimmune thyroiditis may be a relatively common condition for the breed, affecting 11.6% of dogs.
The Dalmatian Heritage Project
The Dalmatian Heritage Project began in 2005. The goal of the project is to preserve and improve the Dalmatian breed by breeding parent dogs with the following traits:
· Normal urinary metabolism
· Bilateral hearing
· Friendly and confident
All puppies in the Heritage Project are descendants of Dr. Robert Schaible's parent line. Today, "Dr. Schaible’s line produces the only Dalmatians in the world today that are free of a metabolic defect that can lead to urinary tract problems."
Firefighting
Dalmatians are associated with firefighting, particularly in the United States. In the days of horse-drawn fire engines, dogs would guard the horses, who could easily become uncomfortable at the scene of a fire. Dalmatians were a popular breed for this job, due to their natural affinity to horses and history of being used as carriage dogs. This role became unnecessary once horse-drawn fire engines were replaced with steam and diesel powered ones. Due to its history, the Dalmatian often serves as a mascot for the fire service and is still chosen by many firefighters as a pet. The Dalmatian is also the mascot of the Pi Kappa Alpha International Fraternity, which has been associated with firefighting.
Anheuser-Busch Cos. LLC
The Dalmatian is also associated, particularly in the United States, with Budweiser beer and the Busch Gardens theme parks, since the Anheuser-Busch Cos. LLC's iconic beer wagon — drawn by a team of Clydesdale horses — is always accompanied by a Dalmatian. The company maintains several teams at various locations, which tour extensively. Dalmatians were historically used by brewers to guard the wagon while the driver was making deliveries.
101 Dalmatians
The Dalmatian breed experienced a massive surge in popularity as a result of the 1956 novel “The Hundred and One Dalmatians” written by British author Dodie Smith, and later due to the two Walt Disney films based on the book. The Disney animated film, released in 1961, later spawned a 1996 live-action remake, “101 Dalmatians.” In the years following the release of the sequel “102 Dalmatians,” the breed suffered greatly at the hands of irresponsible breeders and inexperienced owners. Many well-meaning enthusiasts purchased Dalmatians — often for their children — without educating themselves on the breed and the responsibilities that come with owning such a high-energy dog breed. Dalmatians were abandoned in large numbers by their original owners and left with animal shelters. As a result, Dalmatian rescue organizations sprang up to care for the unwanted dogs and find them new homes. AKC registrations of Dalmatians decreased 90% during the 2000–2010 period.
Comments