Dalmatian

We’ve featured the Dalmatian in a previous Breed Spotlight, but in this post we are highlighting five fun facts you probably don’t know about these striking spotted canines! One - Dalmatian puppies are born without spots. And you can disregard what the movie 101 Dalmatians tells you, because they don’t get their spots until they are about four weeks old. Two - Speaking of the 101 Dalmatians movie, it didn’t do the breed any favors. Besides the rather harmless misinformation about puppies and their spots, a lot of families raced out to get a Dalmatian pup after seeing the movie…

For most Americans, just hearing the word “Dalmatian” conjures up the 1996 comedy adventure film 101 Dalmatians with the evil Cruella de Vil plotting to dognap, kill and skin the stolen dogs to make a spotted coat. Fortunately, the movie has a happy ending with the dogs being rescued and adopted into one very large family! Even before the breed’s rise to movie stardom, Dalmatians were long known as “firehouse dogs”, riding on fire engines and were often pictured in older print and television ads in this way. But the Dalmatian’s traditional job as a coach dog was like no…