Brief History of Dalmatians
The first known written information about Dalmatian dog is from 1375, when Bishop of Đakovo, Peter mentions hunting dog from Croatia, mostly from Dalmatia with short white hair and black round spots on various parts of the body, and he called him Canis Dalmaticus.
As scientists have started poking into the DNA of our dogs, mapping what genes various breeds share, they have been able to piece together how they are related.
But when it comes to Dalmatians, all that scientific evidence comes to a screeching halt. Though genetically they are grouped among retrievers, Dalmatians don’t line up strongly with any established modern breeds.
All this head-scratching in laboratories confirms what Dalmatian fanciers have known all along: Theirs is an indisputably unique and ancient breed.
So Where Did Dalmatians Really Come From?
Distinctively spotted dogs have been documented across cultures and continents – not to mention millennia. As far back as 3700 BC, Egypt’s King Cheops, who built the Great Pyramid, was said to have owned one. Some 2,000 years later, Greek frescos depicted both black- and brown-spotted dogs, their dotted coats meticulously painted, chasing a boar.
During the Regency period, the Dalmatian became a status symbol trotting alongside the 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. Dalmatians were a popular breed for this job, due to their natural affinity to horses and history of being used as carriage dogs. 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
This is a picture of Dalmatians serving in WW1 ...... These Dalmatians are Messenger Dogs of the 89th Infantry Division Training. Four Dalmatian war dogs of Capt John R. Durigg, 89th Division veterinarian, Camp Carson, Colo. 15 Apr 43. As utility dogs they are ideal due to their stamina and speed.
The Dalmatian must be among one of the most recognised breeds on the planet not only because of their beautiful spotted coats but thanks to the movie 101 Dalmatians too. They are very proud elegant dogs that boast a tremendous amount of stamina as well as good turn of speed when needed.
They boast a longish flat head with a reasonable amount of width between their ears. They have a distinct stop and powerful muzzle with clean lips and a black nose although dogs with liver coats have brown noses. Their eyes are set nicely apart and are medium in size with dogs always showing an intelligent expression. Eyes are dark brown in black spotted Dalmatians but they are amber in colour in liver spotted dogs. Their rims are well pigmented with black spotted dogs having black pigmented rims and liver spotted Dalmatians having liver brown ones.
Their ears are moderately large and set high and wide on a dog’s head and they gently taper to a rounded point. Ears are fine to the touch and dogs carry them close to their heads. A Dalmatian’s ears are well spotted which adds to their charming appearance. Their jaws are strong with dogs boasting a perfect scissor bite where they upper teeth neatly overlap their lower ones.
Their necks are fairly long light and a dog’s shoulders are muscular and well laid back. Front legs are straight with dog’s having a good amount of bone from their elbows right down to their feet. Dalmatians have nicely proportioned bodies with deep chests and well sprung ribs. Their withers are well defined and they boast level powerful backs and strong muscular slightly arched loins. Hindquarters are well muscled with dog’s boasting a nicely developed second thigh and strong back legs.
Their feet are compact and round with toes that are well arched and very cat-like. Their nails can be either black or white when a dog’s coat is spotted black. However liver spotted dogs boast brown or white nails. Dalmatians have quite long spotted tails that are thicker at the base but taper to the tip which dogs carry with a slight curve.