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Spotted Dogs

I was working on this week’s blog, and came upon this sentence: “Man, from the earliest times, has always been attracted to spotty dogs.”


What?



There have been depictions of spotted dogs in art since at least 3700 b.c.e., when Egypt’s King Cheops had one.


In 400 b.c.e. there was a spotted dog breed that ran alongside Greek chariots. By the 1500s there were spotted dogs who ran alongside Serbian carriages.


By the 1800s, Dalmatians were known throughout Europe as “carriage dogs”. They ran alongside the horses that drew carriages, protecting the horses from danger, and calming them. Dalmatians were often raised in the stables with the horses, further cementing their bond.



But their most famous role was as fire truck dogs. I thought this was a trivial role, but I was wrong.


In the early 1700s, Richard Newsham filed the first two patents for what might be recognized as fire trucks. His devices could be brought by two men to a fire, and operated by them - the men taking turns stomping on a lever that made the pump spew water on a fire.


These portable pumps revolutionized fire fighting, and over the years they became larger and heavier. They were pulled to fires by the fire fighters, and as the pumps grew it took more and more people to pull them.


In 1832, the New York Mutual Hook and Ladder Company volunteers purchased their first horse. Even though there was a significant anti-equine sentiment among fire fighters - partially because horses are so frightened of fires - horses improved response time to fires, and were eventually stabled inside the firehouses.


This was the era when Dalmatians truly shone. When there was a fire, a siren would sound at the fire house. The Dalmatians would run outdoors barking, clearing the street for the horse-drawn firetruck. The Dalmatians ran ahead of the horses, and alongside them, both clearing the path for the truck, and calming the horses, who did not want to run in the direction of the smoke.


When the firetruck arrived at the fire, the Dalmatians would remain with the horses, calming them - keeping them from bolting and taking the water pump with them. Soon there were horse colleges to train horses for a firehouse job.


From Dennis Smith’s A History of Fire Fighting in America:


“In Detroit (at the horse college), weight requirements were issued for the animals. Those pulling hose wagons must weigh 1,100 pounds, to haul a steamer 1,400 pounds, and to cart a hook and ladder 1,700 pounds. Stations also tried to create matched teams of two and three horses when possible. A horse might work at a station for four to ten years. In 1858, the Philadelphia Fairmount Engine Company gave their fire horses a vacation. This became a tradition in the Philadelphia fire department. This was long before firefighters received vacations.”


Of course, in the 1900s, when cities switched to gasoline powered firetrucks, the Dalmatians were out of a job - although many fire stations continued to keep the Dalmatians on as companions.


According to the AKC: “Since the 1950s, Dalmatians have also accompanied the famous Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales whenever the beer company’s wagon-pulling horses make an appearance. But instead of running beside the red beer wagon, the dogs are seated atop the wagon next to the driver – not a bad gig.”


Dalmatians have also had a long history performing in circuses, and there are Dalmatian circuses to this day.


Meanwhile, my cousin’s new corgi, Teddy, is turning into a character. He has decided that certain toys are outdoor toys, and others are indoor toys. He has taken the outdoor toys out the doggie door, and no matter how many times Jan brings them back inside, Teddy doggedly (ha!) takes them back out.



It's possible that Teddy has the most beautiful dog face in the world.


And in Bonz news: Bonz has gone to his first obedience class! Sadly, he was so excited about it that he had to sit outside the classroom. That reminds me of my own grade school experience. My fifth grade teacher made me take my desk out to the hallway and sit out there rather than having me in her classroom. I spent nearly all of fifth grade out in the hall. At least I had books!


Bonz also had his first day at doggie daycare this week. I took him to work with me, and he loved it. He adores playing with other dogs. So tomorrow, I’m taking Bonz to work with me at 5:30 a.m. Hopefully by the time the girls pick him up to go to obedience class, he’ll be calm enough that he can sit in the classroom with the other dogs!



(This photo shows Bonz's favorite activity in the world - lounging in a pile of his humans).


Oh, I should put a soap mention in before I close. Here’s a new soap we’re experimenting with:



It is scented with the aroma of pine forests. They aren’t available on our website yet, but if you’d like to buy some, simply email me. I’ll figure something out.

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