What Do Dalmatians And Thanksgiving Have In Common?

   What day of the year has the most home fires, yep, you guessed it, Thanksgiving. The number one cause: Cooking–unattended cooking. On top of that, furnace usage, space heaters, and scented candles. In terms of your cooking, forgetting to turn off your heat source is one of the easiest ways to set the roof on fire.

Now that we’re on the topic of fire, have you ever wondered why a Dalmatian is the dog of choice for most fire fighters?

   So often you see Dalmatian’s connected to firehouses that 9 times out of 10 people will either associate that breed with the popular firehouse dog stereotype—or if you were born in the 90’s like me; that Disney movie will pop into your head first. No matter what order, Dalmatians in the past earned their spot at fire stations forever.

This breed is a ball of energy; so running alongside fire carriages was a good way to make use of all that spirit. Their spots also made them very noticeable and served as a clear warning that a fire-carriage was on its way. If you saw a dog in spots running or heard a “bark”, the pedestrians on the road understood that a fire-carriage was near! Calming the horses that drove the fire-carriages was another task on the dogs’ to-do list. Some Dalmatians were trained to protect the horses from all kinds critters by sniffing them out.

Dalmatian’s long history of working for firefighters surely paid off when the invention of motorized fire trucks didn’t take away their spot at the firehouse. Since they’re so closely associated with fire protection, firefighters will usually bring their mascot, the “Dalmatian” along for the ride when they’re teaching fire safety to kids.

This holiday season, we want you to channel your inner dalmatian…. take A LOT of deep breaths….. and make sure you’re keeping your animals and family safe!