Kingston Fire

Dalmatians were originally chosen as fire dogs because they formed a strong bond with the fire horses.
They guarded the valuable equine and kept them company in the station. Dalmations were also helpful in
directing the horses during the era of the horse drawn fire engine. Dalmations were favored probably
because of their size, friendly nature, ability to train, and ability to care for themselves.

It is during the era of horse drawn fire apparatus that the Dalmatian becomes forever tied to the Fire
Service. These fire house horses were required to spend hours at a time at a fire scene, or hours inside
the fire house waiting for a call, and despite many misbeliefs, these fire house horses were not broken
down old hags, but fine spirited horses. The Dalmatian became the horses pet as it were, to help keep
them calm. There are many reports and stories of seeing a fire team rushing to the scene of a call, with a
Dalmatian or two running between the horse teams.

Once on the scene of the call, the Dalmatian took over as guard dog, insuring that nothing was stolen from
the apparatus. The Dalmatian is a very loyal breed to its owners, and an admirable foe when
challenged.Because of the dog/horse bond, the dalmatian easily adapted to the firehouse in the days of
horse-drawn fire wagons. Since every firehouse had a set of fast horses to pull the pumper, it became
common for each group of firefighters to keep a dalmatian in the firehouse to guard the firehouse and
horses. When the alarm came in, the dalmatian led the way for thehorse-drawn pumper. In this way, the
dalmatian became the firefighters' companion and a symbol of the fire service.

Today,dalmatians are still found in many firehouses in England, Canada, and the United States.
Because of this loyalty, the Dalmatian continued in the Fire Service once the horses were replaced with
mechanical apparatus. Today, in many large cities, the Dalmatian is the guard dog of the fire truckwhile at
the scene of fires and rescues. In its long history i the Fire Service, there are also reports of how the
Dalmatian has rescued trapped firefighters or victims. Overall, the Dalmatian is a brave and valiant dog.