Wild Facts

Photo by Mark Berbezier (Wikimedia)

I suppose I should have saved the Dalmatian for Wild Fact 101 but I felt like writing about a dog today and I have always been intrigued by this famous breed.  This special breed is best known for being part of a great cartoon or riding on a firetruck.  But let’s face it, there has to be more to the Dalmatian then Hollywood and Fires.  So grab the leash, the pooper-scooper and we will go for a walk to learn about this fascinating breed of dog.

There are two things that I wonder about when it comes to the Dalmatian.  Where did they get their name and why do they have spots like this?  Obviously, the first question is much easier to answer, especially since I don’t really have an answer for the second question.  It is thought that the roots of the Dalmatian trace all the way back to Dalmatia, which is an area of Croatia.  I am pretty sure I don’t need to finish connecting the dots (or should I say spots) as to how they came about their name.

Newborn Dalmatians - Photo from Wikimedia

Okay, so what about their amazing coat?  Well, Dalmatians were used as carriage dogs in the early days so maybe there is a connection there.  Who knows, right? What we do know is Dalmatian puppies have a completely white coat for the first week of their life.  After this the spots begin to show up and within a month they will have most of their spots.  Although, they will continue to appear at a slower rate throughout the Dalmatian’s life.  I wonder if we can tell how old your dog is by counting the number of spots.  Surprisingly, you aren’t confined to having the typical white dog with black spots.  Some other colours found in rarer cases include a bluish-gray, orange, lemon and of course tan.  How come these colourful versions were never featured on a hit Disney movie?

Dalmatian Fast Fact – In the past, I have heard that this particular dog can be quite mean.  Apparently, a form of aggression does appear when the dog is cooped up for longer periods of time.  This “aggression” towards smaller dogs is their way of playing.  From everything I have read, if you show affection and love to your Dalmatian from day one then they will be one of the best companions you can ask for.

Well that does it for the week.  I hope you enjoyed our random facts this week and I look forward to seeing all of you on Monday.  Enjoy the weekend.