Sparkles and other dogs like her showcase the enduring legacy of a black-and-white spotted fire dog.
#Fire dogs long ago and today let find out series
Sparkles is the main character in her own series of children’s books about fire safety, and she travels the country teaching children important fire safety tips. Riding along to fires and standing guard over the truckĭuring the 20th century, dalmatians and other fire pups also made an important move into education, helping firefighters demonstrate fire safety and emergency preparedness for school and community groups.įor a great example of a modern-day fire pup in action, look no further than Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog, a world-famous ambassador from Clarksville, Arkansas.
Guarding belongings in the firehouse (and hunting vermin, too!).The tasks of a modern firehouse dog can include: In the 20th century and beyond, fire stations across England and America kept dalmatians on-site as firehouse residents and mascots. Fire dogs needed a new job description to suit the modern age of gas-powered firetrucks. But just because the horses were gone didn’t mean the dalmatian was going anywhere, By that point, the public was used to seeing dalmatians alongside firefighters. Fire Pups in the Age of the Engineĭalmatians are good with horses, but they’re no match for horsepower! Once motorized vehicles came on the scene, carriage dogs were out of work. Back at the station, the fire dog would typically bunk in the stable alongside their equine charges. Dalmatians were known to have a calming effect on horses ( source), so while firefighters battled a blaze, the fire dog could stay with the horses ease their stress. Dalmatians were perfectly suited for the job, not only because of their carriage-trailing abilities, but their grace under fire. When horsedrawn fire carriages hit the scene in the late 1700s, carriage dogs became fire pups. According to the American Kennel Club’s Complete Dog Book, quoted on the Dalmatian Club of America website, dalmatians were the perfect carriage dogs because they have the “strength, vitality, fortitude and size to keep going gaily til the journey’s end.” Dalmatians also happened to have a reputation for getting along great with horses, and it wasn’t long before they became the favored carriage dog among wealthy citizens of England and America. A good temperament and high level of obedienceĮnter the dalmatian.A few hundred years ago, dogs were trained to trot alongside horse-drawn wagons and protect their occupants (and horses) from harm.Īlthough a “carriage dog” is not a specific breed, certain breeds were more suited to the lifestyle. A carriage dog needed a few key features: OLD-FASHIONED ENGINE DOG VIA FLICKR/CANDIEDWOMANIREīefore there were fire pups, there were carriage dogs.
0 kommentar(er)
