No breed has a more interesting background or a more disputed heritage than this dog from long ago, the Dalmatian. His beginning is buried so deep in the past that researchers cannot agree as to his origin. As to the great age of this breed and the fact that it has come through many centuries completely unchanged, investigators are in complete agreement.

Authoritative writers place him first as a positive entity in Dalmatia, a province of Austria on the Eastern shore of the coast of Venice. Though he has been accredited with a dozen nationalities and has as many native names - he is nick named by the English, The English Coach Dog, the Carriage Dog, the Plum Pudding Dog, the Fire House Dog etc., it is from his first proved home that he takes his correct name, the Dalmatian. We find references to him as Dalmatian in the middle eighteenth century. There is no question whatsoever, that his lineage is as ancient and his record as straight as that of other breeds.

His activities have been as varied as his reputed ancestors, he has been a dog of war, a sentinel on the borders of Dalmatia and Croatia. He has been employed as draft dog, as shepherd, he is excellent on rats and vermin. He is well known for his heroic performances as fire apparatus follower and fire house mascot. As a sport dog he has been used as bird dog, as trail hound, as retriever, or in packs for boar or stag hunting. His retentive memory has made him one of the most dependable clowners in circuses and on the stage. Down through the years, the intelligence and willingness of the Dalmatian have found him in practically every role to which useful dogs are assigned. Most important among his talents has been his status as the original, one and only,coaching dog.

He is physically fitted for road work. In his make up, speed and endurance are blended to a nicety. His gait has beauty of motion and swiftness and he has the strength, vitality and fortitude to keep going gaily till the journey's end. The instinct for coaching is bred in him, born in him and trained in him through the years. The Dalmatian takes to a horse as a horse takes to him. He may coach under the rear axle, the front axle, or most difficult of all, under the pole between the leaders and the wheelers. Wherever he works, it is with the love of the game in his heart and with the skill which has won him the title of the only recognized carriage dog in the world. His penchant for working is his most renowned characteristic, but it in no way approaches his capacity for friendship.

His aristocratic bearing does not belie him, for the Dalmatian is first of all a gentleman.