Dalmatian remains true to reputation as fire dog

Luna, an 18-month-old female purebred Dalmatian dog (Figure 1), was a passenger on a 23-foot Boston Whaler motorboat which headed out after dark with her owner and small crew on Lake Ontario to view the July 1 Canada Day fireworks display. The boat was anchored under the area of the sky where the fireworks were deployed. True to her nature as a “fire dog,” Luna was very apprehensive and perturbed by the bright lights and explosive sounds of the fireworks, and squeezed behind her owner’s leg for protection under the captain’s chair.

Figure 1.

Luna the Fire Dog.

In the midst of the display, the dark cockpit suddenly filled with smoke and a whistling sound. The crew quickly checked the engine and other compartments for signs of a fire, but nothing untoward was found. The smoke resolved and the air cleared in about 3 minutes. It was concluded that a fireworks shell had landed in the boat and released its contents. Luna the Fire Dog was extremely distressed, and the celebrators returned back to harbor.

The following morning, Luna and her owner returned to the boat to examine it in the light of day. It was found that the entire cockpit was covered in a layer of blue powder, which again was assumed to be related to a fireworks shell. However, while cleaning the boat, the owner noticed that the boat’s fire extinguisher, normally mounted immediately next to the captain’s chair, had been knocked over, and in fact had been deployed. It then became obvious that the “smoke” and blue powder were not in fact the result of a fireworks shell, but of the contents of the fire extinguisher. Apparently (or perhaps coincidentally), Luna the Fire Dog had not been cowering from the noise and lights of the fireworks after all, but had actually been struggling to deploy the fire extinguisher, to combat the perceived risk of the fireworks exploding overhead.

Beginning in the 17th century, it was observed that Dalmatians had a calming effect on horses, and often accompanied English stagecoaches to keep the horses on task and protect them from other dogs (1). Their strength and endurance made them popular among stagecoach owners, often running 40 to 50 km per day. When horse-drawn firefighting apparatus became commonplace, Dalmatians frequently ran in advance of the horses, guiding them to the fire and acting as “sirens” to alert pedestrians. It is reported that they also kept the horses from panicking and running away from the fire. Importantly, Dalmatians are reliable guard dogs, and were adopted by fire brigades to guard the stations from horse thieves, and keep the horses company during the long stretches between fire calls (2). The advent of motorized fire trucks heralded the end of the era of Dalmatians as fire dogs, but the tradition has persisted in their frequent role as mascots to modern day fire stations.

Luna’s genetic line has clearly carried the aptitude for fighting fires since the 17th century. Her quick action in deploying the fire extinguisher when she detected a risk to her crew has solidified the reputation of the breed as fire dogs, even in the 21st century.