THE CANINE BEHAVIOR SERIES By Kathy Diamond Davis Author and Trainer

When you think of a firehouse dog—a dog associated with firefighters—chances are the image of a Dalmatian comes to mind. The breed has a proud tradition of serving with firefighters that has been documented back about 300 years to England.

Unlike human firefighters, firehouse dogs don’t receive paychecks, and formal records don’t track their service time or daily tasks. All the firefighters stationed at that firehouse contribute to the dog’s financial and other care. Whatever else a particular firehouse dog’s life entails, it will include plenty of companionship.

The heart-warming and well-researched book “The Firefighter’s Best Friend: Lives and Legends of Chicago Firehouse Dogs,” by Trevor Orsinger and Drew Orsinger, describes the lifestyles and accomplishments of many different Chicago firehouse dogs. From their extensive interviews with Chicago firefighters who have known the dogs and the stories about the dogs, they’ve discovered and written stories that surely mirror happenings all around the United States.

Different fire departments and cities have different policies and regulations, so to find out exactly how firehouse dogs have functioned in your community would require some research of your own. Where you find firefighters who have lived and worked alongside firehouse dogs, you will surely find stories of fond memories and possibly of heroism.

Why Dalmatians?

The Dalmatian is not the only breed to serve with firefighters, and in fact a large number of firehouse dogs have been mixed breeds. The dogs have come to firehouses in all sorts of ways. Firehouse dogs have been donated dogs, dogs rescued from fires, and strays who have wandered up and been adopted by firefighters.

Dalmatians became associated with firehouses because of their association with horses pulling coaches. Being strong dogs of many talents who got along amiably with horses, they were popular in England for accompanying coaches belonging to wealthy families. The dog—or sometimes two dogs working together—helped calm the horses and protect them from other dogs and from horse thieves.

Firefighters need heavy equipment to do their work, and prior to motorized vehicles, horses were used to pull fire engines. Dogs helped the horses cope with the frightening situations they faced in their work, guarded the equipment from theft, and actively helped fight the fires and rescue people.

When fire equipment became motorized, dogs continued to do most of the things they had done before. The flashy spotted Dalmatian still fits quite well into the mascot duties and other work of the firehouse. 

Firehouse Dog Heroics

As in all segments of society, the ability of a dog to perform heroic deeds depends in part on whether the dog is permitted to be in such situations in the first place. Firehouse dogs have bitten humans, and many have been hit by cars or fire vehicles. They’ve also been injured at fire scenes, hurt by heavy firehouse doors, and met various other sad fates.

Nowadays not all firehouses are able to have resident dogs, and those who do have them are often not able to allow them to help fight fires. The heroics of the past are well worth noting, along with the roles dogs continue to play as friends to firefighters.

Firehouse dogs have shown the ability to distinguish the different alarms and jump onto the vehicle ready to race to the fire with the men. The alarm calling only for an ambulance wouldn’t rouse a dog from his sleeping spot, but other alarms found the furiously barking dog beating the men to the truck.

On arriving at fire scenes, dogs have helped deploy equipment and have also guarded it from theft. Dogs have run into burning buildings and located victims so they could be rescued. Dogs have also led firefighters out of fires and otherwise saved their lives. Quite a few dogs have demonstrated the ability to climb ladders.

Some firehouses have been located in high-crime areas, and firehouse dogs have protected not only the property but also the firefighters from neighborhood criminals. When the dogs wandered the neighborhood they did all the things any roaming dog might do, including the mischief. One hazard of roaming was the addition of food handouts from citizens to the overabundance of food from firefighters that is typical of a firehouse dog’s life.

Some firehouse dogs have been accomplished ratters. This duty is not without risks, since rats carry disease. A dog who gets into rat poison—including consuming a poisoned rat—can become gravely ill or die. Still, control of rats has at times been an important benefit of having dogs in firehouses.

Ceremonial Duties

Firefighters participate in parades, greet visiting dignitaries, and make other public appearances. Dogs are a natural accompaniment to these duties, likely making some of the humans more comfortable in formal settings. Dogs are great ice breakers.

Purebred dogs may at times have an edge in the ceremonial role, particularly Dalmatians with their strong image as fire dogs. Of course if the dog living in the firehouse is another breed or mix, that dog can proudly represent the firefighters.

In these days of tighter animal control with fewer firehouse dogs, the ceremonial duties are often performed by trained dogs their volunteer handlers bring out for each occasion. Sometimes the mascot’s handler is a firefighter.

Education Work

Many lives are saved by the work firefighters and others do to educate school children about safely escaping fire. Including a dog in the presentation helps focus attention on the lesson. Some of the dogs are trained to demonstrate maneuvers to strengthen the message to kids. Some will patiently wear prop costumes, such as fire hats.

Troubled children often set fires. In such cases, therapeutic intervention can save that child and other people from serious future consequences. Dogs function effectively in therapy.

Works of Heart

Firefighters share close quarters and great danger. They lose comrades to injury and death. Together they fight the common enemy of fire. These are close relationships and hard losses. The emotional comfort of a dog at the firehouse has to be an important benefit to them.

The firehouse is part of the surrounding community around it. Roaming firehouse dogs spent much of their time with neighbors, especially neighborhood kids. People have often shown appreciation for firefighters by bringing things for the dogs and financially contributing to the dogs’ care.

Telling stories about firehouse dogs to each other and to visitors relieves stress for firefighters. Dog mischief makes up some of the stories, dog heroism and loyalty to firefighters makes many others.

Future Firehouse Fidos

Dogs will always be faithful friends to humans, and firefighters are lifesaving friends to all the dogs they rescue from burning structures. With today’s awareness of human safety around dogs as well as the safety of dogs from hazards, the tasks firehouse dogs can perform are changing. 

Without roaming the neighborhood or accompanying firefighters to fires, perhaps many firehouses can still be homes to firehouse dogs. Surely, dogs will always serve firefighters in the ceremonial, educational and stress-relieving tasks they perform so well.

Date Published: 2/27/2006 10:40:00 AM

    

Kathy Diamond Davis is the author of the book Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others. Should the training articles available here or elsewhere not be effective, contact your veterinarian. Veterinarians not specializing in behavior can eliminate medical causes of behavior problems. If no medical cause is found, your veterinarian can refer you to a colleague who specializes in behavior or a local behaviorist.