Even quite young children know the breed now. They don't any longer say, "Look at the spotty dog"; they instantly point and cry out, "Look, a Dalmatian." That film must still be being rerun, and probably is available as a video anyway. And why shouldn't Dalmatians be picked out, for they are very handsome and also very safe. You might say self-satisfied, for like many dogs they appreciate admiration. Like many people.
There are hardly any drawbacks to having this breed as your dog-of-the-house, and if you are a real fan and have land around you, it's not unusual to find owners with four or five or more - and when a litter comes along, there are always friends and family to ask: Can I have one? Or even two?
They are very companionable and patient dogs, on the whole. If a neighbouring Dalmatian (in this case we are talking of bitches) comes sniffing around, the reaction is one of interest and friendliness - curiosity anyway.
Training, of course, is of great importance, but not all are angels. One will always sneak out the front door if it blows open or is inadvertently left open, and make, with absolute certainty, and always by the same route through thick shrubbery and down a long lawn, to the nearby river. Not that she has a passion for running water. It must be the smells on the way. On holiday in a family place which is bordered by a river, she has been taught never to cross. And when cattle - amazed, it appears by this strange calf, if that's what they think it is - come over to the wire (sometimes 50 of them), she is quite impervious to their curiosity or admiration.
In the matter of her bursts from the front door of the city home, she, by the way, always comes back quietly when a posse is sent out for her. Her vocabulary is about 30 words. You dare not say "chocolate", for she loves it and immediately wants some. You call it, to mislead her, "the black stuff". She now knows what that means. And is still learning. Only snag: Dalmatian hairs are needle-sharp and work their way into your clothes. Black and navy blue are not good colours for Dalmatian owners to wear.