I owned Dalmations for years. They are beautiful dogs, very loyal to their masters for sure. But, they do not make good family pets.
They are very hyper and need a lot of attention and time. you cannot just stick them in the back yard. You have to walk and intertact with them everyday. They love to be in the company of their owners, I mean really part of the family unit. If you do not do this, they will rip your place apart.
They are clowns. I loved my harley and sparky. They have a predispostion for Urinary tract problems. harley developed a severe case of kidney stones and had to have them removed. The best diet for dalmations is a very low protien diet less than 12% protien. He never had any problems after that.
When my daughter lived in NJ she had a rescue mutt named Chi Chi — part Beagle, part Doxy, and part Lab. He was a small dog with a lot of issues. He didn’t get along with other dogs at all, and my daughter kept him away from them. He liked to sit in the front window and bark like crazy at every dog who came by.
The “across the street neighbors” bought a Dalmation puppy who was also aggressive. One day Pepper (the Dalmation) slipped his leash and darted right inside my daughter’s front door and attacked Chi Chi. Sixty stitches later, Chi Chi came home from the vet and Pepper went to live out in the country. Pepper’s owners paid half of the vet bill.
My daughter felt terrible for both dogs. Chi Chi ended his days as a raving, lunatic dog. Even though he already had issues, he never recovered in his head from the attack in his own family room.