One Dalmatian.
This is my entry for the Daily Pet Photography contest organized by 
Following the 1956 novel, ‘The hundred and One Dalmatians,’ by Dodie Smith and the consequent Disney films based on this book, the Dalmatian breed experienced a huge surge in popularity. Unfortunately, due to irresponsible breeders and inexperienced owners, this particular breed suffered considerably. Dalmatians were purchased for children without careful research into how to care for them and many rescue organizations were forced to find new homes for these unwanted dogs.
Dalmatians are medium sized dogs and are characterized by their black, liver spotted coats. In the early days they were used mainly as carriage dogs and their roots are traced back to Croatia and the historical region of Dalmatia.
Today, these dogs are popular as family pets and many of them take part in competitions organized by kennel clubs around the world. Dalmatians are known for their stamina and endurance and are well defined muscular dogs. The standard breed measures 19 – 23 inches (48-58 cm) tall with males being generally larger than females.
The feet of Dalmatians are round with well-arched toes and their nails are white; the same colour as their spots. Their thin ears are tapered at the end and their eye colour ranges from brown, to amber and even blue, with a few Dalmatians having one brown eye and one blue, or a variation of two colours.
Puppies are born white, with without spots but within 3 to 4 weeks spots begin to appear. From approximately one month of age, they will develop most of their spots with a few others developing very slowly later on. The size of the spots vary from 30-60 cm and these are generally black or brown in colour. Some Dalmatians will have a blend of different coloured spots.
Their coats are short, fine and dense although smooth coated Dalmatians will produce long-coated offspring but these ones are not considered standard breed. Because Dalmatians have only a minimal amount of oil in their coats, they do not have the typical ‘dog smell.’
Litters range from 6 to 9 puppies although larger litters do occur. One such litter consisted of 18 puppies; all were healthy and were born in January 2009. As recently as June 2019 a litter of 19 puppies were reported to have been born in the U.S.
Dalmatians do suffer certain health problems on occasion such as deafness, allergies and urinary stones.
Researchers now know deafness in albino and piebald animals is caused by the absence of mature melanocytes in the inner ear.[17] This may affect one or both ears. The condition is also common in other canine breeds that share a genetic propensity for light pigmentation. This includes, but is not limited to Bull Terriers, Dogo Argentinos, Poodles, Boxers, Border Collies and Great Dane.
During their teenage years bone spurs and arthritis may become a problem with others having autoimmune thyroiditis. Their lifespan ranges from 11 to 13 years with reports of some living to 15 and 16 years of age.
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