Dalmatian nation

Lisa Ferguson

Tuesday, Nov. 19, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

Seems the world is doggone crazy -- over Dalmatians.

The long-awaited release of Disney's live-action version of the animated classic "101 Dalmatians" is still more than a week away (Nov. 27). But the film's stars have been in the spotlight for months already.

The precocious pups are not only cute, they're cool -- and even more popular than when the animated film version came out in 1961.

The breed's celebrity, however, has Dalmatian owners and activists fearing a potential puppy population explosion.

"More people are going to want the breed ... but are not informed about what it's like to live with the breed," contends Sheila Wymore, editor of The Spotter, a quarterly magazine published by the Dalmatian Club of America.

The Phoenix-area resident has "mixed feelings" about the film's release. "Obviously, because we're all Dalmatian fans, we're dying to see it. But by the same token, we know Disney has a penchant for making things look cute."

The proliferation of the excitable pooches has already begun, Wymore says.

In the last six months, she's helped find homes for three abandoned Dalmatians, dogs people adopted "because they thought they had a cute look to them, but didn't find out about the breed before they bought," she says.

Enthusiasts worry this will become an all-too-common scenario among frazzled, uninformed owners, resulting in more dogs being abandoned or taken to shelters and put to sleep.

Each of the Dalmatian Club's 35 chapters across the United States (including one in Las Vegas) have spent the last year gearing up for an onslaught of dog interest propelled by the film.

"There's been a lot of attention paid to Dalmatians as of late. We're using this as an opportunity to tell the public, 'Think before you buy,'" says the club's national public relations director, Julie Lux.

Wymore says potential owners "shouldn't even be looking for a Dalmatian unless they've questioned themselves. Are they ready for a 50-pound, high-energy dog that sheds constantly?"

Take it from Wymore: She owns seven Dalmatians and says the real-life dogs are nothing like the cuddly creatures from the film.

"They are the smartest dogs I've come across." On the other hand, "They're not gonna get up and make your coffee in the morning, or do all the good things that Pongo and Perdita do in the movie," she says.

"It's not a breed that you can just bring home and have a nice family pet. They don't make good backyard ornaments."

Blame it on their genes: These dogs were born to run.

Dog duties

Centuries ago, Dalmatians were bred in Europe as "coach dogs" and ran alongside horse-drawn carriages. They guarded passengers from roadside bandits and also kept the horses in line.

Hence their popularity at firehouses. In the days before motorized trucks, Dalmatians watched over the horses, which were easily spooked by smoke and fire. Some of the dogs were also used as rescue dogs.

So the breed is highly trainable. But it's also extremely active: Dogs usually require hours of exercise -- and attention -- each day.

"If they're underexercised, underloved ... they will retaliate," assures Barbara Siebold, president of the Las Vegas Dalmatian Club chapter. "If there's a way out, they'll find it."

Siebold adopted the first of her five Dalmatians nearly a decade ago. (Four have since gone on to doggy heaven.)

"They're wonderful dogs, but they're not for everybody. If you're a sedentary person and don't go anywhere, a Dalmatian's not for you," she warns.

"People are expecting Pongo and Perdita and they bring home Godzilla! It eats the house," she says.

Chewed slippers and mangled furniture aside, the breed is also plagued by genetic problems, including deafness.

According to the Dalmatian Club of America, one in every 12 Dalmatians is born deaf.

"They can't function like a normal dog," says Siebold. They often bite out of fear when startled. "The dog rears up and can remove part of a child's face."

Experts are worried that the odds of purchasing a hearing-impaired dog may also rise following the film, as unscrupulous breeders begin churning the dogs out puppy mill-style.

But Jennifer Palombi, president of the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, says "backyard breeders" are a rarity here.

Most of the breeders in town are reputable. "They know where their animals are and keep explicit records" of their adopters, she says.

Meanwhile, Dalmatian devotees are barking about Walt Disney Pictures' supposed lack of support in educating the public about the dogs.

"The fact is that Disney refuses to admit that this movie is going to play a factor" in the breed's surge in popularity, Wymore says.

According to figures compiled by the American Kennel Club, there were 21,603 Dalmatians registered in the United States in 1990.

In '91, the same year the animated version of "101 Dalmatians" was released on video, that number jumped to 30,225. Last year, there were about 37,000.

In response ...

But Terry Curtin, senior vice president of publicity for Disney's film division, contends the Dalmatian population has been growing since 1986.

"It's just become a designer dog. There's also a saturation of awareness about the breed," she says.

(Maybe it had something to do with the "101 Dalmatians" theater re-release in 1985?)

Curtin also assures that the alleged "dogfight" going on between the studio and breeders "... is a fight that we are not involved in."

"There are two issues at stake here," Curtin says. "One is responsibility and where the responsibility lies. The other is control and where the control lies."

Among Disney's more notable attempts at boosting awareness is the "101 Dalmatians" Web site (http://www.101.com). It's dotted with doggy facts, as well as a function that allows perusers to adopt a virtual puppy.

"We're doing everything we can to be responsible," Curtin continues. "However, the control does not lie with us. It lies with the breeders."

Behind the scenes

The fur has also been flying over accusations that the 230 puppy actors were mistreated while on the movie's London set.

Jim Moore is a spokesman for the American Humane Association. The organization oversaw the handling of animals actors on more than 400 films last year, including another Disney feature, "Operation: Elephant Drop."

An AHA representative was present for the duration of "101's" filming. Moore says the studio took extra precautions in making sure the canines were correctly cared for.

For starters, none were bred specifically for the film and all had homes to go to when filming finished.

Also, before anyone was allowed on the set, they were required to walk through a "disinfectant bath," Moore says, to avoid passing on any diseases to the dogs.

Dozens of thoughtfully designed "doggie condos," runs and play areas were constructed, and "We had them lower the steps" featured in several scenes, he says. It lessened the strain on the dogs, without losing the puppy "clumsiness" factor.

"They had to shoot around the puppy's schedule," Moore insists. "If a puppy is ready to sleep, the puppy is going to sleep."

(Curtin says to look for a "small paragraph" about the dogs' on-set treatment to roll during the film's closing credits.)

"I've seen this happen on plenty of movies in the past," Curtin says. "It's a high-profile movie. Whenever there's something that's high-profile, there's some misunderstanding about what actually goes on."