This bitch is quite “Dalmatiany.” One could be forgiven for mistaking this dog for a liver-spotted Dalmatian with patches on the ears, even though the body spots aren’t quite right.
Compare this dog with Wootton’s “Grey-spotted hound.”
As I’ve noted in earlier posts, the origin of the dog we call the Dalmatian is likely within the pointer family– and it is a creation of eighteenth century England, not some fantastic place.
Not Ancient Egypt.
Not Bengal.
And not Croatia. All evidence I’ve seen that this dog originated there is even weaker than the the evidence pointing to Egypt or India.
While the Braque’s and the Dalmatian’s spotting almost certainly have some genetic factor(s) in common, it seems very likely that there is another factor that makes the Dalmatian’s spots larger, sharper, and fewer in number. Very like the difference between one type of roan in horses (which is like the belton pattern of the Braque) as differentiated from the larger, clearer spots of the Appaloosa. Indeed, some Appaloosas carry both patterns on the same horse (the “blanket” type, with well-defined spots on a clear white background over the rump).
There is another factor, but it’s not been identified yet.
Please note that I am not saying that the Dalmatian is derived from the Braque du Bourbonnais, which is just a bit larger than a Brittany– and is a close relative. (They share the naturally short-tailed gene. Brittany was also used to add new blood to this breed, I believe).
What I am saying is that there are plenty of pointers and pointer-type dogs that could be the ancestor of the Dalmatian. The Ariege is a similarly ticked coated dog, which also comes in black and white. These dogs are born mostly white– as are all the belton English setters.
And not all Dalmatians throughout history have had the “communion wafer” spots. Many have been nothing more than heavily ticked.
Dals come in tricolor and lemon-spotted coats that are very similar to those seen in setters and pointers. (English pointers don’t come in tricolor, but English setters do.)
It’s interesting also that in liver-spotted Dals the spots are generally a bit smaller and often more numerous than in black-spotted Dals. Of course there is some overlap in this regard, but its often possible to tell that a dog is a liver in a black-and-white photo just by the spotting pattern.
It’s almost certain that, like nearly all breeds, the Dal has a variety of types/sorts in its ancestry. There was a good article on the LUA Dals in the most recent issue of Dog World magazine– well written for the general public
I read something on how hard it was to breed for the proper spots on the LUA dogs. Some of the LUA dogs don’t have proper wafer spots, but then it’s not a given in all non-LUA Dals either.
Personally, I think that’s hoo-ha. Present day LUA Dals have one pointer 10 to 15 generations back. One out of thousands of ancestors. And there are plenty of non-LUA Dals that have poor spotting. It’s just that “perfect” patterning is a narrow range of a very variable color pattern.
The AKC’s committee to investigate the matter of the LUA Dals wrote a very clear report recommending acceptance of registration of these dogs. But AKC has always bowed to the decision of the Parent Club (Dalmatian Club of America). It appears that DCA membership will be voting on this again sometime this year.
By the way, an LUA Dalmatian has earned her UK championship, and went Best of Breed at Crufts this year.