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Dalmatia identifies the Dalmatians bred, owned, and/or shown by noted professional handler Wendell J. Sammet, who back in the 1940's at Hingham, Massachusetts, laid the foundation for a highly successful breeding program which produced, and to this day, stands behind some of this country's most notable Dalmatians. Now located at Bryantville, Massachusetts and most widely associated with the other breed he loves. Poodles, Wendell has never lost his interest in Dalmatians. In fact it would be difficult to say which breed has brought him most enjoyment over the years as he has a host of truly notable successes in both.

The early names in the history of Dalmatia Kennels include, from the late 1940's, Champion Dalquest Rhythm from Dalmatia, born in 1947, by Champion Williamsdale Sunstar ex Champion Hamilton Belle. Wendell bred this splendid dog to the well known Champion Colonel Bones, son of Champion Williamsdale Sunstar, and in February 1951 she produced a litter which included the dogs Bellehop From Dalmatia and Blue Bolero From Dalmatia, and the dog who was to become Champion Boot Black From Dalmatia.

This black spotted dog, breeder/owner handled by a Mr. Sammet, had nine Group wins to his credit (in the days when dog shows were far and away less numerous than in modern times), and won Best of Breed at Westminster, Morris and Essex, and the Southern New England Dalmatian Specialty in 1954 and 1955 as well as the Chicagoland Specialty in 1955 and 1956. But it was not only as a show dog that Boot Black was outstanding, for among his ten champion offspring was the litter that included Champion Roadcoach Roadster and Champion Roadcoach Roadmaster, bred by Mrs. Mary P. Barrett.

Boot Black's son, Roadster, was, like his sire, black spotted. He completed his championship at age 13 months and was sold to Mrs. S.K. Allman, Jr., of In The Valley Dalmatians at Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Handled by Charley Meyer, he climaxed his show career by winning Best in Show at the legendary Morris and Essex Kennel Club classic, which was one of a total of 17 Best in Show honors for this memorable dog. His 64 Group wins included such shows as Westminster, Eastern Dog Club and Chicago International in 1957. He was Best of Breed at the Dalmatian Club of America National Specialty in 1956, and at the Chicago Specialty in '57. His champion progeny included Champions Tioga Sportscar, Roadcoach Random, and Kiss and Tell From Dalmatia. Another of Wendell's earliest female dogs, Roadcoach Frou Frou, C.D.X., was bred by him to Champion Roadcoach Racing Colors, producing, in April 1947, the lovely dog Champion China Doll From Dalmatia.

What Does A Dalmatian Look Like?

The Dalmatian is a breed of balance and moderation. You do not want a big head on a little dog or a small head on a big dog. Similarly, you do not want an extremely elegant head on a male dog or a very "doggy" head on a female dog. The females are generally more feminine versions of the males and this male/female difference should be quite apparent. The head should have clean lines and the Dalmatian should have a clean mouth, not drooling or loose-lipped. The standard does a good job of describing eyes, ears, stop, muzzle, nose, lips and scissors bite; and it also notes appropriate size and angle relationships.

With regard to eyes, the major faults of ectropion and entropion eyelids refer to lids that turn into (entropion) or out/row, (ectropion) the eye. Trichiasis is a condition of one or more misdirected eyelashes, causing corneal or conjunctival irritation. These conditions are extremely rare to find in the show ring, but the fact that they have been carried forward in our breed standard indicates that these conditions have caused trouble in the past. Also, they are serious enough to be used as screening factors when making current breeding program selections.

The important thing to keep in mind is that the more you deviate from what the breed standard describes, the more you move away from symmetry, balance and intelligent expression. Picture a Dalmatian with close-set, yellow eyes, no stop between the forehead and top of muzzle, and uneven planes between the top of the skull and his pointy-nosed muzzle when viewed from the side. If, for example, a line drawn across the top of the skull was parallel to the ground and another line drawn across the top of the muzzle pointed more toward the ground, the dog would be "down-faced" and less intelligent looking than one with parallel planes. Such a dog does not have the intelligent expression desired in a Dalmatian. Not even perfect spotting could save the conformation standard shortcomings of a head like this.

The neck, top line, body segment calls for a smooth throat with no excess skin folds and a nicely arched, fairly long neck. The word "arched" denotes a curved structure. The top line should be smooth, without a dip or break between the withers and the back. The chest, back, loin and croup descriptions are clear. Tail docking refers to removing any portion of the tail, whether it is done at birth or later for any reason, through surgery. The front legs are to come straight down from the elbows to the pasterns, whether looking at the dog from the side or the front. Cow-hocks occur when the points of the hocks are closer together than the heels of the pads in normal standing position. The feet, coat and color and markings sections are reasonably clear.

Please click on List of Dalmatians Details to read about many different aspects of Dalmatians.