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Firefighters at the Girard Fire Department are seeing spots, and it’s not from lack of oxygen.
The station has a new member, a Dalmatian puppy named Molly, and she’s quickly winning the hearts and minds of the firefighters and the community. Molly was donated by nearby resident Jennifer Worrell, who breeds dogs for a living and whose husband is a volunteer firefighter for the Farlington Fire Department. Worrell said she thought the Girard station could use a Dalmatian to help liven up the place.
“They’re great pets and they’re great with children,” Worrell said. Though the breed often gets a bad rap, Worrell said they’re misunderstood and usually only become mean when their owners mistreat them.
“Just like any other breed,” said Worrell, who has two Doberman pinschers and said her children ride them like ponies.
Dalmatians originally were used by firefighters when water wagons were still horse-drawn. The dogs would run with the firefighters and bark at horses to stop them before they collided with the speeding pump wagons. As horse-drawn wagons made way for gasoline-powered fire trucks, the Dalmatians stayed but took on the role of mascot.
Molly was a pleasant surprise to the station, said Fire Chief Dustin Johnson. While at a firefighters’ convention in Topeka, Johnson and the other members of his crew who were along for the trip noticed a Dalmatian convention in town and decided to take a look.
“There were Dalmatians running all around the hotel,” Johnson said.
After researching the breed, Johnson decided he wanted one for the station. But when they priced several different breeders, the dogs, which can cost anywhere from $500 to $2,000 depending on their provenance, proved too expensive.
So it was quite a surprise, he said, when Worrell, who is the only licensed Dalmatian breeder in Kansas, stopped by the station with a fresh litter of puppies and told the crew they could pick one out. Johnson said choosing Molly, who has one baby-blue eye and a spattering of black spots – there were a lot of puppies that were mostly white or with brown spots – was an easy choice.
“We looked at all of them and played with them, and Molly just stood above the rest,” he said.
Molly is about 11 weeks old and weighs several pounds. Eventually the sprightly pup could grow to between 85 and 100 pounds, Worrell said.
So far, Molly is adjusting well to her new home. She’s making new friends as well, Johnson said.
“The kids stop by on their bikes to play with her,” Johnson said. Her favorite, however, happens to be a recliner in the crew quarters. Eventually they plan to train her to crawl under smoke and to “stop, drop and roll” when they take her on tour to local schools for presentations.
It didn’t take long for Molly to become a beloved member of the station family, and the crew is protective of her.
“It’s her station now,” Johnson said.
Firefighters at the Girard Fire Department are seeing spots, and it’s not from lack of oxygen.
The station has a new member, a Dalmatian puppy named Molly, and she’s quickly winning the hearts and minds of the firefighters and the community. Molly was donated by nearby resident Jennifer Worrell, who breeds dogs for a living and whose husband is a volunteer firefighter for the Farlington Fire Department. Worrell said she thought the Girard station could use a Dalmatian to help liven up the place.
“They’re great pets and they’re great with children,” Worrell said. Though the breed often gets a bad rap, Worrell said they’re misunderstood and usually only become mean when their owners mistreat them.
“Just like any other breed,” said Worrell, who has two Doberman pinschers and said her children ride them like ponies.
Dalmatians originally were used by firefighters when water wagons were still horse-drawn. The dogs would run with the firefighters and bark at horses to stop them before they collided with the speeding pump wagons. As horse-drawn wagons made way for gasoline-powered fire trucks, the Dalmatians stayed but took on the role of mascot.
Molly was a pleasant surprise to the station, said Fire Chief Dustin Johnson. While at a firefighters’ convention in Topeka, Johnson and the other members of his crew who were along for the trip noticed a Dalmatian convention in town and decided to take a look.
“There were Dalmatians running all around the hotel,” Johnson said.
After researching the breed, Johnson decided he wanted one for the station. But when they priced several different breeders, the dogs, which can cost anywhere from $500 to $2,000 depending on their provenance, proved too expensive.
So it was quite a surprise, he said, when Worrell, who is the only licensed Dalmatian breeder in Kansas, stopped by the station with a fresh litter of puppies and told the crew they could pick one out. Johnson said choosing Molly, who has one baby-blue eye and a spattering of black spots – there were a lot of puppies that were mostly white or with brown spots – was an easy choice.
“We looked at all of them and played with them, and Molly just stood above the rest,” he said.
Molly is about 11 weeks old and weighs several pounds. Eventually the sprightly pup could grow to between 85 and 100 pounds, Worrell said.
So far, Molly is adjusting well to her new home. She’s making new friends as well, Johnson said.
“The kids stop by on their bikes to play with her,” Johnson said. Her favorite, however, happens to be a recliner in the crew quarters. Eventually they plan to train her to crawl under smoke and to “stop, drop and roll” when they take her on tour to local schools for presentations.
It didn’t take long for Molly to become a beloved member of the station family, and the crew is protective of her.
“It’s her station now,” Johnson said.
