In the movie, the Dalmatians are cute and fun. But at home, they shed, tend to snap and bite and do not particularly like children.
Animal shelters around the country have reported sharp increases in the number of unwanted Dalmatian dogs this year, many of them given to children as gifts last Christmas after the release of Disney's remake of the movie "101 Dalmatians."Although nationwide figures are not available, some shelters say they have seen the number of abandoned dogs more than double and that they fear the problem will only grow worse with the new "101 Dalmatians" television program on ABC.
A spokeswoman for the American Humane Association, Joyce Briggs, said that the association planned to survey members at its annual meeting next month to find out the extent of the abandoned-Dalmatian problem that it was hearing about from different parts of the country.
But the problem was expected. In cities like New York, Disney and animal rights advocates warned against impulsive purchases of Dalmatians in educational campaigns that were timed to coincide with the release of the movie last December, and later the video.
"This is exactly what we had feared," said Leslie Isom, a spokeswoman with the Humane Society of the United States, which she said placed advertisements in several major newspapers. "What we're trying to get across is that Dalmatians require a tremendous amount of time and energy, and these are things that a family with small children may not have."
In South Florida, where animal control officers in both Dade and Broward counties say they have seen up to a 35 percent increase in the number of Dalmatian returns, animal shelters say owners have found the dogs high-strung, willful and aggressive. The dogs also require lots of exercise and in some cases special care because of health problems associated with indiscriminate breeding.
Animal rights advocates say that movie and television exposure historically leads to an increase in the population of certain breeds. For example, they say, Jack Russell terriers have become popular because of the television show "Frasier." In the case of Dalmatians, they say, amateur breeders and so-called puppy mills flooded the market when the 1961 cartoon version was re-released in 1985 and 1991, and after the 1996 movie remake.
Overbreeding is suspected in genetic defects in Dalmatians like deafness and urinary tract problems. But breeders say buyers would have fewer problems if they bought from reputable sellers and knew what they were getting into.
Dalmatians need basic obedience training and room to exercise, breeders say. And some families may be unable to spare enough time to give the dogs the human contact the breed seems to crave. The dogs, which sell for $200 to $250, weigh up to 65 pounds in adulthood and can live 15 years.
"They definitely have a mind of their own," said Julie Lux, a spokeswoman for the Dalmatian Club of America, which represents breeders, "but a well-bred Dalmatian is a wonderful pet."
Disney officials said the problem is one of educating the public about the responsibility of pet ownership and extends beyond Dalmatians. The Humane Society says 8 million to 12 million dogs and cats enter the shelters each year and that as many as 30 percent of the animals are pure-bred.
"It's a problem regardless of whether Disney has a Dalmatian movie or not," a spokeswoman with the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, Terry Curtin, said.