Sparkles the Dalmatian Teaches Fire Safety -- And Saves Lives

Mar 15th 2010

Dalmatians and firefighting have gone hand in paw since the days of horse-drawn fire carriages. (The breed gets along extraordinarily well with horses, forming a tight bond). And while a wagging tail, cute spots and friendly face go a long way in making people happy, one Dalmatian has gone above and beyond the call of duty -- Sparkles, the Fire Safety Dog.

Sparkles was rescued from a home along with 62 other dogs and soon found his calling after being adopted by firefighter Dayna Hilton, who joined the fire service in August 2000 and currently serves as the Fire and Life Safety Educator for Johnson County RFD #1 in Clarksville, Arkansas. She also acts as Executive Director of the Keep Kids Fire Safe Foundation.

Since then, Sparkles and Firefighter Dayna have become well-known across the nation through appearances on "PBS KIDS Sprout" and "FOX and Friends." Additionally, Sparkles has been the subject of a children's book about fire safety ("Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog"), has assisted Hilton with fire safety education in schools, and is credited with saving numerous lives, including the lives of two little girls from the same school.