MovieChat Forums > 101 Dalmatians (1996) Discussion > Sobering aftermath

Sobering aftermath

posted 18 years ago by geo1284060
20 replies | jump to latest

I had heard that this film had a sobering real-life aftermath. That many parents with small children, after seeing the movie, snapped up Dalmatian puppies on impulse (Oh, they're soooo cute!). After having them home for a few weeks, they found out that a Dalmatian is high maintenance & hyper and that maybe this was not the kind of dog they wanted around their children. Then they would get rid of the dog. Animal shelters shortly wound up with discarded Dalmatians, and many had to be euthanized.

[–] selkn-asrai 18 years ago

Bump. I'm so glad that other people realize this. It's tragic, what abuse came for the breed when this movie came out.

"Now, bring me that horizon."

[–] kaliee 17 years ago

I am more sadden at the fact the parents of these children would just buy a dog on a whim. They are adults. They should know the responbilities that comes with buying a dog into their family.

[–] future_vet_tech 17 years ago

I agree with that, just because the child begs doesn't mean they ave to give in, responsible adults should know better!

[–] LannaDrewzetich 17 years ago

Exactly! Turns out they're worse than Cruella.
I have a mixbreed dog, I love it, and I wouldn't give it to a shelter for all the money in the world.

It's so sad people bought puppies to their spoiled bratts, just because they cried "I WANNA DALMATIAN DOG!!!".

Horrible...

[–] ooohhhmmyyyy 17 years ago

I hate it when dogs get put to sleep. I hope what you heard wasn't true. I can't bare to see pure breads getting put to sleep.

http://s10.invisionfree.com/Nova_Infinity/

[–] HeavyHeartToCarry 13 years ago

Oh, but it's perfectly okay to put mixed-breeds to sleep? Wow.

"A true leader does what is right, no matter what others think." - Dumbledore

[–] IDontTouchNoVicodin 17 years ago

Dalmatians are plain stupid dogs. Nobody should have them if they can avoid it.

What's red and silly? A blood clot.

[–] angelcocochen 16 years ago

Same thing happened in Singapore after Finding Nemo. Like, exatly what the film said NOT TO DO, lots of idiots bought clown fish and couldn't handle them cuz they need salinity in the water, corals and all that. Morons

[–] selkn-asrai 16 years ago

I'm sorry, I can't take your crass comment seriously with a username like that.

They are wonderfully intelligent and stunning dogs, an ancient breed with a broad range of talents and quirks. The only dalmatian (and often, only animal at all) that warrants such uninformed idiocy from people are ones that were never properly cared for BY PEOPLE.

The only upside to your comment is the hope that your opinion means you'll never take one in. Assuredly, an animal deserves more than that.

"Now, bring me that horizon."

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] theLuCysky420 15 years ago

That's exactly the same thing that's happening in California right now with chihuahuas because of all the movies that have recently come out featuring chihuahuas. California shelters are reportedly overflowing with them because people impulsively go out and buy them after seeing these movies.
http://www.theweek.com/article/index/104203/Californias_chihuahua_cris is
And selkn-asrai, I think what the poster meant by high maintenance, etc is just that dalmatians are known to have a lot of health problems and people weren't expecting that responsibility when they bought them.

[–] jajceboy 15 years ago

This isnt unusual though. This has happened to every movie where cute animals have a central role, people just go out and random buys an animal without thinking about the consequenses.
101 Dalmatians is just one of those movies....

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] trixie-k-88 14 years ago

I agree. I remember being a little kid and thinking that was horrible. People are stupid and think of pets as novelties. Just because a well trained dog is in a popular movie doesn't meant that one you get will be like that.

I figured that move happen with the Chihuahuas too. I wonder if Disney will ever make a movie with a breed of dog that actually LIKES children. Both Dalmatians and Chihuahuas usually hate children and are likely to snap.

But to whoever said Dalmatians are stupid...you're wrong. They're highly intelligent and high energy dogs. They're just not suited for most people's homes.

[–] blubowler8908 13 years ago

Did anyone look to see if the same thing happened with Golden Retrievers, American bulldogs, or Himalayns after the Homeward Bound movies came out? Golden retrievers are, I think, one of the BEST family dogs.

[–] trixie-k-88 13 years ago

I don't think it did. But I think the difference is it wasn't ALL Goldens. Besides, American Bulldogs are somewhat rare. However, I imagine there has been an increase in demands with all the "Buddy" movies. Luckily they are an excellent family dog.

And it did in fact happen with Chihuahuas is anyone was thinking of that too. I ran into a little girl and her father who was coming to adopt a dog at Petco. I was with the animal shelter I volunteer for and she said she wanted a Chihuahua. I internally rolled my eyes and asked her if the movie Beverly Hills Chihuahua made her want one and she said yes. I was SO relieved when they walked away with a Jack Russel mix.