Dalmatians, in particular, we're used in the late 19th century and early 20th century to run along-side horse-drawn fire wagons to serve as a barrier between the horses/wagon and other people and animals on the street, as the wagon raced through to a fire. A short description of the history can be found here, for example: https://www.livescience.com/33293-dalmatians-official-firehouse-dogs.html
If you ever happen to visit Boston with little kids, the Boston Fire Museum is a great place to take them. It's small, but loaded with historical trivia such as this.