Have you ever wondered why firefighters usually have pet dalmatians? Well, it's because before the fire engine was invented, firefighters got around via horse-drawn carriages. Dalmatians and horses are pretty compatible, so they trained the dogs to run in front of the carriages to help clear a path and guide the horses, and then to calm the horses down when they get to the place that's on fire. When the horses were phased out, the firefighters kept the dalmatians around, though they tend to stay at the fire stations nowadays.
The dalmatian standing proudly alongside firefighters is such an iconic image, isn't it? So it's no surprise that eventually someone came up with the idea of a cartoon show where the dalmatians actually WERE the firefighters. That someone was a Mr. Gerald Tripp, and that cartoon was Hoze Houndz.
Hoze Houndz premiered on Family Channel in October 1999. It starred six firefighting dalmatians - Hozer, Squirt, Steamer, Fontaine, Crystal, and Brooke - living in a world of anthropomorphic cats and dogs, specifically in the town of Bonehead Hollow. For a lesser-known cartoon, it actually did pretty well, receiving six seasons. I have no idea if the show ever aired in the United States (we don't have Family Channel over here, do we?), which is likely the reason for its obscurity. But what luck, you can find episodes of the show on YouTube!
So, is Hoze Hounds any good? We'll be watching the episodes "High Bred Hound" and "Hozer, I Shrunk the Houndz" to find out.
