A Dalmatian is a large dog with short white hair and round black spots — or, less often, brown ones. The breed can be traced back to Croatia, to the old region of Dalmatia, which is where the name comes from. People know the look from films, and in some countries fire stations kept these dogs as a kind of lucky companion. Though actually a puppy is born white; the spots come later. Not every white dog with black marks is a Dalmatian — this is a set breed, with a certain body and a certain kind of spot. The same word can also mean a person or thing from Dalmatia, but when most learners meet it, they mean the dog.