Ladder 20, Division 1, Rescue 6

I thought the requisite dalmation at the firehouse
had gone the way of the horse-drawn fire engine, but
many stations still keep one as a kind of mascot,
including this one on Lafayette St. in Soho.
Before the 1920s, they performed an important function,
as friend and protector of the horses—guarding them
(and the equipment) against theft and running ahead of them
to clear the way when they were called to a fire.

To see more Ruby Tuesday posts, go here.
And for more of Our World Tuesday, go here.]