No and yes both. Dalmatians are a high-energy dog. With the right training, they can be great with kids, and run and play with them till they both drop!

They are a high-energy breed, though, and NEED to be trained, to have their "job" in the family well established, and to be kept busy, too, or they can get destructive - like any bored dog or child can be!

Like any breed, though, it can also vary from dog to dog. I would ask the shelter or breeder if the dog has been socialized around children, or bring a child with you to see how the dog reacts. When we got the Saint Bernard that my family had when I was growing up, the breeder warned us that the father of the puppies was nervous around children. That surprised my parents greatly - Saint Bernards are known to be absoilutely fabulous with children! The breeder then explained that when the male was a young dog, they lived near a toddler that - when not supervised - would walk up to the dog and grab him by the jowls and pull - not to be mean, but that's just what he'd do. The dog never reacted badly, just whimpered and tried to squirm away, but after a couple of encounters of this sort, would avoid toddlers at all costs. Would could blame him, poor thing? So you need to be clear on any dog's background before you make any assumptions, no matter what breed it is!