Famous Dogs
There have been many famous dogs in history and this section of
the site is dedicated to the heroic, famous and legendary dogs and
their owners. The names of the famous dogs might prove to be
inspirational for anyone who is looking for a suitable name for a
boy dog or a girl dog but a full dog names is also available for a
really wide selection. Many US Presidents have also been proud
owners of dogs and these are listed in a separate section to our dedication to famous
dogs.
The famous dogs cover all sections of the dog community and
achieve their fame from:
Famous Movie Dogs
Famous TV Dogs
Famous Fictional Dogs
Dogs owned by Famous People and
celebrities
Famous Police Dogs
Their names and their stories are
all detailed in this section. If you are looking for some inspiration for
a dog's name for a new puppy perhaps celebrity dog names will provide you
with the inspiration you are looking for.
Nipper - His Master's Voice
Nipper was the most famous dog recognised by millions of music
lovers. The record label for HMV (His Master's Voice) featured a
picture of Nipper listening to his master's gramophone - take a
look at the picture at the top of the page which might stir a few
happy memories!
Fluffy
Who can forget the three-headed dog who guarded the Philosopher's
Stone at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry? Certainly not
Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger!
Toto - Dorothy's dog
-
The Wizard of Oz
Toto was Dorothy's dog in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank
Baum. A mischievous dog portrayed as a Cairn Terrier in the movie
The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland.
Lassie
There have been many dogs called Lassie but the first Lassie a
rough collie starred in the 1942 movie 'Lassie Come Home'. Lassie
was played by several male dogs, despite the female name, because
male collies were thought to look better on camera.
Bingo
Bingo is the name of the dog on the Cracker Jack box
Lady and Tramp
Walt Disney's family dog was a poodle named Lady. Perhaps this
name was
the inspiration for Disney's famous animated movie 'Lady and the
Tramp'
Rover
In 1905 the first canine movie star was featured in "Rescued by
Rover"
Max
The name of the dog from "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" is Max
Crab - The Shakespearean Dog
The only dog to ever appear in a play by William Shakespearean was
Crab who appeared in "The Two Gentlemen of Verona." To find out
more about William Shakespeare visit the most comprehensive site
on the great Bard -
William Shakespeare.info
Thisbe
The tragic Queen of France Marie Antoinette, who was beheaded on
the Guillotine, owned a spaniel dog named Thisbe.
Pongo and Perdita - 101 Dalmations
Pongo and Perdita were the stars of the famous animated Disney
movie - 101 Dalmatians. Pongo has 72 spots, Perdita has 68
and each of the puppies has 32 !
Blondi
Adolf Hitler's favorite dog was an alsatian called Blondi.
Adolf Hitler used Blondi to make sure cyanide capsules were
lethal. Hitler then used the cyanide to commit suicide when he saw
it worked on Blondi
Greyfriars Bobby
Greyfriars Bobby was a famous Skye Terrier immortalised in the
Disney movie of the same name. In 1858 a man named John Gray (Old
Jock) was buried in old Greyfriars Churchyard, in Edinburgh. This
loyal dog slept on his master's grave for the next 14 years until
his own death. A statue commemorates this most loyal of dogs.
Flush
Flush was the name of the dog owned by the English poet Elizabeth
Barrett Browning immortalised in the movie the ' Barretts of
Wimpole Street ' starring Charles Laughton who played her strict
father. Elizabeth Barrett was an invalid and confined to the house
for many years. During this time she acquired a love of poetry and
wrote the famous dog poem simply called '
To Flush, My Dog '. Her
love of poetry lead her to meet another famous English poet called
Robert Browning. They fell in love and married despite the
objections of her father.
K9
A mechanical dog was given the name K9 in the cult British TV
series Dr. Who. Originally intended as a children's program Dr.
Who quickly became popular with adults thanks to K9 and, of
course, the Daleks.
Bullseye - Fictional Dog from
Oliver Twist
Bullseye was the famous dog belonging to the villain Bill Sykes
dog in the book called Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. The dog was vicious having been badly treated
by Bill Sykes but nevertheless was loyal to his owner.
Nana - The Darling's Dog in Peter Pan
Nana was the Newfoundland dog belonging to the Darling Family in
Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie. Nana howled to alert Wendy's parents
that the children were flying away. Mr. Darling ignored the
warning of Nana and was so remorseful at the loss of the children
that he slept in the kennel in Nana's place until their safe
return.
Quoodle
Our favourite dog poem of all time is
The Song of Quoodle
by G.K.Chesterton - a real treat for anyone who has never heard of
this poem. Gilbert Keith Chesterton, otherwise known as G. K.
Chesterton was an English Poet and Journalist who lived between
1874 and 1936. He was educated at University College and was first
published in 1896.
Balto - Siberian Husky
Balto was the lead dog in the team of Siberian huskies who carried
Diptheria serum 650 miles from Anchorage to epidemic-ridden Nome
in 1925
Robot - The Lascaux Cave Paintings
Robot was the dog who discovered the cave paintings at Lascaux
September 12, 1940. His owner was a young 17 year old French lad
called Marcel Ravidat
Rin Tin Tin
Rin Tin Tin was one of the most famous and popular canine movie
stars. Rin Tin Tin was always played by a German shepherd, or
alsatian. "Rinty" was featured in a total of 24 Warner Brothers
movies.
Suening - The Dog King
King Eystein who ruled Norway between 1104 and 1123 decreed that,
as a punishment to his people, that a dog called Suening should
rule in his place. Three years passed where Suening routinely
signed decrees with with paw-prints!
Luath
Luath was the name of the dog owned by the famous poet Robert
Burns. Robert Burns came from Scotland and lived between 1759 and
1796. He was educated at home and his father was a gardener and
farmer. The most famous poems by Robert Burns were A Red Red Rose
and Auld Lang Syne ! Robert Burns was a Dog Lover who wrote a poem
dedicated to dogs called The Twa Dogs
Argus - Odysseus's dog
Argus (or Argos) was the name of a long-lived dog owned by
Odysseus in the Odyssey by Homer. When Odysseus returns from his
long voyages he wears the disguise of a beggar and only Argus his
loyal old dog, recognizes him.
Anubis - Ancient Egyptian God
Anubis was an Ancient Egyptian god with a dog's (or a jackal's)
head. Anubis was the God of the Dead and is usually depicted as a
black dog with long sharp ears The black colour of Anubis is not
natural to jackals or to the wild dogs of Egypt - it may refer to
the dark discoloration of a body after death and during
mummification.
Black Shuck - The Spectre Hound - The
Baskerville Hound?
Black Shuck is the name of a legendary ghost hound said to haunt
the ancient roads of Norfolk, England. Said to be the size of a
calf with blazing eyes. This mythological ghost dog is said to
have inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his famous book The Hound
of the Baskervilles.
Cafall - Noble Dog of King Arthur
Cafall is reputed to be the dog who was owned by King Arthur of
Camelot. Cafall was a mighty dog, brave, loyal and regal. The type
of dog only a King such as Arthur was able to own.
Cerberus - The Hound of Hades
According to Greek Mythology Cerberus was a strange and fiercesome
mixture of creatures - having three heads of wild dogs, a dragon
or serpent for a tail and heads of snakes all over his back. It
was the twelth labour of Hercules to go to the depths of Hades and
kill Cerberus.
Boatswain - Lord Byron's Dog
Boatswain was the Newfoundland dog referred to in one of the
Dog Epitaphs by
Lord Byron
Scylla - The She-Dragon
Scylla, or Skylla, was a part-dog figure featured in Greek
mythology. A She-Dragon with the upper body of a woman and the
tail of a serpentine fish with the foreparts of six dogs for legs.
The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Hound of the Baskervilles, the terrifying killer dog portrayed
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the book of the same name. It is
possible that he based the hound on the legendary Black Shuck of
Norfolk, England.
Timmy
Timmy was the fifth member of the Famous Five in the Famous Five
series of books by Enid Blyton.
Flash - TV Dog
Flash was the Basset Hound from The Dukes of Hazzard TV series.
Hachiko - Japanese symbol of loyalty
Each year on April 8th at a ceremony in Tokyo's Shibuya railway
station dog lovers do homage to the loyalty and devotion of an
Akita dog called Hachiko. Hachiko was the loyal and faithful pet
of Dr. Eisaburo Ueno, a professor at Tokyo University. On May 21st
1925, when Hachiko was eighteen months old Dr Ueno died. The next
day and for the next nine years, Hachiko returned to the station
and waited for his master before walking home, alone.
Old Shep - Faithful American dog
Old Shep maintained a five year vigil at the train station in Fort
Benton, Montana after seeing the coffin of his master loaded onto
a train.
Pickles - The World Cup Dog
Pickles, discovered the Jules Rimet trophy under a bush in South
London (the Football World Cup) after it had been stolen in
England in 1966.
The Bandog
The Bandog is said to be a huge spirit-world mastiff with massive
jaws from which flames appear. The Bandog was believed to guard
treasure buried beneath the Rock of Dunamase, the stronghold of
the Kings of Leinster, overlooking Portlaoise in County Laois in
Ireland.
Bob - The Parliamentary Candidate
In 1982 Bob, a Springer Spaniel, stood for Parliament representing
"The Monster Raving Loony Barking Mad Dog Party". He was was owned
by Lord David Sutch ( Screaming Lord Sutch).
Toby - The Richest Dog in the World
In 1932 the American millionairess, Ella Wendal left a record
legacy of 75 million dollars in her will to her standard Poodle
called Toby.
The Dam Buster Dog
Nigger was a black Labrador Retriever who belonged to the World
War II Dam Buster Squadron Leader Guy Gibson who gave his dog's
name as the codename to be used as the indication that the mission
had been successful. The dog was sadly run over immediately prior
to the raid and was killed. Guy Gibson ordered that the dog should
be buried at midnight, the time that the raid was taking place.
Search and Rescue dogs -
September 11, 2001 World Trade Center Terrorist attacks.
Over 300 dogs were brought into the site we now know as Ground
Zero. The NYPD dogs were the first there.
Sirius - 2001 World Trade Center hero
Sirius was was attached to the Port Authority Police Department
and was the only dog to lose his life in the search and rescue
efforts following the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center
Terrorist attacks.
Appollo - hero of NYPD K9 Search and
Rescue team
Appollo, part of the New York police Department K9 Search and
Rescue team was on the scene just fifteen minutes after the
disaster.
Riva and Salty - Guide Dog World
Trade Centre heroes
Riva and Salty were two guide dogs who saved their owner's lives
just before the World Trade Centre collapsed. Riva and Salty
guided their blind owners, Mr Roselle and Mr. Hingson down the
crowded, smoke filled stairs from the 71st floor and were later
honoured for their bravery.
Dogs in Space - Sputnik dogs
All of the Space dogs deserve a mention on any page dedicated to
famous dogs. Five dogs tragically died during their flights.
Laika
Laika was the first dog in space on the Russian satellite Sputnik
2. This momentous event occurred on November 3rd,1957 at the
height of the Cold war between Russia and the USA. It was a
one-way trip as she burned up in the Earth's atmosphere on 4 April
1958.
Lisichka and Bars
Died during a test flight on July 28, 1960
Strelka and Belka
Safely recovered from a Sputnik launched August 19, 1960, it
orbited the Earth 18 times. This was the first successful recovery
of living creatures after an orbital mission. Strelka gave birth
to puppies, one of them called Pushinka was presented by Soviet
Premier Kruschev to President Kennedy. Pushinka had 4 puppies of
her own puppies who JFK called “pupniks”!
Pchelka and Mushka
Died when Sputnik-3 re-entered the Earth's atmosphere in December
1960)
Damka and Krasavka
Launched December 22, 1960 and the two dogs survived an unplanned
suborbital flight.
Chernushka
Launched March 9, 1961.
Zvezdochka
Launched on March 25, 1961 and orbited once in final preparation
for the Vostok 1 mission. Zvezdochka was named by cosmonaut Yuri
Gagarin.
Verterok and Ugolek
Were launched on February 22, 1966, in the satellite Kosmos 110.
This was a 22-day mission.
The meanings of the Russian Space Dogs names are as follows:
Dogs Facts - Dog Quiz !
The famous dogs and their stories make fascinating reading. Our Dog Facts
section includes more interesting facts and information about canines and
their owners. If you enjoy Trivia and like Dogs then combine the two
elements and try out your amazing knowledge of dogs by visiting the
Dog Quiz - Can you make it to the 'Winner's Hall of Fame' ? The quiz is
fully interactive and picture based - more like a fast game - have fun and
enjoy!
