History"s Famous Dogs

HISTORY’S FAMOUS DOG’s Facebook posts have become very popular on Ark Animal Centre’s Facebook page. We have decided to make a permanent easy to find list of all famous dogs that have appeared on our page. From war dogs, to cartoon dogs, TV series dogs, movie star dogs, brave dogs, special dogs, robot dogs and much, much more!

Feel free to enjoy and learn something about our lovely canine friends ♥ We will soon be adding HISTORY’S FAMOUS ANIMAL LOVERS too.

 

BOBBIE! In 1923, Bobbie and his family left their home in Silverton, Oregon and went on a road trip.
Somehow, while in Indiana, the dog became separated from the family and, though they searched high and low, was thought to be gone for good.

Not quite. Bobbie showed up on their doorstep — 2,800 miles away — six months later. After his return, Bobbie became a national celebrity, even playing himself in a silent film!

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K9!! A mechanical dog in the cult British TV series Doctor Who. Originally intended as a children’s program Doctor Who quickly became popular with adults thanks to K9 and, of course, the Daleks. ♥

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TEDDY! Perez Hilton’s dog, Teddy Hilton is more famous than most people. He even has his own website where the celebrity blogger writes about animal rights: http://www.teddyhilton.com/

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ACE UNDERWOOD! The love of singer Carrie Underwood life.. He was even at her wedding, “He’ll be one of the ring bearers — he’s like my kid,” she said. “Ace is such a big part of my life.”

He was dressed up in a custom, powder pink tuxedo, and wearing a custom white gold and diamond “A” designed by the jeweler Johnathon Arndt.

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FRANKIE!! Supermodel, Miranda Kerr’s dog is often photographed with the model, and has been in many of her photo shoots. Like on the cover of Vogue Italia (3D cover).

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BO OBAMA! The “First Dog” of the USA. Bo is a male Portuguese Water Dog and was chosen because of Malia Obama’s allergies.

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SPIKE!! Snoopy’s older brother of seven siblings in the Peanut’s comic. He has appeared in many of the famous comic strips.

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BLACKJACK!! He had been quartered with the Ft Benning, Infantry School, Scout Dog Platoon.

When his master asked Lackland AFB for disposition instructions, he was told that BlackJack had been destroyed in Vietnam and no longer existed and was told not to bother them again. Yet he actually had the dog, his service and medical records with him.

Against all odds Ft Benning brought him home with him, actually, there were two of them he saved, BlackJack and Wolf. Both dogs now live an awesome life of retirement.

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HOOCH! His real name is Beasley. He starred opposite Tom Hanks in the 1989 comedy Turner & Hooch. While Beasley passed away in 1992, his legacy lives on.

He was responsible for helping to make the French Mastiff breed more popular as a household pet and in television roles.

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ARGOS! The dog, Argos, is important in early Greek literature and mythology. Argos was the dog of Odysseus. He belonged to Odysseus as a pup.

Odysseus left for the Trojan was and was gone for twenty years(ten years fighting the war and ten years on the return home). Finally, when Argos was twenty years old, Odysseus returned to his home disguised as a beggar to see how things stood.

No one recognized him — not his son, not his wife or any of his servants. Only old Argos knew his master. When he saw him he wagged his tail. He gave a final whimper and died.

It’s a heartbreaking scene in the Odyssey. ♥

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LADY & the Titanic Canines. A baby Pomeranian named Lady was one of three dogs to survive the sinking of the Titanic, out of 12 canines on board.

Owned by Margaret Hays, Lady survived the sinking because crew members allowed Hays to get in a lifeboat with the blanket-wrapped puppy. “Because they assumed it was a baby, it survived,” said Titanic expert J. Joseph Edgette.

Presumably, the surviving dogs were so small, no one took notice when they were carried onto lifeboats. Two were Pomeranians, one being Lady and the other dog’s name was unknown. Also surviving was a Pekinese named Sun-Yat Sen, owned by the Harpers of the book publisher Harper & Row.

Another mystery surrounding Titanic and its dogs is an even sadder tale of a woman who would not leave her beloved companion while she drifted to safety in a lifeboat, but is it true?

As the story is told, Ann Elizabeth Isham, a first class passenger, was traveling with her Great Dane. When the crew refused to allow Isham to take the large dog aboard a life boat due to its size, she reportedly refused to save herself and leave her dog aboard the sinking ship.

Edgette said the crew on the Mackay-Bennet, which was sent to recover bodies from the disaster later recorded finding a woman’s body floating in the ocean. She was clinging to the body of a dog and it was presumed it was Isham and her beloved dog. ♥

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SARGENT REX! Retired Marine Meagan Leavey won her long-fought battle to adopt her former K-9 partner. She served two tours in Iraq with Sgt. Rex, who is 11 years old.

Leavey said Rex will be living a well-deserved life of luxury at her New York home. “Whatever he wants. He wants to sleep all day. I have a nice fenced-in yard, so he’s got plenty of area to run around. I got plenty of toys,” she said. ♥

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HOT DOG!! The lovable, sheepdog that belonged to Jughead of the Archie comics

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NEMO! The German Shepherd was a veteran of the Vietnam War. Unlike most of the dogs that served during that time, Nemo was allowed to come home.

Nemo was trained to be a sentry dog at Lackland Airforce Base in Texas and was shipped to Vietnam in 1966. After his original handler returned to the US, Nemo was paired with Airman Second Class Robert Thorneburg. The two formed a close bond right away.

On on December 3rd, 1966 after a night of fighting, Thorneburg and Nemo were out on patrol when Nemo sensed something. Before he could radio for backup, a Thorneburg was shot in the shoulder and Nemo was shot in the muzzle. The bullet entered under his right eye and exited through his mouth.

Ignoring the wound, Nemo ran towards the 4 gunmen and allowed Thorneburg the time to call for reinforcements. Both man and dog were rushed in for emergency treatment.

Nemo’s right eye had to be removed and he received skin grafts on his wounds. Eventually he was flown home to Lackland where he could receive the best Veterinary care.

He lived out the rest of his life at the dog training facility on the Lackland Air Force Base. Nemo died on March 15, 1973. ♥

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OWENEY!! He was a stray dog that the workers at the New York post office took in. He loved the smell of postal bags so he would follow them around and even ride the trains to their destinations.

The New York branch gave him a collar to wear so that people would know who he was in case he got lost. Other branches he visited also did the same thing and gave him medals with their branch’s name on it.
He became the Post office’s unofficial mascot.

Sadly he died when a police officer shot him because he bit a worker that had mistreated him. His medals can still be found in the Postal Museum in DC.

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SKIP! “My Dog Skip” is the story about nine-year-old boy and his dog in a small, sleepy Southern town that teaches us about family, friendship, love, devotion and bravery.

Willie and Skip’s relationship goes beyond that of owner and dog, but is a relationship recognized and celebrated by the entire town.

In 2000, the book was made into the film My Dog Skip. Although Skip was a Fox Terrier, a number of Jack Russell terriers were used in filming, two of which were Moose, and Moose’s son Enzo who both portrayed Eddie on the sitcom Frasier.

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TARGET! He was one of three dogs that American soldiers would play with while they were stationed at the borders in Afghanistan.

The soldiers would play with the stray dogs whenever they got bored and remembered their homes. One day however these three proved to be more than just a remedy for the soldiers homesickness, when they attacked a suicide bomber who tried to enter a soldiers tent.

The tent had people inside who would’ve died if not for the heroic acts of the dogs. The bomber exploded even before he got in and the dogs saved the soldiers lives.

Later on one of the soldiers petitioned that the remaining dogs be brought with him to America. Rufus and Target received a hero’s welcome when they landed and target even appeared on Oprah.

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BARRY! He is the legendary rescue dog of the Swiss. The St Bernard was trained by monks to help them rescue people who got lost in the Alps.

During his career as a rescue dog he is recorded to have saved around 40 people. His most famous rescue is when he found a child in the snow. He licked on the child to keep him warm and kept barking to signal the monks of their location.

When the monks couldn’t reach them because of the snow, the boy wrapped his arms around Barry and the dog carried him to safety. He retired from his rescue career in 1812 and was cared for by one of the monks. ♥

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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.

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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.’ Read more below: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_and_the_Tramp

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Pongo & 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! ♥

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Timmy! He was the fifth member of the Famous Five in the Famous Five series of books by Enid Blyton. Click link to read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Famous_Five_(series)

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 Bruiser from the movie Legally Blonde (his real name is Mooney) ♥

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 Lassie!! The most famous dog on earth was actually a male dog called Pal. He was chosen to portray Lassie in the film called, Lassie Come Home ♥

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PLUTO!! Possibly the most famous animated cartoon character in film history, Mickey Mouse, was created in 1927 as Mortimer Mouse by Walt Disney’s partner and fellow animator Ub Iwerks.
Renamed Mickey, the following year, the mouse starred in the first sound cartoon “Steamboat Willie,” with Disney himself providing the character’s voice. Mickey was subsequently featured in dozens of shorts and, along with other such characters as Donald Duck and Pluto the Dog, became an international celebrity.

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Able Seaman Just Nuisance.  ”Just Nuisance was the only dog ever to be officially enlisted in the Royal Navy. He was a Great Dane who from 1939-44 served at HMS Afrikander, a Royal Navy shore establishment in Simon’s Town, South Africa. He died in 1944 and was buried with full military honours.”

Read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_Nuisance

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BALTO! The Siberian husky that led his team 650 miles from Nenana to Nome carrying Diptheria serum, 1925. Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balto

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NIPPER (1884–1895) The faithful dog sitting in front of the gramophone listening to His Master’s Voice. Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nipper

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Saur, he was a dog that belonged to the king of Norway in the 11th century. The king was deposed, but returned to power. He was angry, however, at the insult to his dignity, so he crowned his dog “king” for three years, and demanded that he be treated royally.

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 Laika (Russian for Bark), she 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. Read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laika

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 Bingo! He is the dog on the Cracker Jack box. (Popcorn). Read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracker_Jack

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Charlie B. Barkin from All Dogs Go to Heaven a 1989 animated film teaching kids (and adults) important lessons about honesty, loyalty, and love. ♥

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Scooby Doo! An American cartoon series based around several animated television series and related works produced from 1969 to the present day.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scooby-Doo

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Milo, Stanley’s dog in the 1994 film – The Mask. Read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mask_(film)

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Uggie the star from the silent 2011 film The Artist.

The film was nominated for six Golden Globes, and won three. The film was also nominated for twelve BAFTA’ss, and won seven. It was nominated for ten Academy Awards and won five. Read more here: .http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Artist_(film)

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Beethoven, a 1992 movie about a stray dog who wasn’t one for tricks — but he still managed to foil an animal testing ring, outsmart two dog thieves, and scuttle a bad business deal.

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Chloe from Beverly Hills Chihuahua ♥ A cheeky comedy about a spoiled Chihuahua who finds herself kidnapped while her owner is on vacation. She finds herself in the company of a German Shepherd who helps her to evade the evil dognapper.

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 Fluffy! A large, three-headed dog who was once cared for by Hagrid in the Harry Potter film. Fluffy’s greatest weakness is the inability to resist falling asleep to the sound of music. ♥

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Faith, a bipedal female dog, was born in December 2002 in the United States with three legs; two fully developed hind legs and a deformed front leg, which was amputated when she was seven months old after it began to atrophy.

Her owner, Jude Stringfellow, adopted Faith when the mother dog was found trying to smother the deformed puppy—her son rescued the puppy and brought her home. Many people, including veterinarians, advised that Faith be euthanized. Instead, using a spoon with peanut butter as an incentive, Jude taught Faith to hop but Faith decided on her own to walk; the family’s corgi would bark at Faith from another room, or nip her heels to urge her to walk.
♥ Watch the amazing video below: ♥
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSB9aBMayxU

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Blondi, Adolf Hitler’s favorite dog was an alsatian called Blondi. Adolf used Blondi to make sure cyanide capsules were lethal. He then used the cyanide to commit suicide when he saw it worked on Blondi.

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Dewey & his team of Husky’s from the movie Eight Below, who survived 175 days in the icy cold Antartica weather. Based on a true story. ♥

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Rin Tin Tin. A German shepherd who ranked as one of the all-time famous canine movie stars. “Rinty” was in 19 movies before his death in 1932.

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ROBOT! A terrier boy who discovered the Lascaux Cave in 1940. Read the full story here: http://arkanimalcentre.wordpress.com/2012/02/28/lascaux-cave-4-boys-a-dog/

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SOTER! The only one of 50 watchdogs of ancient Greece that alone survived attack by invaders and ran to the gates of Corinth to warn the citizens. In memory of Soter and forty-nine dogs a monument was erected in IV century BC ♥

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MOPS! The royal dog of Marie Antoinette‘s younger years in the 17th century was a Pug ♥

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ROVER! In 1905 the first canine movie star (a Collie), was featured in the silent film “Rescued by Rover.” See link for more: http://arkanimalcentre.wordpress.com/2012/03/02/first-canine-movie-star/

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CRAB! The only dog to ever appear in a play by William Shakespeare was Crab who appeared in “The Two Gentlemen of Verona.”

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SNOOPY! He was based on Charles Schulz’s dog Spike in the Peanut’s comic strip. Snoopy’s name was planned to be Sniffy but there was another comic dog with the same name ♥

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ANUBIS! He was an Ancient Egyptian God with a dog’s (or a jackal’s) head. He is associated with mummification and the afterlife in ancient Egyptian religion.

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JOCK! Jock of the Bushveld is a true story by South African author Sir James Percy Fitzpatrick.
Read more below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jock_of_the_Bushveld

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BRUNO! The loyal and lovable dog to Disney’s Cinderella.

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MAX! When the Grinch sees his dog, Max, covered in snow in a Santa Claus-like way, the Grinch decides to disguise himself as Santa and steal Christmas in the movie “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas“

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Strongheart, Lassie and Rin Tin Tin, they are the only 3 dogs to have stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame ★ ★ ★

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Greyfriars Bobby! He 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. ♥

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Black Shuck. 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. Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Shuck

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 Cerberus. Known as 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.

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Winn-Dixie! Based on the bestselling book, this is a sweet story about a lonely young girl who moves to a new town and the dog that changes her life.

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BOLT! A celebrity dog in a Hollywood show who believes he has superpowers. A real world adventure and some unlikely pals teach Bolt that you don’t need superpowers to be a hero. ♥

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NANA! The Darling’s beautiful St. Bernard Dog in the children’s classic Peter Pan ♥

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Flash! He was the Basset Hound from The Dukes of Hazzard TV series.

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HACHIKO! (1923 – 1935)
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.

Each year on April 8th at a ceremony in Tokyo’s Shibuya railway station dog lovers pay homage to the loyalty and devotion of Hachiko.

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PERITAS! Alexander the Great founded a city, in India, in honor of his dog Peritas.

♥ Read the full story ♥
Alexander the Great, who dominated, conquered, and created one of the largest empires in ancient history had a beloved dog by his side, named Peritas, who was a Molossian dog.

Alexander was 11 years old when he got Peritas. His dog was rumored to have battled an elephant and brought it to its knees. But Peritas greatest loyalty is in the story of how he saved Alexander the Great.

According to legend, Peritas defended Alexander when he was trapped by his enemies and his own soldiers were prevented from rescuing him. Leonnatus, who fought with Alexander heard Peritas barking and told the dog to run to Alexander.

The courageous dog ran through the soldiers and lurched at the enemies who hadjust wounded Alexander with a javelin. Peritas attacked many of the men, which allowed Alexander’s soldiers to save him before he was wounded again.

Peritas, as the story goes was wounded too, but did not survive, as he used his last breaths to put his head on Alexander’s lap. Peritas name lives on forever in the city of Peritas, in India which Alexander the Great name for his beloved dog.

The tomb of his dog and a statue depicting Peritas still exists at the entrance to the city. Alexander had many dogs, but Peritas was his favorite dog. ♥

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 911 Rescue Dogs! Over 300 dogs were brought into the site we now know as Ground Zero. The NYPD dogs were the first there. Here is some info on a few of them:

♥ 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.

TOO TRUE!! ♥ “If these dogs only knew what a difference they make. Certainly, there’s nothing that can replace the precision of a dog’s nose—and absolutely nothing that can replace a dog’s heart.” – Bob Sessions, rescue worker, Federal Emergency Management Agency.

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THE DULUX DOG! The Old English Sheepdog is the brand mascot for Dulux paint.
The dog was first introduced in advertising campaigns in 1961.

Since then they have been a constant and highly popular feature of Dulux television and print adverts wherever the paint is sold.
So much so, that many people in those markets refer to the breed as a ‘Dulux dog’ rather than a Sheepdog.

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Guinefort, the Saint of Infants.
A select few people have been given the designation of “Saint,” but only one dog has also received that distinction.

The story goes that a 13th century French knight left his infant son in the care of his greyhound, Guinefort, for the day (you’ll notice the knight in this tale is not the patron saint of parenting).

Upon returning home, the knight found the home torn apart, blood on the dog’s face, and his son nowhere in sight.
Thinking his dog had eaten the child, the knight instantly shot him with an arrow, only to find his son moments later, alive and well, next to the mutilated remains of a snake.

The knight was so upset by his mistake that he buried Guinefort in a well and erected a shrine on top of it. Local villagers prayed to the brave dog even after a visiting inquisitor had the shrine destroyed and labeled the dog a heretic.

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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.

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DINO!! The lovable, friendly, purple pet dinosaur dog of Fred Flintstone and his family. ♥ Yabba-Dabba-Doo!

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MARLEY! The dog most famous for bringing people to tears in the well known book and movie Marley & Me ♥ This loving Lab showed the world what amazing creatures dogs are.

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Sandy! Sandy, who overcame abuse as a puppy and was nearly put to death at a pound before achieving Broadway fame as the best friend of Little Orphan Annie and a member of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s inner circle.

The dog, a beige terrier mix, lived in Haddam, Conn., with his owner and trainer, William Berloni. Sandy thrilled youngsters for the entire run of the musical ”Annie,” which opened at the Alvin Theater on April 21, 1977, and closed on Jan. 2, 1983, after 2,377 performances. Sandy missed only 14 of those performances.

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TINKERBELL! The pet Chihuahua of socialite Paris Hilton who famously carried her everywhere from red carpet events to shopping malls.

Tinkerbell went missing in 2004 and Paris offered a $ 5,000 reward for her safe return. Tinkerbell was found a few days after going missing.

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COPPER! Star of The Fox & The Hound, a tale of an unlikely friendship between a puppy and a fox. Unfortunately everyone grows up & this coming of age story explores two young friends who later become forced enemies.

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RAGS! A Cairn Terrier mix who served as the mascot of the 1st Infantry Division during World War I. He “joined up” in 1917 in France and held his title until his death in 1931.

In 1920 Rags was adopted by the family of Major Raymond W. Hardenberg. He is buried at Aspen Hill Memorial Park & Animal Sanctuary in Maryland.

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ODIE!! The slobbery, clumsy but oh so cute friend & sidekick of the worlds most famous cat, Garfield! ♥

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MOOSE! (December 24, 1990 – June 22, 2006) was a veteran canine actor, most famous for his performances as Eddie Crane on the television sitcom Fraiser.

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CHIPS! He was a German Shepherd/Collie/Husky mix that ended up being the most decorated K9 that served during World War II.

Edward J. Wren owned Chips, but donated him to the army (private citizens were asked to donate their dogs to serve).
In 1942 Chips began his training as a sentry dog. He traveled the world while serving with the 3rd Infantry Division – seeing North Africa, Sicily, Italy, France and Germany.

In 1943, during the invasion of Sicily, Chips and his handler were trapped on the beach by machine gun fire. Chips broke free of his handlers grip and ran towards the fire, attacking the gunmen and eventually causing their surrender to American troops.

For his heroism during the war he was given the Silver Star and Purple Heart, but those awards were later revoked (at that time dogs could not be given those awards).

He was unofficially given a Theater Ribbon with an Arrowhead and 8 battle stars (for each of his campaigns). In 1945 he was returned to the Wren family.

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 FALKOR! The magical dragon/dog creature from the 1984 movie The Never Ending Story ♥

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LEX! A German Shepherd that served in Iraq alongside Cpl. Dustin Lee.

Lee was killed in a mortar attack outside Falluja with Lex by his side. The German Shepherd was so faithful to his handler that he had to be pulled away from him to allow medics to attend to Lee. The dog sustained some shrapnel wounds.

Lex was present at Lee’s funeral and comforted his younger siblings. Normally military dogs must “serve” until they are 10, but the family of Cpl. Lee was told that Lex would be able to take early retirement and come to live with them given the circumstances.

There was much bureaucratic paperwork, but eventually the Lee’s prevailed.

At a ceremony a Marine read a statement, “This is to certify that military working dog Lex, having served faithfully and honorably, was discharged from the United States Marine Corps on this 21st day of December 2007″.

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SMOKY! She was a 2 kg, 18 cm tall, Yorkshire Terrier who served in World War II.

In 1944 Smoky was found in a foxhole in the jungles of New Guinea by an American soldier who brought her back to camp and sold her to Corporal William A. Wynne for $ 6.44.

For the next 2 years Smoky lived a soldiers life. Because she was not an official military dog, she did not get dog food or medical care. She shared Wynne’s meals and slept beside him in his tent.

The little dog even flew 12 air/sea rescue and photo reconnaissance missions, secured in the soldiers backpack. She survived 150 air raids and saved Wynne by warning him of incoming shells.

Like many Yorkies, Smoky also loved to learn tricks and preform. She did so with the Special Services – entertaining soldiers in hospitals. After the war Smoky was flown back to the US hidden in a oxygen mask carrying case.

For the next 10 years she made television and public appearances in Veterans hospitals until her death in 1957. Smoky is considered the first Therapy Dog.

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SIRIUS, the “Dog Star”! The star Sirius is located in the constellation, Canis Majoris, and is the brightest star visible from earth.

It is called the “dog-star” because it is the biggest and brightest star in the “Big Dog” (Canis Majoris) constellation, and is also one of the nearest stars to earth.

There are several versions of legends surrounding Sirius, with the following being one of the Greek myths. According to this version of the legend, Sirius was one of the hunting dogs owned by the great hunter, Orion. Orion was in love with Merope (sometimes called Metrope) a King’s daughter, but was never allowed to marry her. However, one day when he was drunk, he forced himself upon her, and her father asked Dionysis (one of the Greek gods,) to curse him.

Orion lapsed into a coma, and discovered that he was blind when he woke up. He went to an oracle, in order to try and solve this problem, who told him to travel east. After having been told this, Orion moved to Crete, where Artemis (a Greek goddess) fell in love with him, so hard, in fact, that she forgot to light up the sky at night.

The sun god, Appollo, became jealous of Artemis’s love for Orion, and so devised a plan. He bet her that she couldn’t hit a speck on the horizon with an arrow. Not knowing that the speck was in fact Orion swimming in the ocean, Artemis accepted this challenge, and shot her arrow, which hit Orion and killed him.

When she realised that she had killed Orion, she was overcome with guilt, and placed him as a constellation up in the heavens.

♥ Now this is where Sirius finally comes in. Sirius was the faithful dog belonging to Orion, and when Orion was killed, he would not stop searching for him, and cried out for his master.

So Artemis placed Sirius, the dog-star, at Orion’s feet in the heavens. ♥

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STRELKA and BELKA! Launched on Sputnik 5 in 1960 for a one-day mission into space. They were the first to return alive.

As a result, much more was learned from their mission. Strelka later gave birth to a litter of puppies, one of which, Pushinka, was given to President John F. Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline.

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 Santa’s Little Helper!! A charming, but poorly trained Greyhound.

This retired racing Greyhound has been a staple of the Simpson household for years. Having saved members of the family on numerous occasions, it’s often surprising that Bart was so quick to replace him with the more well trained Laddie (a joke on Lassie).

Eventually Bart came to his senses, and Santa’s Little Helper has stayed with the Simpsons ever since.

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Sargent STUBBY!! He was the Pit Bull hero of World War I.

He enlisted in the most unlikely of circumstances, wandering onto Yale University Field (which was being used at the time for military training) as a stray. His stocky looks and good nature made him the perfect mascot.

When the soldiers were deploying, they had a quandary. Most of them would be traveling via mass transit and they couldn’t sneak a dog on with them. That’s when they discovered that Corporal J. Conroy would be traveling in a supply car.

At first he was resistant to the idea, but after meeting the endearing canine, he couldn’t refuse. Somehow the soldiers managed to smuggle Stubby over to Europe (he wasn’t a trained military dog), and there his heroic career began.

He managed to alert soldiers to gas attacks in time for them to get their gas masks on, he captured a German spy and even saved a girl from an oncoming car!

Stubby almost perished from poison gas as well as a grenade attack, but the scrappy Pit Bull pulled through. After 18 months in Europe Stubby returned home with Corporal Conroy.

When he attended Georgetown University Law School, Stubby became the unofficial Hoya mascot. Stubby died in 1926. His body is kept by the Smithsonian museum.

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ASTRO!!! He appeared in the 4th episode of the Jetsons when Elroy found him and had to convince his dad to let the family keep him. )

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ROSELLE! The winner of the 2011 Hero Dog Awards in the Guide Dogs category.

Roselle led her owner, Michael Hingson, down 78 flights of stairs in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

The honour was given to Roselle posthumously, as she passed away in June of 2011.

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VERDELL! The cute fluff ball who starred alongside Jack Nicholson in the 1997 movie, As Good as it Gets.

Her real name is Jill and she had Jack and the whole world wrapped around her adorable little fingers when the movie was released. ♥

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SALLIE! She was a lady; she was a soldier too.

Sallie was a brindle Staffordshire Bull Terrier (or Pit Bull Terrier – it is unclear) who served as the regimental mascot for the 11th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War.

She was given to 1st Lt William R. Terry as when she was just 4 weeks of age. Sallie was raised with the men of the regiment and they were fond of her. She knew the specific drum roll announcing reveille. Sallie followed the men closely on marches and to the battlefield, always on the front lines.

In a spring 1863 at a review of the Union army, Sallie marched along with “her” soldiers. Abraham Lincoln sat in the center of the reviewing stand and spotted the dog. He raised his famous hat in salute.

At Gettysburg, Sallie became separated from the 11th in all of the chaos. Three days later they found Sallie guarding the bodies of the dead and wounded soldiers, herself unscathed.

In 1865 at Hatcher’s Run Sallie was struck by a bullet to the head. She was killed instantly. She was buried on the battlefield while under heavy enemy fire.

In 1890 the surviving veterans of the 11th Pennsylvania dedicated a monument on the Gettysburg battleground which contains a likeness of a sleeping Sallie.

This is the only known picture of Sallie.♥

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