Want to know which were the most famous dogs in history? Here we have for you, a list of dogs that made their mark in various walks of life.
No animal is as loyal and faithful as a dog and thus, dogs are loved as pets by all of us. Whether it’s a movie, sitcom, or a real life story, man has always enjoyed the company of dogs. If we are to make a list of some of the most famous dogs, the list is most likely to be unending. Nevertheless, we did try to come up with some lists, and we think we did a satisfactory job.
In Movies and TV Shows
| Name of the Dog | Dog Breed | Movie |
| Fang | Neapolitan Mastiff | Harry Potter |
| Hooch | Dogue De Bordeaux | Turner and Hooch |
| Toto | Cairn Terrier | Wizard of Oz |
| London | German Shepherd | The Littlest Hobo |
| Frank | Pug | Men in Black |
| Beethoven | Saint Bernard | Beethoven |
| Argus | Irish Red and White Setter | Familiar Strangers |
| Blair | Collie | Rescued by Rover |
| Lassie | Collie | Lassie |
| Rin Tin Tin | German Shepherd | Where The North Begins |
In Commercials
| Name of the Dog | Dog Breed | Commercial |
| Alex | Golden Retriever | Stroh’s Beer |
| Axelrod | Basset Hound | Flying “A” Service Station |
| Big Mo | Golden Retriever | Alpo |
| Bingo | Generic | Cracker Jack |
| Dinky | Chihuahua | Taco Bell |
As Mascots
| Name of the Dog | Mascot of |
| Jonathan the Husky | University of Connecticut |
| Blue II | Butler University |
| Bully | Mississippi State University |
| Blitz | Wofford College |
| Zeke the Wonder Dog | Michigan State |
| Brian Boru | Royal Irish Regiment |
| Mex | University of Oklahoma |
| Mirabelle | Detail Gallery |
In Literature
| Name of the Dog | Dog Breed |
| Beautiful Joe | Airedale |
| Jock of the Bushveld | Staffordshire bull terrier |
| Lad | Rough collie |
| Charley | Poodle |
| Marley | Labrador Retriever |
| Tulip | German shepherd |
| Wheely Willy | Chihuahua |
| Mirabelle | Boston terrier |
U.S. Presidents’ Companions
| Name of the Dog | Dog Breed | Name of the President/First Lady |
| Bo | Portuguese water dog | Barack Obama |
| Barney | Scottish Terrier | George W. Bush |
| Buddy | Chocolate Labrador Retriever | Bill Clinton |
| Checkers | Cocker Spaniel | Richard Nixon |
| Dash | Collie mix | Caroline Harrison |
| Fala | Scottish Terrier | Franklin Delano Roosevelt |
| Him and Her | Beagles | Lyndon Johnson |
| Liberty | Golden Retriever | Gerald R. Ford |
| Manchu | Black Pekingese | Alice Roosevelt |
| Millie | Springer Spaniel | Barbara Bush |
| Pete | Bull Terrier | Theodore Roosevelt |
| Spot | English Springer Spaniel | George W. Bush |
Other Famous Dogs in History
Blondi
Blondi, who lived from 1941 to 1945, was Adolf Hitler’s pet dog. Hitler received this female German Shepherd as a gift from Martin Bormann., a prominent Nazi professional. Hitler loved his dear pet and also allowed her to sleep in his bedroom in his bunker. Reports say that, on April 30, 1945, Hitler asked his physician, Werner Haase, to test suicide pills on Blondi, which caused her death, and soon after that, Hitler committed suicide.
Laika
Laika (1954 -1957) being the first dog in space, certainly deserves a place in this list. She was a Soviet space dog and was launched into the space by the Russian spacecraft, Sputnik 2 in 1957. She was the first animal to orbit the Earth. Laika was a victim of orbital death due to overheating, stress, and problems inside the rocket. It’s difficult to believe, but Laika was a stray dog, which was picked up from the streets of Moscow.
Pickles
Pickles was a mongrel who helped in searching the stolen FIFA World Cup of the year 1966. The trophy was stolen on March 20, just 4 months before the FIFA World Cup tournament was to begin in England. The trophy was found wrapped in a newspaper in South London by Pickles when it was taking a walk with its master. While the thief was never caught, Pickles and his owner, David Corbet, did receive a handsome reward from the police.
Lassie
Lassie was basically a fictional character, which was created by Eric Knight and used in a short story called Lassie Come-Home. This novel was then filmed by MGM and the character Lassie became very popular. The dog became a popular movie star and was seen on the silver screen throughout the 50s and 60s. It also starred in The Sun Comes Up, Lassie, Magic of Lassie, etc. Since then, the name has been used for several dogs belonging to the Border Collie breed that made a mark on the silver screen.
Smoky
Smoky, a Yorkshire Terrier, was a hero of World War II, who won eight battle stars. She was adopted by Corporal William Wynne and served with 5th Air Force in the Pacific. Yorkie Doodle Dandy: Or, the Other Woman Was a Real Dog is a book written by William Wynne and it describes his adventures with this incredible war dog.
In the end, the examples of all these dogs does prove why dogs are considered man’s best friend.
