Aug 29, 2013

7 Famous Dogs Throughout History

When you think of those who’ve earned fame, you tend to think of those humans who have been dubbed as famous. But fame doesn’t only include those people who have earned some type of celebrity. There are also plenty of animals that have become famous over the years, and many of them included dogs. Check out the following list of seven famous dogs throughout history.

1. Togo and Balto

The use of dogsleds is popular in Alaska, and Balto and Togo are two sled dogs that earned great fame. Diphtheria had entered Nome, Alaska, and there wasn’t enough medicine on hand for the local doctor to treat everyone. Since the last ship of the season had just left, the Board of Health had to send medicine by dog sled. Togo and Balto made it over 674 miles in just five days, and to date, the record has not been broken.

2. Lady

The sinking of the Titanic plays an epic role in history, and many people discuss those who survived as well as those who lost their lives. But along with human survivors, there were also a few canine survivors, and Lady, a Pomeranian, was one of them. Owner Margaret Hays covered Lady in a blanket, and since crewmembers assumed it was a baby, they allowed Margaret to bring it on board a lifeboat. Lady was one of four total dogs that survived the sinking of the Titanic.

3. Bobbie

Bobbie and his family traveled from Oregon to Indiana on vacation. While in Indiana, Bobbie found himself away from his family, and despite their best efforts, they could not find Bobbie before they left. Six months later, Bobbie showed up on the doorstep of his family’s home—more than 2,500 miles away. He walked the whole thing and earned plenty of fame from his journey.

4. Bo Obama

The White House is not complete without the companionship of a pup. When the First Family announced that they were shopping for a dog to add to their family, the media buzzed about what type of dog they would choose. Ultimately, the Obama’s chose a Portuguese Water Dog named Bo, whose hypoallergenic fur was best for Malia’s allergies.

5. Argos

If you want to discuss famous dogs from historic times, then Argos is probably the most popular. Argos was the dog of Odysseus, and the mention of Argos can be found in plenty of Greek literature and mythology.

6. Laika

Laika earned fame for being the very first dog in space. On November 3, 1957, Laika was placed on board Russian satellite Sputnik 2. Unfortunately, Laika died shortly after making it into space, but her journey proved that a living thing could survive a launch into orbit.

7. Faith

Stories about dog’s who overcome challenges always earn mass media attention, and Faith is one of those dogs. Faith was born with two fully functioning hind legs and only one front leg, which was deformed. The front leg was amputated when Faith was seven months old, and many veterinarians told Jude Stringfellow, Faith’s owner, to euthanize her. Even Faith’s own mother tried to suffocate the puppy. Instead, Jude taught Faith to walk solely on her hind legs, making her truly unique and famous.

 

Rachel Doyle is a blogger and animal lover with DogTrainingCollars.com who often writes about everything from interesting pet facts to reviews on excellent obedience training equipment for your dogs.

Image Credit: 1, 2, 3.

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