It cannot be doubted that dogs have been human’s best friends from the beginning of time. However, do many people actually know any famous dog names? Many of them have gained recognition for their role in different areas. Some of the most famous ones will be presented next so that you can get some ideas for picking a cute puppy name.
Famous dogs in Movies
Perhaps one of the most wide-spread and commented dogs in movies is Beethoven, who appeared in the movies of that same name. He came to life through the St. Bernard Kris, who was trained by Teresa Miller. She commented that even though Kris had a lot of fun during the production, he enjoyed being lazy at home once it finally finished.
Toto, who appeared in “The Wizard of Oz” is also an important dog to mention. She was played by a Cairn Terrier named Terry. She was abandoned when she was just a puppy, but her trainer, Carl Spitz, took her with him. Then, she became very successful in her career as an actress and appeared in over 15 movies.
There are many more excellent dogs in the movie industry such as Benji, from “Benji”, the Jack Russell Terrier Eddie Crane, from “Frasier”, the Catalan Sheepdog Einstein, from “Back to the Future”, Max, from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” or even the Golden Retrievers Comet from “Full House” and E. Buzz from “Poltergeist” just to mention some.
We can’t close the category of famous movie dog names without mentioning Hachiko, the Japanese Akita dog known for his immensurable loyalty to his owner.
Famous cartoon dogs
When it comes to animated television there are plenty dog names that can be mentioned. Maybe the first one that comes to mind is Scooby-Doo, a brown cartoon character dog. Along with his owner, Shaggy and the rest of the gang, Scooby solves mystery cases and always catches the wicked characters.
Another example comes from the Family Guy animated television series. One of the main tv show’s characters is an anthropomorphic, 8 years old talking white Labrador. The Family Guy dog name is Brian and he is an exponent member of the Griffin family.
From the comic strip Garfield we remember another famous cartoon dog character. Garfield’s dog, Odie, is a fictional character in the popular comic strip “Garfield” created by Jim Davis. Odie is depicted as a yellow beagle, who is often portrayed as a lovable but somewhat dim-witted and clueless canine. Despite his lack of intelligence, Odie is known for his infectious enthusiasm and his affectionate nature, which endears him to those around him. He is Garfield’s best friend and is often shown playing and having fun with the feline. In the comic strip, Odie is portrayed as being owned by Jon Arbuckle, Garfield’s owner, and is frequently the target of Garfield’s pranks and mischievous behavior.
We can’t close this category here without mentioning Pluto, the famous dog from the Mickey Mouse animated series of Walt Disney. Created in 1930, Pluto is part of the old school cartoon characters that have been entertaining few generations along with his adorable buddy, Mickey Mouse.
Famous dogs in Literature
Just like in films, the role of dogs in literature is extremely extensive. The popularity of some of them even concluded in movie adaptations. This is the case of the Collie Lassie. She appeared in the novel written by Eric Knight “Lassie Come-Home”, and later, in the movie of the same title. In this movie, she was brought to life by a Collie named Pal.
There is a huge number of dogs who appear in literature, such as Argos, who appears in “The Odyssey”, written by Homer or Nana, who appears in “Peter Pan”, by J. M. Barrie, among many other examples.
Famous dogs in History
Dogs have had an essential role in saving lives even from ancient times. There are records of a dog named Soter in 456 BC, who was said to have saved the inhabitants of a city from a Persian attack.
These types of heroic dogs who help people appear all throughout history. However, other dogs are remembered for being part of a more important milestone in our society. For instance, Buddy, a German Shepherd, was the first dog to be partnered with a blind person. From that moment on, many more dogs where being trained to assist other blind people all around the world. Similarly, dogs have been of great help in battle. Names such as the dog Smoky remain with us. This Yorkshire Terrier was sent to war and later became a therapy dog to soldiers coming back from it.
Of course, it is vital to mention Laika, who was the first dog to go to space in the 1950s. She was a mutt dog who was raised in Moscow and chosen for this space mission. However, she was the guinea pig of space travels, and she unluckily died in the rocketship.
Famous paintings of dogs
When it comes to famous artwork with dogs, there are plenty of artists that express their affection for these little cute furballs. One expressive artwork is Cassius Marcellus Coolidge’s well-known illustration of Dogs Playing Poker from the beginning of the 20th Century. The painting is especially very popular among the US residents and actually quite common these days.
There are many versions of Coolidge paintings and therefore these illustrations have become quite undervalued and relatively inexpensive home ornaments nowadays. However, the original oil paintings are more valuable probably due to their historical relevance. Two of the original artworks were actually auctioned together for almost $600,000, back in 2005.
Whether you are an art enthusiast or not, you probably heard about the world-famous painter Pablo Picasso. It’s actually a known fact that he used to love animals and painted quite a few illustrations related to this area. One Pablo Picasso’s worth-mentioning representation is actually an abstract sketch of his Dachsund dog, called Lump. The illustration was simply entitled – Dog.
Famous Celebrity dogs
Dogs nowadays are not only famous for their roles in movies, literature or history, but also for who their owners are. Celebrity dog names may be the hardest ones to remember, but they are still worth mentioning.
There are plenty of dogs who are becoming famous for their owners, from Anne Hathaway’s Labrador, Esmeralda, to Wiz Khalifa’s French Bulldog, Vincent The Dog, as well as Barack Obama’s Portuguese Water Dogs, Bo and Sunny. These popular dogs are definitely the best treated and more spoiled out of all the dog pets.
And not only that, but some dogs are even becoming present on social media. There are countless Instagram famous dogs. For example, the Pomeranian Jiff, who has more than 10 million followers, but also the Golden retriever Tucker, or the Samoyed Maya.
As it is shown, there are so many famous dog names that we should know. And, also, due to their history and their presence in every area of our lives, it is clear that we must spend more time learning about these wonderful animals.