Images of Famous Dogs

NAME: Gelert

The dog of legend associated with the village of Beddgelert in Wales made famous in a poem by William Robert Spencer. (More about Gelert. Image shown is a painting by Richard Ansdell.)

BREED: Irish Wolfhound

YEARS: Poem: 1800.

Dog: 13th Century.

NAME: Wolf

The old man's dog in the short story Rip Van Winkle; about a man who sleeps for 20 years; by Washington Irving.

BREED: Mixed breed

YEARS: Short story: 1819.

NAME: Bullseye

Bill Sikes's dog in the book Oliver Twist; about a orphan boy caught in the misery of old London; by Charles Dickens and in the many movie adaptations including the movie Oliver.

BREED: Bull Terrier

or Bulldog

YEARS: Book: 1837-1839.

Movies: 1922, 1948, 1968, 1988, 1997, 2005.

TV: 1999, 2007.

NAME: Pilot

Mr. Rochester's dog in the TV series (British) Jane Eyre; about a young governess who falls in love with her brooding and complex master; based upon the book by Charlotte Bronte. In the book the dog is a Newfoundland; in other films other kinds of dogs.

BREED: Landseer Newfoundland

(Irish Wolfhound in some portrayals)

YEARS: Book: 1847.

TV series: 2006.

Movies: 1914-2011.

NAME: Diogenes

A dog befriended by Paul and adopted by Florence in the book Dombey and Son; a wealthy owner of the shipping company whose dream is to have a son to continue his business; written by Charles Dickens.

BREED: Unknown

YEARS: Book: 1848.

NAME: Jip

Dog of David's first wife, Dora, in the movies and TV series based on the book David Copperfield; about the life of English chap in the early 19th century; written by Charles Dickens.

BREED: Unkown

(Spaniel in the book)

YEARS: Book: 1850.

Movies: 1911, 1913, 1922, 1935, 1969, 1993, 2000.

TV series: 1966, 1974, 1986.

NAME: Rab

James Noble's dog in the short story Rab and his Friends; based on a true incident about a dog and his relationship with an Edinburgh doctor and one of the doctor's patients in the 1830s; written by Scottish physician John Brown.

BREED: Mastiff

YEARS: Book: 1858.

NAME: Gyp

Adam's faithful dog in the book Adam Bede; about a love "rectangle" between beautiful woman, a young squire who seduces her, her unacknowledged suitor, and a fervent, virtuous Methodist preacher; written by George Eliot.

BREED: Generic Terrier

YEARS: Book: 1859.

NAME: Patrasche

Nello's companion in the Japanese animated TV series A Dog of Flanders and the movie version made in 1999, and earlier films; about a Flemish boy and his dog; based on the book by Marie Louise de la Ramée under the Japanese pseudonym Ouida.

BREED: Bouvier des Flandres

YEARS: Book: 1872.

TV series: 1975-1992.

Movies: 1935, 1960, 1997, 1999.

NAME: Dingo

A dog brought into the ship and offered passage to America in the book Dick Sand, A Captain at Fifteen; about slavery, and the African slave trade; written by Jules Verne.

BREED: Unknown

YEARS: Book: 1878.

NAME: Josef

Heidi's dog in the children's book Heidi, about the life of a young girl in her paternal grandfather's care in the Swiss Alps; written by Swiss author Johanna Spyri. The story has been adapted in many media, but the dog is rarely feature (one exception is the 1974 Japanese anime series).

BREED: Saint Bernard

YEARS: Book: 1881.

Animation: 1974.

NAME: Kashtanka

A dog who must choose between a circus life or a loving family in the book Kastanka; written by Anton Chekov.

BREED: Mixed breed

YEARS: Book: 1887.

NAME: Beautiful Joe

In the book Beautiful Joe; about an abused dog who is rescued; written by Margaret Marshall Saunders.

BREED: Bull Terrier

and Fox Terrier mix

YEARS: Book: 1893.

NAME: Stickeen (Illustration by Christopher Canyon)

John Muir's dog in the children's book Stickeen: An Adventure with a Dog and a Glacier; about a trip Muir took in Alaska (1880) with his dog and their outing together on a glacier, as told by Donnell Rubay.

BREED: Mixed breed

YEARS: Book: 1897.

NAME: Bob

James Moore's herder in the children's book Bob, Son of Battle; about a boy who is caught in the rivalry of his father and another sheep herder and their sheep dogs; written by Alfred Ollivant. (Also in the story is dog Red Wull.)

BREED: Sheep Dog

YEARS: Book: 1898.

NAME: Bob

Widower Adam's dog in several movies, the latest being Owd Bob; about an old man and his sheepdog who is pulled into a old feud with his neighbor when his orphaned grandson visits for the summer; based on the 1898 novel Bob, Son of Battle by Alfred Ollivant.

BREED: Border Collie

YEARS: Book: 1898.

Movie: 1924, 1938, 1998.

NAME: Montmorency (Image from the cover of the Om Illustrated Classics)

In the book Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing Of The Dog...); about three young men and a dog who show the humor of roughing it; written by Jerome K. Jerome.

BREED: Fox Terrier

YEARS: Book: 1889.

NAME: Toto

Dorothy's dog in the book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz; about a girl from Kansas and her dog who are off to see the wizard; written by L. Frank Baum; and in the movie The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

BREED: Cairn Terrier

YEARS: Book: 1900.

Movie: 1939.

NAME: Lad

The author's dog in the movie Lad: A Dog; starring Peter Breck; based on a series of short stories by Albert Terhune about his real-life Rough Collie.

BREED: Rough Collie

YEARS: Dog: 1902-1918.

Book: 1919.

Movie: 1962.

NAME: Buck

In the book and in the several movies such as Call of the Wild; about a previously domesticated dog who ends up serving as a sled dog in the Yukon; written by Jack London. (2020 movie titled The Call of the Wild).

BREED: St. Bernard mix

YEARS: Book: 1903.

Movies: 1923, 1935, 1972, 1997, 2020.

NAME: Nana

In the book Peter and Wendy and the original play Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie and in the stage musical Peter Pan.

BREED: Newfoundland

in the play and book. In film and on stage St. Bernard.

YEARS: Play: 1904.

Book: 1911.

Stage: 1954, 1979, 1990, 1998.

NAME: Duchess

The party honoree in the book The Tale of the Pie and the Patty-Pan; about cat called Ribby and a tea party she holds for her housemate dog; written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter.

BREED: Pomeranian

YEARS: Book: 1905.

NAME: Towser

In the book Towser Dog's Story; by Amy Prentis part of a collection called "Aunt Amy's Animal Stories."

BREED: Collie Rough

YEARS: Book: 1906.

NAME: White Fang

A wolf-dog during the Klondike Gold Rush at the end of the 19th century in the book, the movie and the animated TV series White Fang; about a wild dog's journey to domestication; original story written by Jack London.

BREED: Wolf-dog Hybrid

YEARS: Book: 1906.

Movies: 1936, 1991, 1993, 1994.

TV series: 1993.

NAME: Jock of the Bushveld

The author's dog in the book Jock of the Bushveld; based on the true story about the author's travels with his dog during the 1880s in South Africa; written by James Percy Fitzpatrick. It later was made into the movie Jock: A True Tale of Friendship and still later a 3D movie, Jock, the Hero Dog (see image).

BREED: Pit Bull

YEARS: Book: 1907.

Movie: 1992, 2011.

NAME: John Joiner

The carpenter in the children's book The Roly-Poly Pudding; also know as The Tale of Samuel Whiskers; written by Beatrix Potter.

BREED: Terrier

YEARS: Book: 1908, 1926.

NAME: Kep

A friend of Jemima in the book for children The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck; about a duck who wants to keep her eggs safe; written by Beatrice (Webb) Potter.

BREED: Collie

YEARS: Book: 1908.

NAME: Pickles

Ginger's partner n the children's book Ginger and Pickles; about two shopkeepers who extend unlimited credit to their customers and end up going out of business; written and illustrated by Beatrix Potter.

BREED: Terrier

YEARS: Book: 1909.

NAME: Greyfriars Bobby

Auld Jock's loyal dog in the book and the movie Greyfriars Bobby; about a dog who follows a farm worker who ultimately dies in poverty and is buried in Greyfriar's Kirkyard. Bobby returns to his grave every night; based on the book by Eleanor Atkinson.

BREED: Skye Terrier

YEARS: Book: 1912.

Movies: 1961, 2005.

NAME: Duke

Penrod's dog in the movie Penrod's Double Trouble; about a boy who is replaced by a look-alike by men who are after a reward; featuring the Mauch Twins based upon the books of Booth Tarkington.

BREED: Mixed breed

YEARS: Book: 1914.

Movie: 1938.

NAME: Jerry

Mister Haggin's dog in the book Jerry of the Islands; about a dog and his master on a whaling ship in the South Seas; written by Jack London.

BREED: Irish Terrier

YEARS: Book: 1917.

NAME: Whitey

The flippant detective's dog in book, in movies and in the TV series Boston Blackie; about a reformed jewel thief who solves crimes; in the movies starring Chester Morris, and in the TV series Kent Taylor. The characters of the stories were created by author Jack Boyle in the early 1900s.

BREED: Black Terrier

YEARS: Short Stories: 1914-1920.

Movies: 1918-1949.

Radio: 1944-1950.

TV series: 1951-1953.

NAME: Jip

One of the doctor's brood in the several children's books Doctor Dolittle; about a doctor who shuns human patients in favour of animals with whom he can speak; based loosely on the books written by Hugh Lofting.

BREED: Sheep Dog

YEARS: Book: series 1920-1933.

NAME: Hachiko (Also known as Hachi)

A Japanese dog remembered for his remarkable loyalty to his owner and in the children's book Hachiko: The True Story of a Loyal Dog; written by Pamela S. Turner; and in the movie (2009). (More about Hachiko.)

BREED: Akita

YEARS: Dog: 1923-1935.

Book: 2004.

Movies: 1987, 2009.

NAME: Kambyses

Lukas's alternate form in the German book The Hound of Florence; about an adolescent who has lost his parents and lives in Vienna in poverty... but his wish to be rich living in Florence is granted, except he must be a dog every other day; written by Felix Salten.

BREED: Many types

YEARS: Book: 1923.

NAME: Sounder (Also see movie version)

The family dog in the book Sounder; a sad tale of a poor black sharecropper's family and their dog; written by William H. Armstrong

BREED: Redbone Hound

and Bulldog mix

YEARS: Book: 1929.

NAME: Boots

The narrator in the book Thy Servant a Dog; about the adventures of a dog as seen through the eyes of a dog; written by Rudyard Kipling. (Also in the book is dog Slippers.)

BREED: Scottish Terrier

YEARS: Book: 1930.

NAME: McTavish

Philo Vance's dog in the book and the movie The Kennel Murder Case; about a private detective who solves a mysterious murder; starring William Powell and based on the 1933 novel by S. S. Van Dine. The remake of the movie in 1940 titled Calling Philo Vance starred James Stephenson.

BREED: Scottish Terrier

YEARS: Book: 1933.

Movies: 1933, 1940.

NAME: Snuff

Jack the Ripper's companion and narrator of the story in the book A Night in the Lonesome October; about a good dog and his master collecting the gruesome ingredients needed for an eerie rite; written by Roger Zelazny.

BREED: Unknown

YEARS: Book: 1933.

NAME: Asta

The Charles' dog in the book and several films such as the movie The Thin Man; about a murder solving couple; their dog played by Skippy; starring William Powell and Myrna Loy; the book by Dashiell Hammett.

BREED: Wire Fox Terrier

(Book dog was a Schnauzer)

YEARS: Book: 1934.

Movies: 1934 and 5 sequels.

Dog: 1931-1940.

NAME: Flush

Elizabeth's dog in the movie The Barretts of Wimpole Street; about the real-life romance between poets Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning; starring Norman Shearer and Fredrick March. Also an imaginative biography of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's cocker spaniel by Virginia Woolf. (More about Flush).)

BREED: Cocker Spaniel

YEARS: Movie: 1934.

Book: 1933.

NAME: Bandit (See also Jack)

The family's second dog in the books and the TV series Little House on the Prairie; based on the memories of Laura Ingalls Wilder's childhood in the Midwest region of the United States during the late 19th century.

BREED: Bulldog

(mixed breed in TV series)

YEARS: Book: 1935-1943, 1962, 1971, 1974.

TV series: 1977-1983.

NAME: Bugle Ann

Spring Davis' dog in the book and the movie The Voice of Bugle Ann; about a farmer's love for his hunting dog and the feud it sparks in the county; in the movie starring Lionel Barrymore and Maureen O'Sullivan; the book written by MacKinlay Kantor.

BREED: Foxhound American

YEARS: Book: 1935.

Movie: 1936.

NAME: Jack (See also Bandit)

The family's first dog in the books and the TV series Little House on the Prairie; based on the memories of Laura Ingalls Wilder's childhood in the Midwest region of the United States during the late 19th century.

BREED: Border Collie

YEARS: Book: 1935-1939.

TV series: 1974-1977.

NAME: Bob

Emily's pet in the book and TV show Dumb Witness; a murder mystery featuring the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot; about a wealthy spinster who believes she has been the victim of attempted murder.

BREED: Fox Terrier

YEARS: Book: 1937, TV show: 1996.

NAME: Spot

A generic dog in the book Dick and Jane; about a generic boy and generic girl in a generic world; created by William S. Gray a children's reader series.

BREED: Generic

YEARS: Book: 1936-1965.

NAME: Sinbad

The mascot of the U.S. Coast Guard and in the book written by George F. Foley Jr. Sinbad of the Coast Guard. (More about Sinbad.)

BREED: Mixed breed

YEARS: Dog: 1937-1951.

Book: 1945.

NAME: Brutus

Mark's dog in the movie The Ugly Dachshund; about a large dog who grows up with dachshund puppies thinking he is one of them; starring Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette; based on a novel by Gladys Bronwyn Stern. (Also in the movie are dogs Danke, Norma, and Pesky.)

BREED: Great Dane

YEARS: Book: 1938.

Movie: 1966.

NAME: Jasper

Maxim de Winter's dog in the movie Rebecca; about a self-conscious bride who is tormented by the memory of her husband's dead first wife; starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and based on the book by Daphne du Maurier. Also a 2020 movie starring Lily James.

BREED: Cocker Spaniel

YEARS: Book: 1938.

Movie: 1940, 2020.

NAME: Genevieve

Madeline's dog in the children's book series, in the movie, and animated TV series for children Madeline; about a girl who lives in Paris and attends a boarding school; written by Ludwig Bemelmans.

BREED: Generic

YEARS: Books: 1939-1967.

TV series: 1991-2007.

Movie: 1998.

NAME: Moreover (Named Faith in the early movie version)

In the movie The Biscuit Eater; about a dog who has a strong relationship with two twelve-year-old boys; a remake of a 1940 film and based upon the book by James H. Street.

BREED: German Wirehaired Pointer

YEARS: Book: 1939.

Movie: 1940, 1972.

NAME: Pedro

Faithful companion of private detective Sexton Blake in the British TV series Sexton Blake, about a detective solving many kinds of mysteries.

BREED: Bloodhound

YEARS: Comic strips: 1939-1979.

Movies: 1930-1958.

TV: 1967-1971.