4 of the Most Interesting Dogs in History

History is full of stories, from horrendous tragedies, to the most hilarious circumstances. Throughout mankind’s history dogs have been a part of that history, from the early days of domestication to the modern days of pets.

Dogs have been our companions from hunting days to the present day. So it’s no wonder that dogs have shown up in our history books from time to time. However this isn’t a list of the most famous dogs in history, but perhaps the most interesting and hilarious stories about dogs in the world.

King Edward VII’s Dog: Caesar

The Wire Fox Terrier Caesar was the beloved dog of King Edward VII, living from 1898 to 1914. The king loved the dog so much that he personally assigned a footman to the dog only to keep watch over him, give him pets, and clean his poop. Caesar even had his own bed next to the royal throne and was often seen while he held meetings with other heads of state.

Caesar also had a collar that simply said “I am Caesar I belong to the King”.  Which would be a ridiculous thing to have on a collar if not for the fact that Caesar apparently had a habit of escaping and running to places, as well as causing problems for the king. But he loved the dog and even asked his personal attendant to watch over the dog should he die before Caesar.

However the most notable thing in this dog’s life was the fact that an Emperor of Germany was annoyed at the dog. This was because when King Edward died the family decided to let Caesar lead the procession, ahead of all heads of state including the Emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II, which thoroughly annoyed him.

Morris Frank’s Seeing-Eye Dog: Buddy

Buddy and Morris are a fascinating duo and if not for their stunt, seeing-eye dogs would not have grown in popularity so much during their time. See, Morris had a terrible accident two different times in his life which led to the loss of his vision and for a while he had human guides to guide him through his everyday life.

However he soon found them lacking in one form or another, but things changed when he read about a school in Switzerland that trained dogs to guide WWI veterans who had been blinded during their service. Morris then went to Switzerland to train a female German Shepherd he named Buddy.

Morris Frank was so keen on telling the world of how great of a dog Buddy was that he invited the press to watch him arrive back to America just to boast about how he could do anything a man with two eyes could. To which a reporter jokingly dared Morris Frank to walk through traffic, Morris didn’t hesitate and gave the command for Buddy to take him across the street, and the pair did so without incident. After this Morris founded the Seeing Eye school to train more guide dogs.

National TV Sensation: Moose

In the critically acclaimed show Frasier, Fraiser’s father owned a pet dog named Eddie who was played by a Jack Russell Terrier named Moose. There are many things that people love about the show, from its excellent writing to its hilarious comedy, however there was one particular character that the audience fell in love with and that was Moose.

What’s interesting about this adorable pup isn’t just how he single handedly captured the hearts of watchers worldwide but also because Eddie/Moose was getting more fan mail from audiences than the rest of the cast combined! More than that Moose had numerous television appearances, had been on the covers of several magazines, an official calendar, and even an autobiography titled: My Life as a Dog.

The Famous War Dog: Smoky

Smoky was an honorable companion, a fierce ally, a brave war dog, and was about seven inches tall and four pounds heavy. This adorable Yorkshire terrier was found abandoned in a foxhole in New Guinea during WWII. Sold to Corporal William A. Wynne, Smoky was unlike other war dogs because despite harsh conditions Smoky was never ill nor showed any signs of slowing down. Smoky served alongside the 5th Air Force, 26th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron in the south Pacific and has been part of many rescue and reconnaissance missions.

Smoky was credited with 12 combat missions, awarded 8 battle stars, survived 150 air raids, and even parachuted from 30 feet in the air out of a tree using a parachute made specifically for her. Smoky even saved the life of Corporal Wynne by warning him of incoming shells and guiding him out of the line of fire.

Meanwhile in her downtime Smoky entertained soldiers with tricks.  After the war she became a kind of celebrity, appearing on TV and performing tricks. Finally, according to an Animal Planet investigation Smoky was credited as the first recorded Therapy Dog.



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