Individual Dogs

This is a list of individual famous actual dogs; for famous dogs from fiction, see List of fictional dogs.

Actors

Advertising

* Axelrod, Basset Hound, appeared in commercials and print ads for Flying "A" Service Station advertisements in the 1960s
* Banjo, portrayed Alex, an Irish Setter/Golden Retriever mix and star of Stroh's beer advertising in the 1980s. Also mentioned in the Tone Lōc song, " Funky Cold Medina".
* Cheeka, a Pug who appeared in the popular "You & I" advertising campaign of Hutch's cellular service in India, along with the child actor Jayaram
* Gidget, a female Chihuahua, was featured in a Taco Bell advertising campaign as the "Taco Bell Chihuahua". She also played the role of Bruiser's mother in ''Legally Blonde 2''.
* Honey Tree Evil Eye, a female Bull Terrier, was known as Spuds MacKenzie in her role as the Budweiser spokes-dog
* Nipper, the dog with the gramophone in the HMV logo
* Paddington, a Golden Retriever "professional stand-in, and stunt double", portrays the real Duke Bush (Duffy "Duke" of Castlebury) at promotional events and in commercials for Bush's Best Baked Beans. Duke stars in the commercials, where the dog's owner, Jay Bush (president of the company) pleads for the dog to maintain the secret family recipe. The punchline occurs when the dog states: "Roll that beautiful bean footage."
* Tinkerbelle, a Papillon/Maltese mix and canine model featured in advertisements for various companies.

Film

* Ace the Wonder Dog, appeared in numerous films and serials in the 1930s and 1940s
* Beasley, a Dogue de Bordeaux, starred in the film ''Turner & Hooch''
* Ben (II), a Golden Retriever, appeared in many films. His characters included Shadow in '' Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey'', William in '' Maybe Baby'', Rusty in '' Purely Belter'' and Messenger in '' Made in Hong Kong''.
* Bingo, an Otterhound, starring as Sandy in '' Annie'' in 1982
* Blair, a Collie, the first dog screen star, starring in ''Rescued by Rover'' in 1905
* Buddy, a Golden Retriever, starred in the 1997 film ''Air Bud'' but died from cancer a year later. He also played a cameo as Comet on the TV series '' Full House''.
* Butkus Stallone, Sylvester Stallone's personal pet Bullmastiff since a puppy; featured in ''Rocky'' as the boxer's "training partner". Stallone credits Butkus for inspiring the screenplay.
* Cosmo, a Jack Russell Terrier from ''Beginners''.
* D. J., a Siberian Husky, played the roles of Demon in '' Snow Dogs'' and Max in '' Eight Below''
* Higgins, played the leading role of Benji in the movie of the same name and had a role on the TV series '' Petticoat Junction''.
* Jean, the Vitagraph Dog, screen's first leading canine to have her name in the film title; starred in movies from 1908 to 1913
* Jed (1977-1995), appeared in '' The Thing'', ''The Journey of Natty Gann'' and '' White Fang''.
* Keystone Teddy, a dog actor in the early 20th century.
* Koko, a red Australian Kelpie, played Red Dog in the 2011 film adaptation based on the eponymous novel.
* Kuma, has been seen in several movies, including the short film '' Saving Angelo''
* Lady, the name of the Basenji dog in the movie '' Goodbye, My Lady''
* Max, a Jack Russell Terrier, played Milo, Jim Carrey's faithful and intelligent dog in the 1994 movie ''The Mask''
* Moonie, a Chihuahua, played the role of Elle Woods' tiny dog Bruiser in ''Legally Blonde'' and ''Legally Blonde 2''. Moonie died 10 March 2016 in Los Angeles, California. He is survived by his trainer Sue Chipperton who got him when he was a puppy. He was 18 years old.
* Moose and his son Enzo, both Jack Russell Terriers, in ''My Dog Skip'' and the TV series ''Frasier''.
* Moose (not to be confused with Moose), a German Shepherd owned by Lon Chaney Jr. and the stand-in for the werewolf that bites Larry Talbot in '' The Wolf Man''.
* Mother Teresa, a Newfoundland dog and the major canine character in the movie '' Must Love Dogs''
* Mushroom, starred as the Peltzer family dog in '' Gremlins''
* Pal, a Collie, played Lassie in the movie '' Lassie Come Home'' (based on the novel by Eric Knight), six more Lassie films, and two Lassie television show pilots
* Pard, a mutt with a crippled foreleg, stars with Jack Pickford and Marguerite De La Motte in 1919's ''In Wrong'' for Vitagraph. Pard does tricks in the film.
* Pete the Pup, portrayed by several American Pit Bull Terriers in the ''Our Gang'' (''Little Rascals'') series
* Red Dog (Pilbara), appeared in '' Red Dog'' and '' Red Dog: True Blue'', based on the true life story of a Kelpie who wandered around the outback Western Australia, looking for its owner
* Rin Tin Tin (1918–1932), an internationally famous German Shepherd actor who starred in many silent films and a few sound films. His descendants carried on in film, radio and television roles.
* Skippy, a Wire Fox Terrier who, among other roles in 1930s films, played Asta in '' The Thin Man'' film and sequels.
* Strongheart, also known as Etzel von Oeringen, was the first German Shepherd with name-above-the-title billing in a film. He starred in an adaptation of '' White Fang'', released in 1925, and '' The Return of Boston Blackie'', released in 1927.
* Sure Grip's Rattler, an American Bulldog, played the role of Chance in '' Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey''.
* Sykes, star of several films, adverts and TV series.
* Tango, a Golden Retriever, stars as Bailey in the film '' Bailey's Billion$''.
* Terry, a Cairn Terrier, played Toto in the 1939 movie adaptation '' The Wizard of Oz''.
* Uggie, a Jack Russell Terrier, played Jack in the 2011 film '' The Artist'' and Queenie in the film '' Water for Elephants''.
* Zimbo the dog, played Homo the Wolf in the 1928 American silent film ''The Man Who Laughs'' directed by the German Expressionist filmmaker Paul Leni
* Zip, a Blue Heeler Australian Cattle Dog famous for his role in the 1995 film ''Last of the Dogmen''. Zip's character is named Zip and has a touching storyline many viewers remember.

Television

* "Beauregard the Wonder Dog", a bloodhound, appeared regularly though unspectacularly on '' Hee Haw''.
* Beejay, a German Shepherd, was the first Rex on Inspector Rex. His formal name is Reginald Von Ravenhorst, which also serves as Rex's full name in the show.
* Bernadette portrayed the Basset Hound "Cleo" in the 1950s TV series '' The People's Choice''
* Blaze, Jr., called JR, a German Shepherd who played Rin Tin Tin in the 1950s TV show '' The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin''.
* Bouncer, played a dog also called Bouncer in the Australian soap opera ''Neighbours''.
* Buck, a Briard, played the role of Buck Bundy on the TV show '' Married... with Children''.
* Bullet, "the Wonder Dog", a black and silver AKC registered German Shepherd (originally: "Bullet Von Berge") was a regular on the '50s TV show '' The Roy Rogers Show''; his taxidermic remains (along with Trigger) were displayed at The Roy Rogers & Dale Evans Museum and he was sold in 2010 at Christie's for $35,000
* Comet, a Golden Retriever, who played Comet on the TV show '' Full House''. He also played Fluke in the film ''Fluke''.
* Graubaer's Boker, plays Bear on ''Person of Interest''
* Happy, furry white dog playing Happy on the TV show '' 7th Heaven''
* Inky, a police dog who appeared in the British police drama '' Softly, Softly: Taskforce'' during 1969–70
* Joe, German Shepherd, starring in the television series ''Run, Joe, Run''
* Kyte, a Belgian Tervuren famous for playing Wellard in ''EastEnders''
* Leo, portrayed Jack in '' Tales of the Gold Monkey''
* London portrayed Hobo in '' The Littlest Hobo'' series; the character originated in an earlier film
* Madison, a Labrador Retriever, best known for playing the role of Vincent on the television series ''Lost''
* Maui, a Border Collie mix, played Murray on the TV show '' Mad About You''
* Meatball, a female Bull Terrier, in the TV show '' Baa Baa Black Sheep''
* Mick, portrays Stan in the Disney series '' Dog With a Blog''; voiced by Stephen Full
* Molly, a Bichon Frise, played alongside Bruce Gyngell in the Australian mini-series ''Meweth''
* Moose and his son Enzo, played Eddie on the TV show ''Frasier''
* Petra, a mixed breed, the first ''Blue Peter'' dog; the 'original' Petra died after making one appearance and was replaced by a look-alike; this was kept secret until many years after the substitute's death
* Pippin, a female mixed breed dog, half Tibetan Terrier, half Bearded Collie in the TV series '' Come Outside''
* Prada, Breezy and Windy, portrayed Captain Archer's dog Porthos on '' Star Trek: Enterprise''
* Prince, a talking dog on the BBC TV show ''That's Life!''
* Pussy Galore, played Truffles, Mildred's terrier, in the British sitcom '' George & Mildred''
* Serena, a small black poodle owned by actress Thelma Scott, appeared as Claire Houghton's pet, Serena, in the final year of the Australian soap opera '' Number 96''
* Shep, a Border Collie, featured on the ''Blue Peter'' television series
* Soccer, a Jack Russell Terrier, star of the PBS show ''Wishbone''
* Sugar-Pie, the dog of model Anna Nicole Smith, starred on the TV series '' Anna Nicole Show'' on E!
* Tiger, appeared in '' The Brady Bunch'' and played a dog named Blood in the movie '' A Boy and His Dog''
* "Top Gear Dog" (2006-2017), owned by Richard Hammond, occasionally appeared on '' Top Gear''
* Tuskó, a German Shepherd portrayed his father Kántor, the famous Hungarian Detective Dog in the Hungarian TV series '' Kántor''.
* Yukon King, an Alaskan husky who played the lead sled dog and faithful sidekick of Sergeant Preston in '' Sergeant Preston of the Yukon''.
* Zeltim Odie Peterson, aka Odie the Talking Pug, a pug that said "I Love You" on various talk shows.

Athletes

* Ashley Whippet, the first disc dog, was a canine athlete of the 1970s and three-time winner of the Canine Frisbee Disc World Championships.
* Cindy, a Greyhound who earned Guinness World Record's Highest Jump by a Dog. Cindy cleared a hurdle.
* Haruitike, a vegan yoga dog in India
* King Buck, a Labrador Retriever, successfully completed an unprecedented 63 consecutive series in the National Championship Stake and was the National Retriever Field Trial Club champion for two successive years (in 1952 and 1953), which accomplishment was not duplicated for nearly 40 years. He was also the first dog to appear on a United States Fish and Wildlife Service duck stamp, which always featured a water fowl.
* Master McGrath, an Irish Greyhound whose racing victories and fame gained him an audience with the British Royal Family.
* Mick the Miller, a racing Greyhound, was the first greyhound to win the English Derby in successive years and the first greyhound to run a course in under 30 seconds.
* Morghem's .500 Nitro Express, an American Pit Bull Terrier, earned several United Kennel Club titles in his first campaign from the following sports: dock jumping, weight pulling, rally obedience and Show Champion. During the campaign he also passed Canine Good Citizen and USTTA temperament testing, while acquiring 70 points in the American Pulling Alliance with three first place and three second place wins.
* Snip Nua, an Irish racing Greyhound partly owned by comedian Dara Ó Briain. Snip Nua's racing was viewed by 3 million UK viewers on the show ''Three Men Go to Ireland''.

Faithful dogs

Faithful after master's death

* Canelo in Cádiz, Spain, used to walk with his owner to the hospital where he was receiving dialysis treatment. In 1990 his owner died at the hospital. Canelo died outside the hospital after waiting for 12 years. The town of Cádiz put his name to a street and a plaque in his honor.
* Capitán, a German Shepherd, ran away from his home in central Argentina, after the death of his owner Miguel Guzmán in 2006. About a week later, Guzmán's family found Capitán standing guard at Guzmán's grave after finding the cemetery on his own. When brought home, Capitán again ran away back to the grave of his former owner. He stood vigil over his owner's grave and received provisions from the cemetery staff so he did not need to leave. Capitán died in 2018.
* In the mid-1990s in Togliatti, Russia – a family died in a car crash during the summer of 1995, leaving their dog as the only survivor. The German Shepherd, named Constantine aka Kostya or Faithful Kostya by the locals, kept coming to the same spot for the next 7 years braving freezing winters and hot summers. Loyalty – a bronze statue honouring the dog's loyalty was placed on that spot in 2003 by the city authorities.
* Dżok ("Jock"), the dog. Throughout the entire year (1990–1991) Dżok was seen waiting in vain at the Rondo Grunwaldzkie roundabout in Kraków, Poland, to be fetched back by his master, who had died there.
* Fido, a mixed-breed dog, whose master, Carlo Soriani, had died in an air raid over Borgo San Lorenzo (near Florence, in Italy) in 1943, during World War II. Fido waited in vain, for the following 14 years, for Soriani's return, going daily to the bus stop in Luco del Mugello (a ''frazione'' of Borgo) where the man used to get off after coming home from work.
* Greyfriars Bobby, a Skye Terrier in Edinburgh, Scotland, was loyal to his master long after his master's death in 1858. Until Bobby's death 14 years later, he reportedly spent every night at his master's grave. A statue in memorial of Greyfriars Bobby was erected near the graveyard. Several films have been made dramatising the life of Greyfriars Bobby, and in folklore he is popularly remembered throughout Scotland as a symbol of loyalty.
* Hachikō, an Akita who became a symbol of loyalty in Japan, is now honored by a statue in Tokyo. Hachikō is famous for his loyalty to his long dead master Hidesaburō Ueno, by returning to the train station and waiting for his return, every day for the next nine years during the time the train was scheduled to arrive.
*Hawkeye, a Labrador Retriever, stayed by the coffin of his owner, Jon Tumilson, a Navy SEAL who was killed in Afghanistan on 6 August 2011 when the CH-47 Chinook he was riding on was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade.
* Heidi, a Jack Russell Terrier, made her way down a 500-foot (150 m) drop in Scotland to get to the body of her owner (after he fell to his death while hiking) and stood guard over his body for 2 days in 2001.
* Heihei (黑黑; Chinese for 'Black Black'), a black dog, gave evidence to police to identify the killer of his old mistress. He was later buried with her.
* Leão, a mixed breed who stayed by the side of her owner who died in January 2011 during Brazil's flood. Her owner was Cristina Cesário Maria Santana. Her body and the bodies of three of her family members were retrieved by the rescuers after seeing the dog digging in some mud.
* Ruswarp, a Border Collie who disappeared while hiking with his master Graham Nuttall in the Welsh Mountains near Llandrindod Wells on 20 January 1990. On 7 April, a hiker discovered Nuttall's body near a mountain stream, where Ruswarp had been standing guard for 11 weeks. The 14-year-old dog was so weak he had to be carried off the mountain, and died shortly after Nuttall's funeral. There is a statue of Ruswarp on a platform of Garsdale railway station.
* Seaman, the Newfoundland belonging to explorer Meriweather Lewis, would not eat or leave his owner's grave, and died of grief.
* Shep, belonging to a sheepherder who died in Fort Benton, Montana, in August 1936 followed his master's casket to the train station and fashioned a den under the depot platform after the body was shipped back east. For the next five and a half years, Shep met every passenger train arriving there—four a day—sniffing at the passengers and baggage car doors. His vigil became widely publicized including a feature in " Ripley's Believe It or Not". Passengers took the Havre to Great Falls rail line just to see the dog, and he received so much fan mail that the Great Northern Railroad assigned a secretary to help with responses. On Jan. 12, 1942, Shep was struck and killed by an arriving train. AP and UPI issued his obituary nationwide; thousands sent condolences and hundreds attended his funeral. The Great Northern erected an obelisk at his gravesite on a bluff overlooking the depot and town. In 1994, the citizens of Fort Benton further memorialized the dog with a heroic bronze erected on the town's steamboat levee.
* Spot, in November 2010, five months after his owner, Wayne Giroux of Lone Oak, Texas, was killed by a drunk driver, a local television station reported that Giroux's Great Dane mix, Spot, was still traveling daily to wait for Giroux at a spot on a country lane where Giroux used to meet him. The story was quickly picked up and disseminated by international media outlets such as CNN.
* Squeak, a Jack Russell Terrier who would not leave the body of his owner, Zimbabwean farmer Terry Ford, after Ford was murdered in 2002 by a violent mob carrying out Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe's land seizure programs. The photo of little Squeak guarding Ford's bloody body raised worldwide awareness of land-related violence in Zimbabwe.
* Talero is a German shepherd who loyally stayed next to his owner, Bernardo Leónidas Quirós, for 23 days, after Quirós died in a snow storm in Argentina. According to ''El Patagonico'', Talero appears to have prevented wild animals from attacking the body of his owner and survived by hunting small animals. The loyal companion also seems to have slept by his owner's side, attempting to keep him warm and shelter him from the winds. When police approached the body, Talero growled and barked at them, continuing to protect his owner.
* Theo, an English Springer Spaniel belonging to Lance Corporal Liam Tasker of the British Army. Theo was used to sniff out roadside bombs in Afghanistan. In 2010, Theo and Tasker were in a firefight with insurgents, killing Tasker. Theo died later at a British army base from a fatal seizure, although many believe he died from a broken heart. Tasker's body and Theo's ashes were returned to England, where Tasker's family was presented with Theo's ashes in a private ceremony. In October 2012, Theo was posthumously honored with the Dickin Medal, Britain's highest award for bravery by animals.
* Tommy, a 7-year-old German Shepherd, continued to visit the church where his owner's funeral had been held. The owner, Maria Margherita Lochi, used to come with Tommy, to the Santa Maria Assunta church in San Donaci, Italy. After she died, the dog was present at her funeral service and followed after Maria's coffin. The father of the church, Donato Panna, said, "he waits patiently by the side of the altar and just sits there quietly. I didn't have the heart to throw him out—I've just recently lost my own dog, so I leave him there until Mass finishes and then I let him out." Tommy died 20 January 2014 after an illness.
* Waghya, meaning "tiger" in Marathi, was the pet dog of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji. After Shivaji's death, the dog mourned and jumped into his master's funeral pyre and immolated himself. A statue was put up on a pedestal next to Shivaji's tomb at Raigad Fort.
* Wiley, a wolfdog, was videotaped making sob-like noises at his owner's grandmother's grave.
*An unnamed dog drowned himself after his master, aged 77, died after 18 years with him.
*Kuvi, an Indian mixed breed female dog, helped police find the remains of her human friend, 2-year-old Dhanushka, after a landslide occurred on August 6, 2020, in Pettimudi, a hamlet located in the state of Kerala, India. Kuvi was later taken in by the Kerala police and given proper care by the local dog squad.
*In August 2022, photos of a brown mixed breed dog in one of the underground exits of the La Raza station of CDMX Metro went viral on social media, in which it is said that the dog has been waiting for several weeks day and night for its owner, a woman, presumed dead of an illness.

Homing dogs

* Baekgu, the Korean Jindo Dog, after being sold by the original owner due to economic hardship to a new owner 300 km away, came back to the original owner after 7 months.
* Bobbie the Wonder Dog, after accidental abandonment on a cross-country trip, Bobbie made his way back over to his family's home.

Other faithful dogs

* Bob the Railway Dog, a loyal traveller and drivers' companion on the South Australian Railways in the late 19th century.
* Gelert, a legendary dog associated with the village of Beddgelert, Wales. According to the legend, King Llywelyn returned from hunting angry that his wolfhound, Gelert, had gone missing, only to be greeted joyously by the dog at the front door. The King noticed that Gelert had blood around his mouth but went straight to his infant son's room and found his baby missing, the cradle overturned, and more blood. Imagining that Gelert had killed his baby, Llywelyn drew his sword and killed the dog, whose dying yelp was answered by a baby's cry. Llywelyn lifted the cradle and found his heir under the cradle, along with a dead wolf that had tried to lift and run off with the infant, but had been stopped and killed by Gelert. Overcome with remorse, Llywelyn buried the dog with great ceremony, but never smiled again, plagued by the memory of the Gelert's dying cries. Although experts doubt the legend and the authenticity of Gelert's Grave, Beddgelert people honor and maintain it to this day, and popular Welsh belief in the legend still serves as a warning in that culture against acting rashly in anger when things are not as they seem.
* Kelsey, a dog, is being hailed a hero after he rescued his owner who became paralyzed when he slipped and fell in the snow. Kelsey stayed by his side licking his face to keep him warm for nearly 20 hours.
*Mari: '' A Tale of Mari and Three Puppies'' is based on a true story in the 2004 Chūetsu earthquake. Mari gave birth to three puppies. That spring, animals behaved strangely, foreshadowing something major to come. On 23 October 2004, a major earthquake, which later became known as the Chūetsu earthquake struck and devastated the whole village. At that time, only grandfather and Aya were at home, and they were pinned down by a wardrobe that collapsed onto them. Mari quickly moved her puppies to a safe place and successfully rescued grandfather and Aya from that disaster.
* Old Drum, a hunting dog whose death at the hands of a neighbor was the subject of a lawsuit and George Graham Vest's famous summation to the jury, known as "Eulogy of the Dog", which asserts that a man's unique relationship with his dog should influence how the law is interpreted and implemented in such cases. The case has been influential in courts ever since.
* Pompey, a Pug that foiled an assassination attempt on the life of William The Silent, Prince of Orange.
* Red Dog (Pilbara), a Kelpie who wandered around the outback Western Australia looking for its owner.
* Saint Guinefort, a legendary French dog, is venerated with a tradition almost identical to that of Gelert, above.
* Taro and Jiro, two Sakhalin huskies that survived a year of abandonment on the frozen continent of Antarctica until members of a Japanese Expedition team rescued them.
* Zander, a 70-pound (32 kg), approximately 7-year-old Samoyed-husky mix who escaped his home and traveled more than two "hard miles" (fording a stream, crossing a busy highway, and navigating complex neighborhoods) to arrive at a hospital in an area where he had never been, where he was stopped by a hospital employee who called the cell phone number on his dog tag and reached Zander's master in a room inside the hospital where he had been lying for several days recuperating from an illness.

Working dogs

War dogs

* Antis, an Alsatian, served with Václav Robert Bozděch, a Czech airman, in the French Air Force and in the No. 311 (Czechoslovak) Squadron RAF in Britain, and helped his master escape after the death of Jan Masaryk; winner of the Dickin Medal
* Bamse, a Saint Bernard, was a symbol of the Free Norwegian Forces in World War II.
* Bart, a German Shepherd working with SEAL Team Six who was killed along with 38 others which consisted of U.S. special operation troops, aviators and Afghan commandos in 2011.
* Bing, an Alsatian and Collie cross who parachuted with the 6th Airborne Division on D-Day and winner of the Dickin Medal
* Cairo, a Belgian Malinois used by U.S. Navy SEALs in Operation Neptune Spear, in which Osama bin Laden was killed.
* Cappy, a Doberman Pinscher "Devil Dog" credited with saving the lives of at least 250 U.S. Marines during the 1944 Battle of Guam by alerting them to Japanese soldiers. Cappy was mortally wounded on patrol, July 23, becoming the first Marine K-9 combat casualty. He was the first to be buried in what would become the National War Dog Cemetery in Guam, where his likeness in bronze sits atop the World War II War Dog Memorial that includes names inscribed for the Dobermans who died while serving with the U.S. Marine Corps on Guam.
* Chesty, one of a family of bulldog