Here at Under One Woof, we love celebrating doggos that have made a mark in the world. In the past, we’ve written about famous dogs in the worlds of showbusiness and politics, and today we’ve got five more famous names and faces who you might recognize – some of whom have even saved lives.
Terry/Toto from The Wizard of Oz (1939)
In the Wizard of Oz, Cairn Terrier Toto is whisked away to a magical land alongside owner Dorothy. Ironically, the dog that played the role – Terry – is almost as famous as the character.
Terry was a female, despite the name, and an all-star performer. Originally a stray, she landed in show business thanks to Carl Spitz, a German dog-trainer who worked in movies – and who adopted her.
Terry would appear in 17 films in total before she died in 1945, at 11 years-of-age. For a slice of film history, you can visit her memorial at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles.
Trakr, the German Shepherd who saved lives
Trakr was a German Shepherd police dog. She and her handler, James Symington, are famous for finding the last survivor of the September 11 attacks in 2001.
What’s remarkable is that Symington and Trakr weren’t even based in New York. They headed from Nova Scotia, Canada to help out the effort in the aftermath of the attacks.
Together, they found a young woman trapped in the rubble – she had been there for as long as 24 hours.
Trakr was taken ill from smoke inhalation, and to make matters worse, Symington got in trouble when the Halifax police force saw him on TV, helping survivors of the attack.
Fortunately, both the brave dog and her handler were later commended for their efforts, and Trakr’s bloodline lives on, as her descendants are being bred for the sort of search and rescue efforts that made her famous.
Balto, of Balto fame
Ever seen the 1995 animated feature film Balto? The story is actually based on real-life because in 1925, a Siberian Husky by the name of Balto led a relief effort to transport diphtheria antitoxin to Nome in Alaska. This, is in response to an outbreak of the disease. Dogs had to be used because of the harsh weather conditions, and because of the fact that the only available plane had frozen and was inoperable. Balto took the lead on the sleds and saved innumerable lives in the process.
Sinbad, the United States Coast Guard
One of the most recognizable dogs in the animal kingdom became famous by accident. Sinbad, a black and brown mutt, had originally been bought by sailor A.A. Rother for his girlfriend. However, she wasn’t allowed to keep it, so he took it with him on board the Campbell, a coast guard ship watching the eastern coastline shortly before World War 2.
When the ship captain discovered the dog, he decided that Sinbad could stay. Not only that, sailors were ordered to look after the dog and learn the benefits of discipline. Sinbad served 11 years out at sea, many during the War, and became a figure of fame after it.
