Notable Dogs Who Are All Dead Now
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Hachiko
1923–1935
A national symbol of friendship and dedication, Hachiko would reliably meet his master at the train station every day after work—until one day when his owner died at work and never came back. “Faithful Dog Hachiko” loitered around the Shibuya train station in Tokyo for a long nine years before passing away from old age. His life is commemorated by a national historic landmark statue near the station, a postage stamp, and an anglicized feature-length film that takes place in Rhode Island and stars Richard Gere... for some reason.
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Boo
2006–2019
A social media sensation, Boo “The World’s Cutest Dog” had over 17.5 million likes on Facebook at the height of his career. Ke$ha rocketed Boo to worldwide fame after tweeting about him in October of 2010. After the death of his older brother, Buddy, Boo died of a broken heart in 2019. He is now the cutest dog in doggie heaven.
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Boye
1638–1644
During the battles of the Thirty Years War, Boye, who was likely indeed a female dog, was gifted to Prince Rupert during his imprisonment at the fortress of Linz. Later Boye would join Rupert during the English Civil War where she was thought to be a witch’s familiar or perhaps even Satan in disguise, endowed with magical powers. Poor Boye died during the battle of Marston Moore in 1644 when she slipped her collar at the encampment and ran to join the battle. A moment of silence for Boye, the first British army dog, and a reminder that not even Satan-in-dog-form escapes the eternal scythe.
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Dookie
1933–?
We all know that Queen Elizabeth II loves her corgis—but who was the first royal corgi? Originally known as the Duke, Dookie was fed by hand, loved by all the royal family, and was known to bite after the heels of visitors. Unfortunately, Dookie didn’t get on well with other dogs and was sent to retire alone with Queen Elizabeth I. Contrary to popular belief, this very, very long dead and gone dog was not the inspiration for the 1994 Green Day Album.
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Laika
1954–1957
From humble beginnings as a stray on the streets of Moscow, Laika would later be immortalized as the first animal to orbit the earth. Sputnik 2 carried Laika to orbit on November 3rd, 1957, where she orbited the earth four times before succumbing to overheating. Five months later she would make a fiery re-entry to earth as disintegrated doggie stardust raining down on all those who would dream to touch the stars. She has her own postage stamp!
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Sgt. Stubby
1916–1926
A badass dog whose military career began when he was smuggled into France, Sergeant Stubby remains one of the top dogs to ever serve. In his custom highly-decorated coat and tiny little doggie gas mask, Stubbs tore up the trenches during World War I where he participated in four offensives and 17 battles. He left the military with a purple heart. During his military retirement, he met Woodrow Wilson, Calvin Coolidge, and Warren G. Harding and participated in many parades. But even these accomplishments couldn’t slow the ever closer ticking of the final hour, Sgt. Stubby died in his sleep in 1926. You can visit his taxidermied remains at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.