Welsh Terrier. Too cute to resist.

Welsh terriers, as you might have guessed, originally came from Wales. In fact, they are one of the oldest breeds from the United Kingdom, having been around for over 500 years. First bred as a hunting dog for rodents, foxes, and badgers, but these days they are more of a show dog. They have plenty going for them: smart, loyal and very playful. Playful means very active indeed, they’re certainly not for the owner who doesn’t like lots of “walkies”. Perhaps, this dog is also not for keen gardeners, because this terrier just loves to dig holes.

Their positive attitude, attentiveness and playfulness also make them a firm favourite with children. Especially with their extremely cute whiskers and furry bodies, which make them super cuddly. Surprisingly, Welsh Terriers are on the UK Kennel Club’s list of endangered breeds of dogs, with just 300 puppies registered last year. And to think a “Welshie,” Charlie, was once First Dog during the presidency of John F. Kennedy.

Dachshund. The dog breed only owners can spell.

Perhaps that’s the reason they have so many nicknames, especially wiener or sausage dog! The name Dachshund is German, meaning “badger dog,” because they were originally bred to hunt badgers in the 15th century. They are eager and cute and affectionate. Who can resist that long body and funny short legs? These days they are one of the world’s most loved dog breeds. You certainly can’t ignore them, with their extremely loud bark.

The Dachshund is so widely associated with Germany that it has become an official symbol of this country. Germans are very proud of this association, even having a Dachshund named Waldi as the first official mascot for the 1972 Olympics in Munich. As a breed there has been much argument about how to classify them. Most dog organizations fit them in to the hound category, because they were originally bred for hunting. While others argue that proper place for them is in the terrier or earth dog group, due to their digging and burrowing skills. However, countries belonging to the World Canine Federation put them in their very own category.

Dachshunds are surprisingly fast. Perhaps that’s why they have Dachshund races in some countries. Or the Wiener Nationals, as they call them in the US. The Dachshund Club of America is opposed to this because of concerns that such races could injure Dachshunds’ backs. Something they are prone to in later life.

The Bonds dog.

It is said of Ian Fleming that he didn’t like dogs after he was bitten by one of his fathers basset hounds at the age of six. But this picture tells another story. It shows the author clearly at ease with a couple of mongrels, using the Remington typewriter on which he created the James Bond novels. The photo was taken at Goldeneye, the home he built in 1947 on Jamaica’s North Coast. Noel Coward, who was his tenant there for three months, called it ‘Golden eye, Nose and Throat’ because it reminded him of a hospital.

The Classic

It is no surprise that Ernest ‘Papa’ Hemingway, America’s archetypal man-of-action writer, kept gundogs. The novelist loved hunting with his buddies and this is one of a series of pictures taken by Lloyd Arnold when Hemingway was shooting with film star Gary Cooper in Sun Valley, Idaho. The photos show both men accompanied by black Labradors. Hemingway also famously had a spaniel called Black Dog, and liked to tell a story, presumably apocryphal, about how he himself had fought with a Great Dane who had attacked the dog, tearing open his mouth, gouging out his eyes and killing him with his bare hands. Hemingway was a little more cautious in Cuba in 1958, keeping out of the way when Batista’s soldiers invaded the grounds of his home, the Finca Vigia, looking for rebel, and shot and killed his dog, Machakos, who was defending the property.

One-man dog

Sigmund Freud is pictured here in his Vienna consulting room with his beloved chow, Jo Fi. She joined the Freud household in 1929, soon after the death of Lun Yug, his first chow, whom he had been given as a present two years before. Freud and the dog were inseparable for the seven years of her life, and he allowed the dog to remain during his therapy sessions, as he found her presence a calming influence on patients. ‘One can love an animal like my Jo Fi so deeply’, he wrote; ‘affection without ambivalence.. a feeling of close relationship, of undeniably belonging together.’ Chows are famously ‘one-man dogs’ and their calm, single minded, loyalty touched Freud: ‘They love their friends and bite their enemies, unlike people who are incapable of pure love; they always have to mix love and hate in their object relations.”

The Golden Retriever. The golden touch.

The Golden Retriever really is a star all-rounder. Able to turn their talents to almost anything. From guide dogs for the blind to an expert detector of drugs or explosives, to an enthusiastic hunting companion. And, more often than not, a heart stealer, the most loved member of any household.

This is definitely a dog whose bark is worse than his bite. As a guard dog, they will bark at intruders. However, if any intruder manages to break in, their only worry is being licked into submission. Yes, gentle is this dog’s middle name. Known for their placid nature and very soft bite, able to pick up a newspaper without leaving a mark.

Golden Retrievers come in three golden colours: light golden, golden and dark golden. However, some breeders have started selling “white” Golden Retrievers, but these are not recognized by the official kennel clubs in most countries.

A weird fact about Golden Retrievers: their feet, which are webbed, that’s what make them such good swimmers and hunting dogs. It’s also a dog with a lot of energy, needing around two hours exercise every day. So, if you’re not fond of walking the dog, this is not the breed for you. They also shed a lot of hair in spring and autumn in preparation of warmer and cooler weather, which means a lot of vacuuming.

Famous Golden Retriever owners include Oprah Winfrey, Jackie Chan, David Hasselhoff and Jennifer Aston. But let’s be honest, the Golden Retriever is the real star in any home.

“Cool as a Cucumber”

For the cover of the “Diamond dogs” album, Belgian artist Guy Pellaert depicted David Bowie sphinxlike, half-man, half-dog, basing the lower body on a Great Dane who modeled for him. The photographer Terry O’Neill decided to record the process and do a studio shoot of Bowie and the huge dog. As he started taking pictures, the dog leapt towards him: “It was an awesome sight because the dog was bloody massive. But David just sat there, cool as a cucumber. He didn’t react to the dog at all. I guess he was posing immaculately. Most rock stars would jump a mile if that happened.” This memorable image was runner-up in Q magazine’s list of 100 greatest rock’n’roll photographs in 2002.

Ol’ blue eyes

It is not known who this little dog is on stage with Frank Sinatra. Perhaps it was just for the photo opportunity; nevertheless, ‘Ol’ blue eyes’ was quite a dog man, keeping a cocker spaniel called Miss Wiggles and a Labrador called Leroy brown, among others. And among his wives and girlfriends were notable dog women, including Eva Gardner, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall, Jackie Kennedy and Mia Farrow. Dating Marilyn Monroe, he gave her a white poodle which she called ‘Maf’, and allusion to Sinatra’s alleged mafia connections. Sinatra’s last wife, Barbara Marx, kept many rescued dogs at their home and recalled that one little King Charles spaniel would bark an accompaniment whenever he sang.

Poodles. More than just a pretty dog face.

Whatever you think you know about poodles, think again. For example, most people think poodles originated in France. Wrong! Poodles are a German breed, the “pudel” – meaning to splash in water. Which makes sense, with the next surprising fact. These cute fluffy dogs were first bred for hunting. Their true calling was to bring ducks and other birds back, through the water, to their masters. And some hunters still use poodles to this day.

If you’re not a poodle owner, you probably think that their outspoken haircuts are a fashion statement. You’d be wrong again, it’s a pure function statement. The haircut was first used to help poodles swim more efficiently, while keeping their joints and vital organs warm and protected.

However, when poodles are competing in dog shows, that’s a different matter. They are allowed three haircuts: the Continental Clip, the Modified Continental Clip and the English Saddle.

When you think of poodles, you think of a small dog, but actually they come in three distinct sizes. There’s the ever so tiny Toy Poodle, the mid-sized Miniature Poodle and the larger Standard Poodle, which can be over 80 cm high. Not small by any stretch of the imagination.

Not only are poodles highly active, they’re also highly intelligent. They have even been employed as guide dogs and assistance dogs for people with other physical disabilities.

This much-loved dog breed has had many famous owners worldwide, including Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Kennedy and Walt Disney. More recently, Rihanna, Katy Perry and Patrick Swayze.

Master of Suspense

Sir Alfred Hitchcock, the director of such cult films as Dial M for Murder and Psycho, always kept dogs and, as an English émigré in Los Angeles in 1939, used them to demonstrate his Britishness, along with imported bacon, Dover sole and chintz loose covers. There Hitchcock’s arrived in Hollywood with Edward IX the spaniel and Mr Jenkins the Sealyham, a particularly popular breed in the terrier-loving 1930s. Two new Sealyhams, Jeffrey and Stanley, followed, and appeared with him in The Birds (1963). Hitchcock may have terrified actors and audiences, but dogs loved him. “My poodle Petunia adored him”, said Anne Baxter, who remembers Hitchcock sitting quietly on the sofa, stroking the dog after dinner. He knew that no one, least of all Petunia, would answer back.