Dogs Through History Trivia Quiz

Answer: Sputnik 2

Laika flew in Sputnik 2 and, as expected, did not survive her flight. She was not the first Soviet space dog to fly with Dezik and Tsygan making a sub-orbital flight in 1951, both being successfully recovered alive. More than a dozen other dogs made sub-orbital flights before Laika flew into space.

Typically, stray dogs were chosen as they were believed better suited for the rigors of space flight. Female dogs were preferred due to their temperament and the space suit being designed for their anatomy.

Answer: Togo

An outbreak of diphtheria in Nome, Alaska in 1925 led to a call for a million units of diphtheria anti-toxin to deal with the developing epidemic. Flying was unreliable in that era, particularly in mid-winter, and the nearest railhead was at Nulato some 315 mi (507 km) away. In the end some 20 mushers and 150 sled dogs were involved, each assigned to do a good day's run of 25 mi (40 km).

Including mushing out to meet the incoming serum and then immediately starting back to Nome, Togo and his team (led by musher Leonhard Seppala) did 261 mi (416 km) covering the most dangerous sections and in blizzard conditions. The final section, which was attributed to Balto (run by musher Gunnar Kaasen) was 53 mi (85 km). The newspapers chose to focus on Balto and Kaasen.

Answer: World War I

Found wandering the grounds of Yale University in 1917, while members of the 102nd Infantry were training there, Stubby was smuggled on board the troopship and ended up in France with the Regiment. He served in the trenches for 18 months, and was involved in four offensives and 17 battles. Stubby would give early warning of incoming shells and of mustard gas attacks and was even responsible for capturing a German spy.

He gained medals, was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and survived the war although wounded. A post-war celebrity, he met three US Presidents and was the subject of at least four books and an award-winning 2018 animated film.

Answer: Mountain rescue

Barry der Menschenretter, as he was known, lived from 1800 to 1814 at the Great St Bernard Hospice in the pass of the same name in Switzerland, just a few hundred metres north of the Italian border. The St. Bernard dog breed was created at the hospice in the late 17th century.

Barry was, perhaps, the most famous of them, with the name 'Menschenretter' meaning 'people rescuer' in German. He was retired at the age of 12 to Bern, not as told in a story which had him killed while rescuing a Swiss soldier who mistook him for a wolf.

Answer: Meriwether Lewis

The Corps of Discovery Expedition is also known as the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Seaman was bought specifically for the Expedition, which achieved the first trip from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Coast and back. The dog proved to be a good hunter and survived surgery to his hindleg following a beaver bite and also being stolen by some Native Americans at one point. Seaman was the only animal to complete the whole trip.

Answer: Inheritance

When Helmsley died in 2007, she left $12m in a trust fund for her dog Trouble. This was cut down to $2m by a court, which was deemed sufficient for ten years. This would included $100k per year for security in view of the death threats received by the dog. Trouble was to live for another three years.

Helmsley's wish that Trouble be buried with her in the mausoleum was not fulfilled as New York State law prohibited burial of pets in human cemeteries.

Answer: Fala

Fala got a mention during the 1944 presidential campaign from which Franklin D. Roosevelt went on to win a fourth term in office. As part of a smear campaign by the Republicans, it was falsely claimed that Fala had been accidentally left behind in the Aleutian Islands and a US destroyer had been sent at great expense to recover him. FDR responded to this claim in his speech, making a joke of the Republican claim.

The idea for the joke came from Orson Welles.

Answer: Pep

Receiving the inmate number C-2559 and having a mugshot taken, the black Labrador retriever was actually at the prison to boost prisoner morale. Pep was a gift to the Pennsylvania governor Gifford Pinchot from Maine governor Percival Baxter. Pinchot followed Baxter's initiative in placing a dog amongst the inmates.

A tongue-in-cheek entry in the prison ledger indicated that Pep had received a life sentence for murder. When newspapers got hold of this, the public outrage saw the prison governor receiving hundreds of protest letters.

Answer: Mayor

Bosco, as this black Labrador retriever/ Rottweiler cross was typically known, was elected as honorary mayor of the unincorporated community of Sunol in California, USA in 1981. It is said that he beat two (human) contenders. He remained in office until his death in 1994.

His election gained him an appearance on the American TV gameshow "3rd Degree!" when the panel failed to guess his occupation.

Answer: Pickles

The thief ignored stamps worth £3 million when stealing the trophy at a stamp exhibition. A £15,000 ransom demand arrived and an arrest was soon made. The trophy was later found by Pickles, a black and white collie dog whilst out for a walk with his owner in South London.

Pickles gained some fame, starring in the 1966 film "The Spy with a Cold Nose" as well as various television programmes such as the children's show "Blue Peter". The trophy stayed in London as England went on to win the FIFA World Cup that year.