International Women’s Day: Here are five influential female dogs that deserve to be celebrated today

Yappy.com has pulled together their top five famous female dogs that deserve to be celebrated this International Women’s Day:

Buddy: The dog who led the guide dog movement

After being trained by Dorothy Eustis in the late 1920’s, Buddy was partnered with a blind American Man named Morris Frank. Following the success of Buddy, Dorothy then went on to set up her own guide dog school, inspiring two British women – Dorothy was contacted by Muriel Cooke and Rosamund Bond, who soon began training their own guide dogs. Thanks to Buddy and these pioneering women, in 1931, the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association was founded in the UK!

Smoky: The World’s First Therapy Dog

Smoky spent her time travelling with William A Wynne during the war and thanks to him warning Wynne about incoming shells and guiding him to safety, he was nicknamed the “angel from a foxhole”. While she wasn’t an official war dog, Smoky boosted the morale of the troops and because of her continued loving support, Smoky is considered to be the first therapy dog. The news of the positive effects of her presence spread far and wide and it wasn’t long before therapy dogs were used to help people with depression and PTSD.

Laika: The First Dog to Orbit

From stray dog to space dog! Another famous female dog in history, Laika, a female terrier mix, made history in 1957 when she was scooped off the streets of Moscow and selected to be the first animal to orbit the Earth. Laika rocketed off to space on board the Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 2 and zoomed a mighty 2,000 miles above the streets she called home. She rightfully earned the journalistic nickname of “Muttnik”!

Roselle: The Brave Canine of 9/11

Roselle, a Labrador Retriever guide dog, was with her owner, Michael Higson, when his office in the World Trade Center was attacked on September 11th, 2001. Undeterred by the chaos around her, the brave canine led her owner down a whopping 78 floors. After 9/11, Higson worked at Guide Dogs for the Blind in California, and Roselle was awarded the AKC Humane Fund Awards for Canine Excellence in 2002 and the Hero Dogs from the American Humane Association in 2011.

Lucca: The War Hero

While many female dogs have served in the military to aid troops during wartime, one courageous canine stands out for their service in particular – Lucca. A mixed-breed dog trained to detect explosives, Lucca served with the Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan. During her six years of service, she completed an impressive 400 missions and protected the lives of countless soldiers

John Smith, pet expert and founder of Yappy.com, said “Throughout history, many female dogs have gone above and beyond and made headlines for their bravery, talents and loyalty to support the humans in their life. International Women’s Day is the perfect time to highlight the impact they’ve made and to celebrate all women from around the world!”

Find out about more amazing dogs from history in Yappy’s ‘Greatest Dogs Ever’ personalised book. Visit the website for more information.

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