Dogs That Survived the Sinking of the Titanic

When someone mentions Titanic, the first thing that comes into mind is "Jack" and "Rose". Or perhaps, to history buffs, the details of how it sank.

According to historical accounts, there were two dogs that survived sinking of the Titanic. It was a Pekingese and Pomeranian who were lucky to have secured a spot with their owners in the few lifeboats that left the ship early.

It is said that there was a third dog who was able to survive- a Newfoundland who swam alongside another lifeboat.

I do agree that when people think of "The Titanic" they either think of the movie, or the concern of the thousands of people who suffered. But there is hardly any mention regarding the safety of animals throughout the event. It's very interesting that you brought it up. I am very impressed with the Newfoundland. I would think that with the boat sinking in the water that he would be pulled into the current; even if they were holding on to him tight. There's so much to do when in the water.

This is the first time I have heard of dogs on the Titanic, let alone surviving. I always like to hear stories of people and pets surviving. Yes, I can see that a Newfoundland would survive by swimming alongside a life raft. Not sure for how long because the water was ice cold. Hope that the Newfoundland was rescued. It would be interesting to see a movie based on this Newfoundland's survival story.

Interesting to know this. I had always assume that there were pets on board the boat because some were actually traveling to America to live. But I had no idea that a couple of them actually survived. Lets face it back then in a situation such as the Titanic it was all about getting people off. You know the term women and children first. I just couldn't see them considering pets, which is tragic but probably the way it was. So I have to wonder if their owners smuggled them on or took a stand that the dog goes with them or they weren't going. I also find it interesting that a third dog manage to survive swimming in the icy waters. This is a bit of history you don't hear about, yet I find it fascinating.

I had no idea either that three dogs survived the tragedy. Somehow it is hard to imagine dogs surviving that kind of an ordeal. The Pekingese and Pomeranian being tiny dogs may never have made it through if not for the life boats. The Newfoundland is a dog known for his size and strength. They are also known for their calm disposition and swimming abilities and are often trained as water rescue dogs. Yet, every life saved was a miracle in a tragedy such as the Titanic.

Wow, I had never even thought about the animals. I am sure the small dogs were being held by their rich owners. Poor things, so many of them must have suffered.

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I found this on Wikipedia, there are source links at the bottom of the article. So sad to think of not only the human loss of that tragedy, but the hundreds of animals that were left with no hope.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animals_abo...MS_Titanic

Quote:Few of Titanic's animals survived the ship's sinking. Three of the dogs were taken aboard lifeboats by their owners. Margaret Hays' Pomeranian got away safely in Lifeboat 7 and lived until 1919, while Elizabeth Rothschild refused to board Lifeboat 6 unless her dog was allowed to come too. Henry and Myra Harper brought their Pekingese aboard Lifeboat 3 but Helen Bishop had to abandon Frou-Frou in her cabin, much to their mutual distress.[1] The dog attempted to stop her leaving by holding on to her dress with his teeth until the seam tore. Afterwards Bishop spoke of her sorrow: "The loss of my little dog hurt me very much. I will never forget how he dragged on my clothes. He so wanted to accompany me."[3]

None of the other animals survived. At some point during the sinking, someone decided to free the dogs from their kennels, leading to the surreal sight of a pack of excited dogs racing up and down the slanting deck as the ship went down. One female passenger is said to have refused to be parted from her dog and chose to stay aboard. Several days later, as the SS Bremen passed through an area still strewn with debris and bodies floating in the water, passengers saw the body of a woman tightly holding a large shaggy dog in her arms.[3] Robert W. Daniel's bulldog Gamin de Pycombe was last seen in the water swimming for his life after the ship went down.[4]

After the sinking, several of the surviving animal owners made compensation claims for their lost pets and poultry. Daniel claimed $750 for the loss of his pedigree bulldog, while Carter claimed $300 for the loss of his two dogs. White claimed $207.87 for her lost chickens, and Chow-Chow was valued by Anderson at $50.[3]

(12-04-2012 04:00 AM)pafjlh Wrote:  Interesting to know this. I had always assume that there were pets on board the boat because some were actually traveling to America to live. But I had no idea that a couple of them actually survived. Lets face it back then in a situation such as the Titanic it was all about getting people off. You know the term women and children first. I just couldn't see them considering pets, which is tragic but probably the way it was. So I have to wonder if their owners smuggled them on or took a stand that the dog goes with them or they weren't going. I also find it interesting that a third dog manage to survive swimming in the icy waters. This is a bit of history you don't hear about, yet I find it fascinating.

Women, children and tiny dogs.

I believe they were able to come with their owners because of these ladies' influence and status in life. Perhaps the bearing of being rich back then did have some effect.

I think Newfies can be pretty amazing. Probably because of the fact that they have very thick coats and webbed feet. Heck, maybe the reason they were able to survive was because they were bred for "polar" purposes.

(12-05-2012 01:36 AM)maddie Wrote:  I had no idea either that three dogs survived the tragedy. Somehow it is hard to imagine dogs surviving that kind of an ordeal. The Pekingese and Pomeranian being tiny dogs may never have made it through if not for the life boats. The Newfoundland is a dog known for his size and strength. They are also known for their calm disposition and swimming abilities and are often trained as water rescue dogs. Yet, every life saved was a miracle in a tragedy such as the Titanic.

They probably hidden inside their owner's fur coats to be kept warm.

But it certainly shows one thing about dog ownership back in the old days. Some people already value their dog's life as much as their own.

The sinking of Titanic was an unfortunate event.

I have always been fascinated with the Titanic stories. I never thought about animals being on the ship, but I guess it makes sense. Anyone know where we can read about this? I can't imagine any dog surviving if they were in that icy water. Lucky they got onto the life boats.

How interesting! This is the first time I've read about this, thank you for sharing. I wonder if there's a photo somewhere of these dogs.

I've read that in the mid-1980s, Robert Ballard and his team became the first ones to visit the wreck of the Titanic. The sinking of the Titanic continues to be a fascinating, yet very sad topic as there are still questions left unanswered.

Great Post haopee, thanks so much as now I will have to dig deeper into this. I had never heard of this as the others & yes, a lost life is a lost life, be it a human, dog or mouse. I would have gone down either with my dog or die trying.

Thanks again haopee.