Did Any Dogs Survive the Titanic Disaster?

While most of the attention around the RMS Titanic rightfully focuses on the over 1,500 people who died during the ill-fated 1912 voyage, humans weren't the only creatures on board. Several dogs also lost their lives during the sinking of the Titanic.

According to the American Kennel Club, first-class passengers would often travel with their pet companions in the late 1800s and early 1900s, something the Titanic was well-equipped to handle.

The ship was furnished with a kennel and dogs were treated well, receiving daily sun and exercise on the ship's deck, while some passengers kept their pets in their staterooms.

American Kennel Club reports an "informal" dog show for passengers was even scheduled to take place on April 15 — the very same day the ship plunged into the icy waters of the North Atlantic.

How Many Dogs Were on the Titanic?

According to Smithsonian,12 dogs were known to be on the Titanic when it set sail.

Of those 12 recorded, nine died, though there's possible there were more dogs on the ship when it sank.

The Dogs Who Survived the Titanic

Only three dogs survived the voyage of the Titanic, and they all had one thing in common: they were small breeds.

According to the American Kennel Club, Lady, a Pomeranian, was purchased in Paris by a passenger named Margaret Bechstein Hays. Hays saved Lady by wrapping the dog in a blanket when she went aboard lifeboat number 7. It's likely the lifeboat crew thought the bundled dog was a baby.

Sun Yat Sen, a Pekinese owned by Myra and Henry S. Harper, was saved when its owners escaped onto lifeboat number 3. According to Titanic historian J. Joseph Edgette per the American Kennel Club, Henry later recalled "there seemed to be lots of room, and nobody made any objection" when it came to their dog boarding the boat.

A third dog, another Pomeranian whose name is not known, was saved when its owner, Elizabeth Jane Rothschild, hid the dog aboard lifeboat number 6. When the lifeboat was recovered by the RMS Carpathia, the crew initially refused to bring the dog on the ship, but they were convinced by Rothschild.

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Historical records show that nine known dogs died during the Titanic disaster.

One of the most tragic stories is that of Ann Elizabeth Isham, who refused to leave the ship without her beloved Great Dane and was one of only four first-class female passengers who died when the ship sank.

Two other dogs, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and an Airedale Terrier, were owned by the children of American millionaire William E. Carter, who was later reimbursed for the loss of the dogs.

John Jacob Astor lost his Airedale Terrier as well. The other dogs lost included a Chow Chow, Fox Terrier and French Bulldog named Gamin de Pycombe, owned by first-class passenger Robert Daniels.

As a tribute to the latter, there's a deleted scene in the 1997 movie Titanic in which lead characters Jack and Rose come face to face with a French Bulldog while trying to escape the sinking ship.

The breeds and/or names of the remaining dogs lost at sea remain unknown to this day.