This fascinating fact-filled book features dog stars in fact and fiction, including political pooches, dog actors and advertising celebrities such as Digby, the star of the Dulux ads. From medal-winning war heroes to cartoon classics, the main part of the book, a massive A-Z of dogs, features almost 3,500 dogs including the "Lady and the Tramp", "Scooby-Doo", Dougal, "Lassie", Fang from "Harry Potter" and the legendary "Cerberus" as well as factual favourites such as the loyal Greyfriar's Bobby and Roosevelt's faithful Fala. The comprehensive directory of dogs stars features 26 different categories of famous dogs, including explorers (across continents, Polar regions and space), royal pets, puppets & Muppets, live-action & animated films, songs and literary dog stars. Did you know? The Mons Star, awarded in the First World War, was nicknamed Pip after the dog from the "Pip, Squeak and Wilfred" comic strip. 27 dogs have been awarded the Dickin Medal for animal war heroes - compared to one cat. Not all names are equal - the legendary wit, Dorothy Parker (nee Rothschild), owned the elegantly named Dachshund, Eiko von Blutenberg whilst the Queen had a Corgi called Carol.
Frank Welker was the most prolific dog voiceover artist with his many canine characters including Scooby-Doo, Marvin the Martian Wonder Dog and Inspector Gadget's Brain. Black and White Whisky, famous for its Scottie and Westie logo, used to be called House of Commons Whisky and had a black and white label but the dogs were adopted in the 1890s when the branding changed to focus on the black and white labelling. Dog expert Fiona Shoop discusses all things doggy including classic Disney films. There's also a list of dog phrases so, if you're dog tired and fancy a dog day afternoon, this is the book for you. Full of surprising doggy facts, this is a must-read book for dog lovers and everyone interested in films, cartoons, comic strips and other forms of popular culture, as well as legends and history.