Queen Victoria's dogs: the history of her royal companions

Part 1

Why Victoria loved dogs so much

Victoria's childhood was shaped by a strict set of rules known as the Kensington System, and she was largely kept apart from other children. Dash arrived at the household on 14 January 1833 as a gift from Sir John Conroy to her mother, the Duchess of Kent. The dog quickly became Victoria's own companion, and she often wrote of him in her diary as 'dear Dashy' or 'dear sweet little Dash'. She kept many dogs at once, so many that her prime minister Lord Melbourne joked she would sink into a sea of dogs. If you love having your own dog nearby, it is easy to see why she found comfort in theirs.

Part 2

Dash: the spaniel who bathed after her coronation

After her coronation on 28 June 1838, Victoria hurried back to Buckingham Palace and went straight up to give Dash his usual bath. Dash moved with her from Kensington Palace to Buckingham Palace when she became queen, and he even sat in on some of her meetings with Lord Melbourne. Dash died on 24 December 1840, and Victoria wrote in her journal that the news 'grieved me so much'. He was buried at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor Home Park beneath a marble effigy with a long inscription praising his loyalty. You can still trace her attachment to him through the sheer number of times he appears in her early diaries and portraits.

Part 3

Notable dogs across her reign

Beyond Dash, Victoria and her family kept a long list of named pets over the years. Her favourite collie, Sharp, was with her from 1866 to 1879, and a statuette of him stood on her dining table.

• Sharp, a collie described as her favourite and constant companion.
• Noble, another favourite collie, later sculpted by her daughter Princess Louise.
• Marco, the first of her many Pomeranians.
• Eos, a greyhound that Prince Albert brought from Germany.
• Islay, a Skye terrier who died after a fight with a cat.

Collies and Pomeranians were among the breeds she kept. Her collies Gypsy and Squire were among her dogs.

Part 4

Victoria's influence on dog breeding and shows

Collies were once seen as plain working dogs from Scotland, used by shepherds moving flocks over the border. Once the breed was taken up by Victorian dog show fanciers, it became fashionable, and by 1895 there were seven separate breed clubs. One historian has written that collies, Victoria's favourite breed, were the most conspicuous beneficiaries of royal patronage in the show world. Her involvement also encouraged other women to exhibit dogs, which led to the founding of the Ladies' Kennel Club, set up partly to prevent cruel exhibiting practices such as ear cropping and tail docking. She also supported the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and other humane organisations. If you show your own dog today, some of that culture traces back to this period.

Part 5

Grave markers for her dogs at Windsor

Dash was buried at Adelaide Cottage in Windsor Home Park under a marble effigy carrying a lengthy epitaph about his loyalty. A statue was also placed over Sharp's grave in Windsor Home Park, marking him as her favourite and faithful collie. A statue was also placed over Sharp's grave in Windsor Home Park.

Part 6

What historians and royal archives tell us

Biographers such as Elizabeth Longford and Cecil Woodham-Smith are cited as sources for details like Dash's arrival and Victoria's grief at his death. A documented list of her pets includes ponies, goats, and a parrot alongside her many dogs. When you read popular claims about her pets, it helps to check whether they come from her diaries, her biographers, or later retellings.