Celebrities love their dogs, and they love to flaunt their pets on Twitter and Instagram almost as often as they share with the world their favorite Boba flavor. But what about famous people who have gone before us? Did they love dogs as much as we do? The dogs of yore didn’t wear jewelry or sweaters or write books, but “man’s best friend” is not a contemporary term. The first recorded instance of the phrase came from King Frederick of Prussia who in 1789 was quoted as saying “dog is man’s best friend,” apparently in reference to his beloved Italian Greyhound.

Abraham Lincoln – Ironic Endings

Our future president’s compassion for others would extend to the pets he had throughout his life. When the Lincolns moved to the White House in 1860, their small yellow dog, Fido, became anxious from the constant activity surrounding the President. Wanting what’s best for him, the Lincolns took Fido back to Illinois to stay with friends. A year after Lincoln was assassinated, Fido too met with an untimely death. A drunken man was sitting on the curb when Fido jumped on him with his dirty paws. In an intoxicated rage, the man knifed the dog.

Marilyn Monroe – Quite the Jokester

The iconic bombshell would own nine dogs during her short lifetime. The most infamous was a small white poodle gifted to her by Frank Sinatra who she named “Maf” a humorous reference to Sinatra’s alleged ties to the mafia.

Martin Luther King – The Original Dog Whisperer

While Dr. King had dogs of his own, the most powerful dog story regarding the legendary civil rights leader, occurred in St. Augustine Florida in 1964. Claiming Dr. King’s protests and sit-ins created racial tension in the city, officers placed him in the back seat of a police car with a German Shepherd and escorted him out of town. This police dog that moments before had been used as a teeth-baring attack dog to break up a rally lowered his ears, calmed his demeanor, and leaned lovingly and protectively against Dr. King.

Lucille Ball – Tinker Toys

Lucille was an animal lover and owned dogs all her life. The first dog she had as a teen was a small fox terrier named Whoopee. Later, when the first lady of comedy was married to Desi Arnaz, they owned several cocker spaniels and Schipperke shepherds, a small breed originating in Belgium. Later in life, Luci owned a series of Toy Poodles, all named Ticker. When one passed away, she got another one and named it Ticker II, Ticker III and so on.

John Wayne – His Namesake and Hero

We often name our beloved dogs after someone we care about or even idolize. But in the case of Hollywood’s most recognizable cowboy, John Wayne got his nickname from his boyhood dog named “Big Duke,” an Airedale terrier. The Duke loved dogs and worked with many in his Westerns, but his hero was Blacky, a small Dachshund credited with saving the actor’s wife and child when the pet’s constant barking awoke them when their house caught on fire while Wayne was away filming a movie.

Loving a dog, and the love of a dog, never changes.