Titanic's Dog Kennels

Titanic's kennels were on the Boat Deck, aft under the fourth funnel, within the Second Class promenade.

"They weren't roaming about, they were all in a row of kennels and cages and things at the end of the ship..." — Eva Hart.

This location would be an excellent site and other big Trans-Atlantic ships followed suit. Vaterland/Leviathan, Queen Mary, Normandie, and all the way today with Queen Mary 2 — one could catch dogs happy in their houses up on the top deck.

The raised roof over the smoke room, and not the Poop Deck, was the area in which the dogs were most likely walked.

Like much of Titanic, there are no direct references from the ship herself, so we use other period ships. On other liners, kennels were quite spartan. Enclosures/cages lining the bulkheads usually double in height, possibly a sink (for puppy cleanup and drinking) and a steam radiator to provide heat.

Main historical reference comes from Queen Mary and Leviathan.

Aboard Olympic — post Titanic.

There were no kennels on the first ship of the Olympic Class initially. It wasn't until after the expansion of the Ritz Restaurant that they would find their way to the logical location on Boat Deck. The space under the fourth funnel on Olympic was originally for refrigerated Restaurant stores (adequately insulated and protected from the elements.)

Throughout Olympic's career, she saw many celebrities — some had more than two legs. From dogs, horses, and even chimps, they attracted the press just as much as stars on the silver screen.

Aboard Britannic.

Britannic would have had her kennels on the Boat Deck, but the Great War saw the structure never built. The kennels were planned to be on the port side of the fourth funnel due to a new design with the first-class smoke room below.

The gantry davit gears surrounded this area forward and aft. If a gate was installed at the stairs leading down from the raised deck, the dogs might have had their own space to promenade (much like on Queen Mary 2.)

The size of the kennels were slightly larger than her older sisters.

Dogs on the Maiden Voyage

Titanic's complement of 2,208 passengers and crew can be raised to include up to ten dogs. So many stunning dogs that a show was intended for the last day of the voyage. They didn't stay in the kennels all the time; they were first-class passengers with their own tickets and essential fashion pieces for some ladies:

"Many of them carry tiny dogs, and lead husbands around like pet lambs."
— Francis Millet.

That tiny size allowed many to stay with their family — and possibly survive the disaster.

Here's a brief rundown on the dogs aboard Titanic and their owners (all first class). If their names and breed are known, it is given.

These dogs all perished:

◉ A Chow Chow belonging to Harry Anderson, who was lost (Mr. Anderson survived.)

◉ The Astors had possibly two dogs aboard. Only their elderly Airedale named Kitty can be confirmed. Regardless, along with Colonel Astor, Kitty (and the other possible dog) did not survive. Contrary to popular belief, Colonel Astor did not release the dogs from their kennels but fellow dog-lover Robert Daniel.

◉ Helen Bishop's dog, Frou Frou stayed in their B deck cabin with her and her husband. She regrettably left the dog in the cabin as she assumed no one would give a woman with a dog much sympathy when others had children, sealing little Frou Frou's fate.

◉ The Carters had two dogs aboard Titanic that did not survive. One was named Mogul and the other, a Pekingese, named Hee Too or Me Too. These two dogs were very much loved - they stayed in the cabins with the Carters and were allowed around other areas of first class, by some reports. Mogul was even allowed to go swimming in the pool one day.

◉ Robert Daniel was traveling home after purchasing a champion (and expensive) French Bulldog named Gamin de Pycombe. Sadly, he and Daniel struggled to survive in the cold Atlantic that night, and only Danel would make it. It is thought that before Daniel jumped into the sea, he went aft and released all the dogs from their cages.

◉ Passenger William Dulles had a dog aboard, and neither survived. The dog's name was possibly Ems Chevallier.

The following three dogs all survived the sinking:

◉ The Harper's Pekingese Sun-Yat-Sen joined them in a lifeboat — "There seemed to be lots of room and nobody made any objection."

◉ Margaret Hayes' Pomeranian Bebe was saved, as Clinch Smith joked — "Oh, I suppose we ought to put a life preserver on the little doggie, too."

◉ Elizabeth Rothschild's Pomeranian survived Titanic but sadly was possibly one of the first survivors to die just weeks later. The poor dog was killed either by another dog or after being struck by a carriage.

Many legends spread about passengers and crew in the days and weeks after the disaster — and dogs were no exception. Below are the fantastical and fictional. Either the stories have no backing evidence or are easily ruled out and debunked.

◉ Captain Smith, who had a Russian Wolfhound/Borzoi, did not bring the dog aboard the ship.

◉ Neither did First Officer Murdoch bring his (fictional) Newfoundland Rigel aboard. His amazing story includes surviving the water, being pulled onto Boat 4, barking during the approach of the rescue ship, and thus helping Carpathia’s crew to locate survivors.

◉ Perhaps the most wildly shared and believed story is of Ann Isham’s Great Dane. A passenger on the steamship Bremen, passing over Titanic’s gravesite days after the sinking, later told the press she saw a woman holding a dog floating on the sea. While passengers on Bremen saw much to remind them of the disaster, including photographing the iceberg which most likely sank Titanic, no others aboard reported a woman holding a dog in the Atlantic. The crew of Mackay-Bennett found neither woman nor dog when they arrived just a few days later to recover bodies.

Indeed Ms. Isham sadly did not survive the disaster. Still, there is no concrete evidence she had any dog aboard nor that her body was seen in the water (the woman from Bremen was possibly exaggerating her story for the press.)

Dogs on an ocean liner usually purported to be Titanic (or surviving dogs.) Both are inaccurate. 

A Cat Named Jenny

The internet has spread fantastical tales of a Titanic Cat: the story of a feline soothsayer aboard Titanic with her litter of kittens who made a timely departure from the ship. The story has spread so much that it has found its way into exhibits and print.

However emotional and sweet the story, there is no supporting evidence for a cat aboard Titanic.

◉ Cats were sometimes aboard ships to deal with the rodent population (and also assist with their supposed reaction to barometric pressure change) and indeed several famous ocean liners had cats as mascots.

But there is no proof Titanic had any cat aboard as a crew member in her short life. While historians can’t say for certain, there’s more proof there wasn’t a feline on the ship.

◉ Titanic survivor Violet Jessop mentions a cat living happily in the ship’s galley. Several of her tales written later in her life are viewed with skepticism by many historians. Jessop was known for occasionally creating anecdotes by combining stories she had heard with her own experiences.

◉ Snapshots of the alleged cat aboard Titanic with the ship’s officers and crew or seen lounging around in the background of photographs are not actually what they seem. They are photographs of cats aboard other ocean liners and with other crews.

If it is a photo of Titanic the cat is actually something else entirely, usually part of the ship (please look up pareidolia.)

◉ Cats have had incredible far-fetched “tails” on the ocean before and after Titanic; utilizing their keen senses to predict disaster and even saving lives. Some copy Jenny’s story paw-for-paw:

SS Portland, 1898. A cat was seen leaving the steamer before a terrible gale struck taking her kittens down the gangway one by one. This action saved the life of a crewmate who planned to board — just like a “Titanic survivor” who witnessed Jenny do the same later, according to a Belfast paper.