Sailing Inspired Dog Names

As mentioned above, human beings and dogs have shared a special relationship throughout their existence from the earliest days of domestication. And much like the Vikings, who carried numerous pets from cats and dogs aboard their ships bound for everything from exploration to war, numerous other groups of people have kept canines aboard their ships both as working dogs and as companions. 

One of the most notable was surely that of Sinbad, a mixed-breed dog (looks to be partial Rottweiler) that is only one of two animals to be technically and officially classified as non-commissioned officers by a branch of the military. He served on the United States Coast Guard ship named Campbell, which saw a significant amount of action during WWII. Sinbad originally came aboard after Chief Petty Officer A.A. Rother bought the dog as a gift for his girlfriend. Due to a restriction on the apartment she lived in, dogs were not allowed, so Rother ended up having no place to go with the dog while in the service. When he brought Sinbad aboard, no crewmen were able to take the dog either, but most agreed that he should stay aboard regardless, to be cared after by all. To make him official, they even had him put his paw print on his enlistment papers to ensure he was able to stay. 

While his exploits aboard the Campbell were often overstated and magnified due to the publicity, Sinbad actually stayed below decks when the ship was thrust into battle on several occasions, yet still acted as a good companion to the crew, even after the boat was nearly sunk. In fact, the crew members even publicly stated that the captain, James Hirschfield, thought that Sinbad might have been a good luck charm, and that as long as he was aboard the ship, and even travelled with them to Canada for repairs after one battle left the ship in rough shape — during the process, only “essential crew” were allowed to stay aboard, Sinbad was one of them. 

But regardless of his being below decks during battle, he was still given a significant number of awards post-war, including the American Defense Service Medal, European-African-Middle-Eastern Campaign Medal, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal and the Navy Occupation Service Medal, many of which were attached to his collar. 

During his tenure he became a public figure, a guest of honor for the Red Cross and numerous prestigious dinners, and was the first member of the Coast Guard to be the subject of a published biography. After 11 years of service he finally retired, being honorably discharged and living another three years at the Barnegat Light station in New Jersey, where he frequented the local bar and charmed visitors with a metal washer he balanced on his nose, flipped in the air, and caught.