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Sea dog from 16th century English warship to go on display

The only female crew member of The Mary Rose is to go on display after years of painstaking reconstruction - a two-year-old mongrel called Hatch.

The 16th century sea dog acquired the nickname after divers discovered her remains near the sliding hatch door of the ill-fated ship's carpenter's cabin, where she had lain since it sank in 1545.

Hatch's skeleton will be on display at this year's Crufts as the special guest of the Kennel Club, along with a selection of other Tudor artefacts.

The mongrel was most likely on board as the ship's ratter - superstitious Tudor seamen did not have cats on board as they were thought to bring bad luck. According to experts, analysis of Hatch's skeleton suggests she spent most of her life within the confines of the ship.

"We are delighted to bring Hatch, the world's oldest lost sea dog, to the world's premier dog show, so that visitors can meet an ancestor of their much loved pets," said John Lippiett, Chief Executive of the Mary Rose Trust and Hatch's guardian....
Read entire article at Telegraph (UK)