Porthos

Porthos (1894–1901) was J. M. Barrie's pet dog, a male Saint Bernard. One might understandably assume that he was named after one of the Three Musketeers, but in fact, he was named after the dog in George du Maurier's novel Peter Ibbetson (which itself may have been named after the musketeer). The coincidence of Barrie having a dog named after the dog in her father's novel piqued Sylvia Llewelyn Davies' interest when they first met.

Porthos was a wedding present from Barrie to his wife Mary, purchased while they were in Lucerne, Switzerland. But although Mary cared for the dog, James played with him, and quickly became Porthos' favorite. It was Porthos who accompanied Barrie on his walks in Kensington Gardens when he met George and Jack Llewelyn Davies. Barrie amused the boys by dancing with Porthos, and other antics.

Porthos later appeared with George, Jack, and Peter in The Boy Castaways of Black Lake Island, a photo book that Barrie made in 1901 of the boys' play adventures, with Porthos playing the dog of the pirate "Swarthy" (which they trained to be theirs) and a wild tiger (in a papier mâché mask).

Porthos fell ill in the autumn of 1901, and when the Barries could no longer keep him at their house, they brought him to the Dog's Home at Battersea, where he was put to sleep and died.

A year later, the Barries adopted Luath, who would be the basis for the Darling's nurse Nana. Nonetheless, Nana has been depicted (especially by Disney) as a Saint Bernard like Porthos, and the two dogs have often been confused with each other in accounts about the Barries and Davieses.