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It's not everyone's image of a real salty seadog. But all the nice girls - not to mention the boys, too - love one particular Sailor when they embark on cruise ships.

A six-month-old golden retriever is winning the hearts of passengers and crew aboard the world's biggest cruise ship. Sailor has begun a new life on the ocean wave as a companion for passengers and crew missing their own pets while sailing on board the £1.6billion Star of the Seas.

She's even been given the title of Chief Dog Officer, only the second pooch to hold this position on Royal Caribbean's Icon class cruise ships. The first - her "big sister' - is Rover who lives aboard the giant Icon of the Seas.

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Sailor is so popular she has own Instagram and Tiktok accounts with 30,000 followers already - and has now become a star on YouTube.

When Royal Caribbean was designing the best holiday they realised there was one piece missing - the family pet.

Company product development boss Jay Rosser said: "When guests go on holiday one of the key things that they miss are their pets back home and the same goes for our crew. We wanted to make sure we brought a fluffy addition to our crew family. We got Rover and now we have Sailor. Sailor lives on Star of the Seas. Sailor's life on Star will be full of adventure."

President and Chief executive Michael Bayley added: "It feels a little selfish to have a family dog for one family, so we decided to have a family dog for one big family - everyone on board the ship.

"The key mission is to have fun and that's exactly what Rover and Sailor do. I totally fell in love with Sailor. She is so beautiful, loving and funny.

"One of our team members had a golden retriever and brought her down to the ship one day. So many crew members stopped and talked to the dog and it became clear that people miss their dogs."

He added: "She has a spot on the bridge and reports directly to the captain. She has her own suite in the crew area too."

Sailor explores the ship on her own schedule, surprising guests and enjoying belly rubs and head pats.

Jay adds: "We make sure when Rover and Sailor are on board they're having their best day every day."

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