On August 9, 1969, members of the Manson Family brutally murdered Sharon Tate and four others, a series of events that later became known as the Tate murders. What’s lesser-known is the presence of two dogs during this tragic incident. One was Prudence, Sharon Tate’s Yorkshire Terrier puppy, and the other was Tom, a Dalmatian pup belonging to Abigail Folger and Wojciech Frykowski.

Sharon reportedly named her puppy Prudence after the Beatles song ‘Dear Prudence’ from the White Album. Notably, the song ‘Helter Skelter’ is also featured on this album. Sharon Tate’s own copy of the White Album sold at auction in 2018 for $3,520.

The song ‘Dear Prudence’ was inspired by Mia Farrow’s sister, Prudence Farrow. Mia Farrow starred in Roman Polanski’s movie Rosemary’s Baby. Both Mia and Prudence Farrow accompanied the Beatles to India when they went to study with the Maharishi.

It Begins: Puppy Guinness

Yorkshire Terriers were Sharon Tate’s preferred breed, although she once had a toy poodle named Love. Before Prudence, she had a Yorkshire Terrier named Sappy, and before that, a Yorkie named Guinness.

The origin story of Puppy Guinness is that Sharon received him as a gift from David Niven and the production team of the film ‘Eye of the Devil,’ which was shot in 1965 in England and France. Sharon, who was 22 years old at the time, reportedly received the puppy as a Christmas present.

However, this was likely just a story to cover his true origins. In December 1965, Sheilah Graham, a tabloid reporter, wrote the following while reporting from London: “A member of a rich brewing family here presented Sharon Tate with a Yorkshire Terrier puppy, and implored her, ‘Don’t tell anybody I gave it to you. Mother would be so upset.’”

There are rumors that Guinness was given to Sharon by Tara Browne, a London socialite and heir to the Guinness fortune. Browne’s mother was Oonagh Guinness. This could explain why the puppy was named after the popular British beer, Guinness.

Perhaps Sharon claimed she got the puppy from David Niven and the production team as a cover story to honor the anonymous person’s request: “Don’t tell anybody I gave it to you.”

In 1966, Tara Browne died in a car accident at the age of 21 in London. He was buried on the Guinness family estate in Ireland. According to John Lennon, who was friends with Browne, he inspired the Beatles song ‘A Day in the Life.’

Introducing Sappy

When Sharon finished filming Eye of the Devil, she flew home from London to Los Angeles, accompanied by Guinness. As Sharon’s work and travel schedule became increasingly demanding, she entrusted Guinness to her mother.

She eventually got another puppy, a male Yorkshire Terrier, and named him Sappy. As stated by Polanski, both he and Sharon adored Sappy as if he were their own child, “I loved that dog, and this dog meant two years of our marriage, of our lives, it was almost like a baby.”

In his memoir, Polanski wrote that Sappy was a son of Guinness. “Sharon’s parents paid us a visit. They brought us a present: a Yorkshire terrier puppy, sired by Guinness, which I promptly christened Dr. Saperstein, after the sinister character in Rosemary’s Baby.”

Polanski mentioned that Sharon had hoped to breed a litter of puppies fathered by Sappy, “I told Sharon, you wanted to mate him, so lets buy another Yorkie and mate them.” Sadly, Sappy was run over and killed before he had the chance to sire a litter.

Sappy Killed

In the summer of 1969, Wojciech Frykowski, one of the murder victims, accidentally ran over and killed Sharon Tate’s Yorkshire terrier, Dr. Sapirstein, affectionately known as Sappy, on the driveway of 10050 Cielo Drive. The accident happened while Polanski and Tate were in Europe.

During this time, Polanski’s friend Wojciech Frykowski and his girlfriend, Abigail Folger, stayed at 10050 Cielo Drive, the Tate residence, to house-sit and look after Sappy. According to Polanski’s police interview, Frykowski admitted in a letter that he had killed Sappy.

As stated by Polanski, who paraphrased the letter, Frykowski wrote the following: “A terrible thing happened today, I killed Saperstein. I heard a squeak under the wheels, and he ran into the bushes. I ran after him, found him, and took him to the vet, but it was too late.”

Frykowski also wrote: “In an absurd way, I was dreaming of reversing roles. The only thing I got from you was goodness and help, and what I did was kill your dog.” (Excerpts from Polanski’s police interview)

Sappy was named after the character Dr. Sapirstein from Roman Polanski’s film Rosemary’s Baby. In Polanski’s memoir, the dog’s name is written as Saperstein, which was likely a misspelling by Polanski’s ghostwriter, Edward Behr.

Sappy’s life was short-lived. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but based on calculations, he was likely around two years old at the time of his death.

Killed In This Very Driveway

Shahrokh Hatami, a professional photographer and close friend of Sharon Tate, spent a significant amount of time with Sharon, often capturing moments on film. In his trial testimony, Hatami described a specific occasion when he filmed Sharon Tate on her bicycle from the top of the garage at Cielo Drive.

A still from Hatami’s video shows Sharon Tate and Sappy in the driveway of 10050 Cielo Drive. The video was taken in February or March 1969, after they signed the lease for the house on February 12 but before Sharon left for Europe on March 24. Sappy was killed in this very driveway.

Introducing Puppy Prudence

Polanski, who was in London working on a movie at the time of the accident, stated in his police interview that Frykowski asked him to tell Sharon that Sappy had run away, rather than revealing the truth. Polanski and Frykowski never told Sharon about the accident. According to Polanski, Sharon gradually came to terms with the idea that Sappy was no longer alive.

A friend of Polanski, Victor Lownes, advised him to first buy another dog before breaking the bad news about Sappy going ‘missing’. While in England, Polanski bought Sharon a new Yorkshire puppy, which they named Prudence. Along with the puppy, Polanski also bought Sharon a vintage Rolls-Royce.

According to Polanski’s biography, Roman by Polanski, “I already had one surprise present on order for her — a white vintage Rolls Silver Dawn — but I knew it wouldn’t make up for the loss of her dog. I phoned Sharon in Rome and told her that Dr. Saperstein needed some female company. Then I bought a Yorkshire terrier puppy, which we christened Prudence.”

“Later, when Sharon joined me in London, I broke the news that Dr. Saperstein had “disappeared.” It sounded plausible enough — Saperstein regularly took off like a randy little tomcat and returned, looking shamefaced, after a couple of days on the prowl. Sharon never did get to know what really happened.”

3 Dogs and 17 Cats

During a June 1969 interview in London with Sheilah Graham, Sharon said that she was looking forward to going home to be with their three dogs—presumably Sappy, Prudence, and Dalmatian Tom—indicating that at that time, she believed Sappy was still alive.

She also mentioned having 17 cats during the interview. These cats were reportedly strays that originally belonged to Terry Melcher and Candice Bergen when they lived at the Cielo Drive residence. The interview was published on June 8, 1969, exactly two months before that fateful night.

“There were two gorgeous Rolls-Royces outside the flat, one light cream-colored, the other black. ‘Which one is yours?’ I asked Roman, who had offered to drop me off. ‘It was Roman’s birthday present to me,’ said Sharon with deep satisfaction. ‘We’re taking it back to Hollywood to be with our 17 cats, three dogs and the new baby. I can’t wait to get back to start on the nursery.’”

When Sharon returned home in July 1969, she must have searched the Cielo Drive property in vain for her beloved dog.

A Final Goodbye

After Sharon finished filming her part in Europe, in what turned out to be her final film, she returned to their Cielo Drive home. According to Polanski, both he and Sharon wanted their baby to be born in the United States.

Sharon had to return home by boat because airlines don’t allow heavily pregnant women on airplanes. Polanski dropped Sharon and Prudence off at the ship.

They took a tour of the ship before saying goodbye. “Never having set foot in a big ocean liner before, we explored it like excited children, Sharon with tiny Prudence nestling in the crook of her arm.”

That turned out to be the last time he saw Sharon alive. Polanski recalled in his film memoir that he had a feeling he might never see Sharon again. Polanski also wrote about this premonition in his book.

“She hugged me tightly, pressing her belly against me in a way she’d never done before, as if to remind me of the baby. As I held and kissed her, a grotesque thought flashed through my mind: you’ll never see her again.”

A Dog in the Window

In her Grand Jury testimony, Susan Atkins mentioned seeing a dog in a window just before the killings began. She stated that the dog ran away. It remains unclear whether this dog was Abigail Folger’s Dalmatian or one of Rudi Altobelli’s dogs, the owner of the Cielo Drive home.

There was still enough light from the outside lights so that we could see on the inside. I looked over and I saw a dog in the window. The dog ran away. And then he (Tex Watson) tied up Jay Sebring.

Susan Atkins’ Encounter with Dalmatian Tom

Susan Atkins did encounter Folger’s and Frykowski’s Dalmatian, Tom, during the murders. She specifically described seeing a Dalmatian to one of her fellow inmates while incarcerated, suggesting that she likely saw one of Altobelli’s dogs—in particular, his Weimaraner, Christopher—in the window running away.

In her jailhouse confession to fellow inmate Virginia Graham, Atkins mentioned seeing a Dalmatian dog. During the struggle with Frykowski, Atkins lost her Buck knife. Initially, she believed the Dalmatian dog had taken the knife when she dropped it. However, it was later discovered that she had dropped the knife on a chair, where it was found by police.

A: And then she told me she lost her knife while she was there and she said they looked for it, but they couldn’t find it and she thought the dog had gotten it.

Q: Did she describe the knife at all?

A: No, not at all. And then she said, you know, “I really think the dog got it.” She said something about she thought the dog was a Dalmatian or something like that.

For Dalmatian Tom to have taken the knife, he would have had to be in the house during the murders, strengthening the case that the dog Susan Atkins saw run away was Christopher.

Good Boy Christopher

Susan Atkins likely saw Rudi Altobelli’s Weimaraner, Christopher, in the window just before the killings began. William Garretson, who stayed in the guesthouse and was initially arrested for the murders, looked after the dogs while Altobelli was away.

William Garretson testified that he had left the patio door of the guesthouse open on the night of the murders and that Christopher had gone outside during that night after Steve Parent had left. He also stated that Altobelli’s poodles did not leave the guesthouse that night. The guesthouse was located next to the lawn where Folger and Frykowski’s bodies were found.

According to Garretson’s trial testimony, Christopher, known for being feisty, bit one of the police officers in the leg when they kicked in the door of the Cielo Drive guesthouse. Christopher also barked when Charles Manson visited Cielo Drive in March 1969.

Prudence Taken to the Pound

After the police arrived at the murder scene, all the dogs found at Cielo Drive, including those belonging to Sharon Tate, Abigail Folger, and Rudi Altobelli, were taken to the pound. Additionally, a kitten found on the property was also taken to the pound.

After the murders, all the dogs were taken to the pound. We went to rescue Prudence and take her home with us and I saw Gibby and Voytek’s dog, Tom, which was a Dalmatian puppy. I asked if we could keep him but my parents said no…Then I promised that if we rescued Tom, I’d find him a good home and I did do that. -Debra Tate (Sharon’s sister)

An August 11, 1969, newspaper caption of a photo featuring Prudence and Altobelli’s poodles at the shelter states that the animals were taken to the West Los Angeles Animal Shelter, where hundreds of people visited and attempted to buy them.

“These dogs found at the home of actress Sharon Tate may have been the only witnesses to the killing of the actress and four others at the big Bel Air home. The dogs are being held in the West Los Angeles Animal Shelter. The head of the animal shelter said hundreds of people have visited the shelter to buy the dogs.”

In the UPI photo below, Altobelli’s Weimaraner, Christopher, and his poodles, reportedly named Peppie and Peetie, are being removed from the Cielo Drive property by the police and taken to the shelter.

Kitten Found at Murder Scene

A kitten was also found at the crime scene. It was one of the many cats Sharon was caring for. Roman Polanski told actress Mia Farrow that Sharon’s kitten was found in the main residence at the murder scene. According to Polanski, the kitten was found ‘in the blood.’

In Roman Polanski’s last phone call with Sharon on the morning of August 8, 1969, she talked about the kitten and how she was caring for it. Polanski recalled in his memoir, “Sharon and I talked on the phone every day, sometimes more than once. She was growing impatient. On August 8, a Friday, we had a longer talk than usual.”

“She told me about a stray kitten she’d found in the garden — how she was feeding it with an eyedropper and trying to tame it. The kitten was a lot of fun, she said, but she sounded edgy. California was in the grip of a terrible heat wave, which must have been especially hard on a woman in her condition.”

Susan Atkins Saw Sharon Tate’s Kitten During the Murders

In a jailhouse confession, Susan Atkins told her fellow inmate at the Sybil Brand Institute, Ronnie Howard, that she had seen Sharon Tate’s kitten during the murders. Howard was later questioned by homicide detectives on November 25, 1969.

The detectives investigating the case were aware that several dogs and a kitten had been found at the crime scene. Detective Sergeant Patchett specifically asked Howard whether Susan Atkins had mentioned any pets being present during the killings.

Q: Did she ever mention animals being present when they were murdering people?

A: Only at the Tate house cause I asked her, I said, “That was a white cat wasn’t it up at the Tate house?” and she said, “No, it was a black kitten.”

Ronnie Howard, who initially doubted Atkins’ confession to the Tate murders, questioned Atkins multiple times to see if she could keep her story straight. To test Atkins, Howard mentioned ‘a white cat’ to see if she would fall for the mistake. However, Atkins corrected her, stating that it was, in fact, a black kitten she had seen during the murders.

“One hundred and two stab wounds riddled the bodies. Thirty minutes, one stab every twenty seconds, and Sharon’s black kitten walked mewing among the bodies.” (Ed Sanders, The Family, 1971)

Prudence Was Found Hiding

Early on the morning of August 9, after the bodies of Sharon Tate and her friends were found, Prudence and Tom were discovered hiding in a closet. Sharon’s family adopted Prudence, giving her a loving home for the remaining years of her life.

After the murders, police found the two puppies hiding in a closet. “They were scared to death,” says Debra Tate. “We took Prudence home and found a home for Tom. I wouldn’t leave him behind.”

Prudence Killed

Unfortunately, 10 years after Sharon was tragically murdered, Prudence was killed in a car accident. Debra Tate, Sharon’s younger sister, had accidentally run over Prudence in the driveway of her parent’s house.

“Oh geez, do I have to tell this? I’ve been told that people want to know what happened to Prudence. Ok, I’ll tell you. I accidentally ran over Prudence in my parent’s driveway and killed her. It was awful!”

“I was leaving after a visit, backing out of the driveway and I didn’t realize that she’d run outside. I was twenty six when this happened so it was ten years after Sharon died. So now you know — Prudence is with Sharon”.