Famous Dogs

Famous Dogs from Comics and Cartoons

Hey, they may not be real dogs, but famous dogs from the funnies are certainly part of the public consciousness.

• Sandy, the shaggy mutt from the Orphan Annie comics and movies.
• Underdog, lovable crime fighter, and his alter ego, "Shoe Shine Boy".
• Snoopy, the ultimate cool dog who always seems a little brighter than the humans he hangs out with.
• Goofy, that fun-loving doofus of Disney fame.
• Pluto, another Disney creation and canine companion to Mickey Mouse.
• Dino the Dinosaur - alright, so he's not even a cartoon dog, but he was stone age man's best friend and close enough for us. Besides, he barked didn't he?
• Scooby Doo, crime fighting sleuth and side kick to Shaggy and those meddling kids!

Dogs from Movies and Television

Remember any of these canine stars? Each has secured a place in pop culture history.

• Lassie, one of the all time most famous dogs on the planet. It may interest you to know Lassie was actually a lad, and that all the Collies who played the role were his male progeny.
• Rin Tin Tin, heroic German Shepherd of WWII and movie fame. Rinty and his sons also carried on in television, and his line still survives today.
• Nipper, the famous logo dog for RCA Records. Yes Nipper was real and did spend a lot of time trying to figure out where the voice was coming from on the Victrola, which inspired the painting His Master's Voice, by his second master, Francis Barraud.
• Petey, the American Pit Bull Terrier of Little Rascals fame. Petey always had a ring around his eye, obviously makeup, but trivia buffs might be amused to know that the ring changed from eye to eye. Watch for it in those old episodes.
• Benji, the mutt who stole everyone's heart in the self-titled movie of 1973. Benji was originally portrayed by Higgins, a rescued terrier mix who also appeared in Petticoat Junction. Higgins daughter took on the role of Benji for the next three movies, and the rest is history.
• Eddie, the intense and subtly obnoxious nemesis of TV's Frasier. Eddie was actually portrayed by Moose, a Jack Russell Terrier, and though you may not realize it, Moose was eventually phased into retirement and his identical son Enzo took over the role of Eddie.

World's Ugliest Dog

In a class all by himself is Sam, the rescued Chinese Crested who came to worldwide fame as winner of the World's Ugliest Dog Contest in 2003, 2004, and 2005. Sadly, Sam is no longer with us, but the World's Ugliest Dog Contest thrives since his exposure.

Famous Dogs of Search and Rescue

The following famous dogs are just a few of the courageous search and rescue teams who worked tirelessly to recover victims from the collapsed WTC towers after that fateful day of September 11, 2001.

• Ricky and partner Janet Rinker also participated in search and rescue efforts during the 9/11 tragedy. Ricky, a Rat Terrier, was the smallest SAR dog present.
• Thunder, a Golden Retriever and partner Kent Olsen were one of the first SAR teams on the Trade center site.
• Hoke the yellow Lab and partner Julie Noyes were also a vital part of the Trade Center search and rescue efforts.

Summary

There are many more not-so-famous dogs who have made their contributions to humankind. Everyday therapy dogs go to work with their owners and trainers to help bring a little sunshine to residents of nursing homes and convalescent centers. Other canine heroes assist their owners daily as guide dogs for the death and blind. And let's not forget the family pets who offer their love and companionship to their humans each day. Truly, every dog is famous to the person who loves it.

External Links

• About Search and Rescue Dogs.
• DOGNY, a tribute to search and rescue dog teams.