There is an entire pantheon of famous dogs. From ancient times to the latest canine movie star, dogs are constantly catching our attention. Here are some of the most famous of the famous dogs in the world.

 

Britain unveiled a Dog Walk of Fame in 2007. The public voted for the first inductees. Here, according to the British public, are the dogs most worthy of being included in the Dog Walk of Fame:

 

• Bullseye (Oliver!)

• Lassie (Lassie Come Home)

• Toto (The Wizard of Oz)

• Bobby (Greyfriars Bobby, The True Story of a Dog)

• Gromit (Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit)

• Chance & Shadow (Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey)

• Fang (Harry Potter films)

 

Lassie probably makes everyone’s list of famous dogs. “She” was first introduced in the film Lassie, Come Home in 1943, played by the male Collie Pal. Pal made six other Lassie films. Pal filmed two pilots for the Lassie series and then retired, leaving the shows to his descendants. Lassie has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one of only three animals to have one. The other two are Rin Tin Tin and Strongheart.

 

Before Lassie the biggest canine star in the world was Rin Tin Tin, a German Shepherd. Rin Tin Tin was found as a tiny pup with his mother in a bombed out war dog kennel in France in 1918 and brought to the U.S. Rin Tin Tin learned fast and proved to be wonderful at action. He was soon making pictures for the new Warner Brothers Pictures. He made 26 pictures for Warners Brothers before he died in 1926. At the peak of his career Rin Tin Tin received some 10,000 letters per week from fans. Not bad for a star who couldn’t read!

 

 

Sled dogs Balto (Siberian Husky) and Togo (Siberian Husky) became legends when they led the way on the 1925 life-saving relay to bring serum to Nome, Alaska, when the town experienced a deadly outbreak of diphtheria that was threatening children. It was a journey of nearly 1000 miles in a blizzard at more than -20 F. The epic 1925 race for life was commemorated in the Disney movie Balto. A statue of Balto stands in New York’s Central Park. Balto was a young dog at the time of the run but Togo was 12 years old. Togo was much preferred by his owner who considered him a better dog. Balto had been neutered young and could not be bred but many modern Siberian Huskies can trace their lineage back to Togo. The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is run each year to celebrate the 1925 diphtheria run that saved so many lives.

 

You may not know the names Moose or Enzo but chances are that you know the name Eddie. Eddie is the famous Jack Russell Terrier from the Frasier TV show. Moose was born in Florida in 1990. He was too much for his original owner -- he was a little too fond of chasing cats, among other things. He couldn’t be housetrained. He chewed. He dug. He was finally given to someone who trained animals for TV and sent to L.A. After six months of  training  he won the role of Eddie on Frasier. At the height of his popularity Moose/Eddie received more fan mail than his fellow actors on the show. Moose spent the last 6 1/2 years of his life in retirement and died at age 15 1/2. His look-alike son Enzo had taken over the role of Eddie on the series. Moose sired several litters with the goal of producing a possible replacement on the show.

 

You probably know the phrase: Yo Quiero! That’s right. She’s the little Taco Bell dog! Her real name is Gidgit and she’s a Chihuahua (what else?). She was the featured star in the Taco Bell advertising campaign asking Where’s my Taco Bell? She also played Bruiser’s mother in Legally Blonde 2.

 

Spuds MacKenzie was all the rage at one time, starring in Bud Light beer commercials. The Bull Terrier was actually played by a female dog named, of all things, Honey Tree Evil Eye.

 

One of the most famous dogs in Hollywood during the 1930s was a medium-sized terrier known as Asta. Asta’s original name was Skippy but he was happy answering to either name. He became Asta when he appeared in the highly popular Thin Man series of movies with Myrna Loy and William Powell. They played the sophisticated and urbane detectives Nick and Nora Charles. Of course they had to have a sophisticated little dog and Asta was perfect for the part. Asta also appeared as the hilarious George in Bringing Up Baby and as Mr. Smith in The Awful Truth. He may have the best resume of any dog actor who worked in Hollywood. You can see him regularly on Turner Classic Movies.

 

Old Yeller is one of the most famous dogs in literature. This simple story of a boy and his dog first appeared as a novel by Fred Gipson in 1956. It became a Disney movie in 1957. Other famous dogs in books and Disney movies include Big Red, by Jim Kjelgaard, Shadow and Chance in Homeward Bound, Lady and the Tramp, and Perdita and Pongo in 101 Dalmatians. And don’t forget their most recent films! Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Snow Dogs, and Eight Below.

 

 

We can’t forget Marley & Me by John Grogan. The book tells the true (more or less?) story of the “world’s worst dog,” a yellow labrador named Marley who becomes part of the Grogan family and proceeds to make a shambles of their life for the next 13 years. Marley’s life with the Grogan family has also been made into a movie of the same name.

 

These are just a few recently famous dogs. There are hundreds or thousands of famous dogs in history and literature. There will always be new famous dogs because we can’t get enough of them. Dogs are endlessly entertaining and always find new ways to capture our attention.