Top 10 famous dogs

Posted on 20 March, 2017

Dogs are a man’s best friend and there have been many famous ones throughout history, on and off the screen that highlight this unique relationship.

Let’s take a look at some of our favourites:

Lassie – One of the most famous dogs of all time is Lassie, a female Rough Collie, who was a fictional character, created by novelist Eric Knight in the book, Lassie Come Home. This was made into a film in 1943 and later the series, Lassie, which ran for 19 years. The original dog to play Lassie was a dog name ‘Pal’ and many of her descendants have played the part ever since.

Toto – This small Yorkshire Terrier was a character in a series of books called the Oz Series, which begins with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Toto was brought to life on the silver screen in 1939, with the movie the Wizard of Oz, and will remain forever famous as the little friend of farm girl, Dorothy Gale, played by Judy Garland.

Eccles – Eccles is another terrier, this time a Border Terrier, who made her debut in Coronation Street in 2006, and continues in the soap today. First owned by the character, Blanche, who was Deirdre Barlow’s mum, she is now looked after on the street by Ken Barlow.

Wellard – Rival soap, EastEnders also had a regular dog called Wellard, a Belgian Tervuren that first appeared in 1994. The dog was taken in as a stray by character, Robbie Jackson and remained in the series until 2008, having been played by four ‘actor’ dogs – all female, despite Wellard being a male on screen. Wellard was voted “Best Pet” at the 2008 Digital Spy Soap Awards.

Greyfriars Bobby – Bobby was a Skye Terrier and is Scotland’s most famous dog. He even has his own statue in Edinburgh. He became known locally in the 19th century after spending 14 years guarding the grave of his owner, John Grey. John was a night watchman for the Edinburgh city police, who died from tuberculosis in 1858. The story has inspired several books and films, the most recent being the film, The Adventures of Greyfriars Bobby that came out in 2006.

Lupo – Lupo is a black English Cocker Spaniel owned by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate, since early 2012. Due to his famous ‘parents’ Lupo is regularly photographed and has appeared in many newspapers and magazines, including on the front cover of Hello magazine. Lupo also appears in a fantasy book series, called the Adventures of a Royal Dog by Aby King.

Scooby-Doo – Scooby-Doo is a Great Dane from the American animated cartoon franchise of the same name that started in 1969. He is probably one of the most famous fictional dogs of all time. Whilst a huge dog he isn’t very brave and he gets up to all sorts of mischief with his family and friends. His stories are told in a multitude of TV programmes, films, books, comics and videogames.

Pudsey – With his owner Ashleigh Butler, Pudsey is the first ever trick dog to win ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent competition in May 2012. Pudsey is a male Border Collie, Bichon Frise and Chinese Crested Powderpuff cross who won over the hearts of the nation, performing tricks and dancing to the Flintstones soundtrack. The pair has gone on to perform in many TV and theatre roles, including playing Dorothy and Toto in the Wizard of Oz at the Playhouse in Whitley Bay.

Nipper – Our final famous dog is Nipper, the dog who was the model for a painting titled His Master’s Voice – an image that was the basis for the dog and gramophone logo used by several famous brands, including HMV and EMI. Nipper was born in Bristol in 1884 and was a mixed breed dog, partly Jack Russell. He was called Nipper because he would bite the backs of people’s legs. He died in 1895 in Kingston upon Thames and a small brass plaque commemorates his final resting place.

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