Pup culture debate: Who is the best TV dog?

Okay, friends… it’s time for a little friendly debate. Of all the dogs that have appeared on television, who is the top dog?

Before we get started, the ground rules:

  • We’re talking fictional dogs here. A real-life hero dog or otherwise famous dog (think Uggie) who has appeared on a television news program or in a commercial doesn’t count. (Although maybe we need a sub-category of dogs in commercials. I do love Chopper, after all.)
  • Animated dogs totally count. Dogs that have appeared in holiday or other specials shown on television are also fair game.
  • Miniseries and made-for-TV movies are also in the mix. However, movies originally released in a theater and later shown on TV don’t count – that’s the subject of a future pup culture debate.

Ready? To get you started, here are a few lists of TV dogs.

I’ll even kick off the discussion with a few of my favorites:

  • Snoopy – Perhaps the most famous Beagle of all time? In any event, this World War I Flying Ace flew into my heart years ago and never left. (Anyone else obsessed with the Snoopy musical?)
  • Odie – I’m not just obsessed with Garfield. I love his canine pal too. He’s not the brightest, but he sure does have a big heart.
  • Seymour – Unlike the other dogs on this list, Seymour appeared in one memorable episode, the supremely moving and beautiful “Jurassic Bark” episode of Futurama. Have you seen this one? If not, you owe it to yourself as a dog lover and a human being with a soul. I got teary just typing those sentences. Um, quick… let’s watch a happy moment from that episode.

  • Wishbone – It’s not all animated dogs here. My mom gave me a Wishbone stuffed animal one year and it was seriously the best gift ever. I mean, it’s an adorable dog and some great books. What’s the story, Wishbone?
  • Eddie – Given my love affair with Terriers, I guess it’s no surprise that I adored Eddie from Frasier. Moose, you were the best.

I could probably go on for a while… in particular, there are quite a few animated dogs I might add to that list. However, I’ll stop with five for now.

So… who is your favorite? Share your nominees in the comments and tell us why! (If there’s enough interest, perhaps I’ll take the top mentions and put it to a vote soon.)

Let the pup culture debate begin!

Share

Comments

comments

30 thoughts on “Pup culture debate: Who is the best TV dog?

  1. I’m glad you’ve brought this important debate front and center, where it belongs! 🙂
    It’s impossible to pick just one!
    * I’m a life-long lover of Snoopy, having grown up with beagles and we’ve had many of them in our family. Beagles really do a lot of the things Snoopy does (the vulture look, the leaping out and grabbing your ankle as you pass, etc.) so I really love him a lot.
    * I also loved Eddie on Frasier. What an actor!
    * I love, love, love Champion, the 3-legged dog on Parks & Rec (having had a fabulous 3 legger myself).
    * I’ve always had a soft spot for Clifford, the Big Red Dog.
    * A lesser known fave was Nunzio on Dharma & Greg. (He was the most adorable corgi, and he was technically Stinky’s dog, not Dharma’s. As Dharma explained it to Greg: “This is my dog, Stinky. And this is Stinky’s dog, Nunzio.”)

    I could probably go on and on!
    Jackie Bouchard recently posted..Monday Mischief: Such a Great Helper

    • How could I have missed Champion? He’s so awesome!

      (I always used to joke that I was going to get Bella a dog… I guess that Tavish can be her dog. Hehe.)

  2. So many great additions in the comments, especially Houndstooth suggesting Santa’s Little Helper.

    But no one beats Wishbone in my book. In the 1990s I tried to recover some childhood pleasures. And I was thrilled to discover a show that combined my love of dogs with history and literature. I still borrow Wishbone DVDs from the library every once in a while. I think it’s time to revisit him.
    Pamela | Something Wagging This Way Comes recently posted..Snoopy Really is a Beagle

  3. No, you can’t make me choose between Wishbone and Snoopy, it’s just impossible. I won’t do it. Noooooo! One looks freaking adorable as Sherlock Holmes – and also made a hilarious Sancho Panza – and the other was an essential part of my childhood.

    Also, I love that Futurama episode. It actually made my husband cry when we watched it together many years ago. Real tears. I thought that was very sweet.
    Kristine recently posted..Less Wordy Wednesday – You Asked For It

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.