Favorite Show Puppies - 1980s
Results for '60s-'70s Poll
Arnold the Semi-Wonder Dog
Arnold the Semi-Wonder Dog - The family dog (half pit bull/half Labrador) seen on the domestic drama LIFE GOES ON/ABC/1989-93. Arnold lives at 305 Woodridge Road in the town of Glen Brook, Illinois. His caretakers included Libby Thatcher, an ad agency account executive; Drew Thatcher, the owner of the Glen Brook Grill (lots of doggy bag goodies every night for Arnold) and the family's children Paige, the eldest daughter, Becky (14), and Charles "Corky" (18) who has Down syndrome. Arnold's mission in life is to be fed. He likes to carry his red bowl around the house to remind his owners to give his some dog food. Arnold has white fur with black markings around the eyes and ears. Bullet the dog played the role of Arnold the "Semi-wonder dog" Bullet was originally owned by animal trainer Richard Calkins who got Bullet from a friend when the dog was three months old. Bullet was later adopted by Joann Curtis, the daughter of the late Lassie trainer, Rudd Weatherwax who retired Bullet from show business as a family pet. Bullet lived with Curtis for fifteen years until his death of kidney failure in 1999. On the set, Bullet was a very affectionate and got along extremely well all the cast members, especially Chris Burke who was very fond of Bullet. Off the set, Bullet loved to watch cartoons (Tweety Bird was a favorite) and enjoyed eating pizza crust from Palermo's in Hollywood. Bullet's other acting credit included a commercial for the Arizona state lottery.
TRIVIA NOTE: On the series' season finale of LIFE GOES ON, Arnold the dog, who week after week mournfully clutched his food bowl in his mouth in the TV show's opening sequence, finally got fed in the last episodes. (Arnold lays down with his empty bowl, and a cupboard falls open and a large bag of dog food spills out on the floor).
Bijoux
Bijoux - Small, yappy, ill-tempered Jack Russell Terrier dog on the police drama HOOPERMAN/ABC/1987-89. Bijoux was willed to San Francisco police detective Harry Hooperman (John Ritter) by his landlady after her murder. The will had one important stipulation: Hooperman could have her apartment house if he took care of her dog. Since Bijoux hated cops, their partnership was off to a "ruff" start. Bijoux's real name was Little Britches'. She was owned and trained by animal handler Cindy James, the stepdaughter of Edgar Rice Burroughs (of Tarzan fame). For fun, Little Britches' loved to chase mice and to eat a Canadian meat treat called Rollover. Little Britches' ("the dog from hell") other credits included TV commercials for Kibbles and Bits, MCI, and Church's Chicken and a feature film Harry and the Hendersons (1987). Little Britches' died in 1999 at the age of fourteen. In 1954, Cindy was the first woman animal trainer to be accepted into the Los Angles Teamsters Union. TRIVIA NOTE: The Jack Russell terrier breed was established in the early l9th century by the Reverend Jack Russell of Devon, England. He was an avid fox hunter and needed a dog with spirit and endurance.
Brandon
Brandon - Golden Labrador Retriever on the sitcom PUNKY BREWSTER/NBC/1984-86/SYN/1988-89. Brandon shared the home of Penelope "Punky" Brewster (Soleil Moon Frye) , an adoptive waif who lived with her guardian, Henry Warnimont (George Gaynes) an elderly bachelor and building manager. Their dog, Brandon can play checkers, buy his own flea powder, and is treated to an Oreo cookie when he is good. His dog girlfriend is Lady. TRIVIA NOTE: Brandon's name was inspired by the name of the then NBC programming head Brandon Tartikoff. Glen Garner trained Brandon.
Buster
Buster - Pet beagle owned by twelve-year-old Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage) on the 1960s-based sitcom THE WONDER YEARS/ABC/1988-93. Brian McMillan was the animal trainer on the show. On episode No. 61 "Buster (or the Big Fix)" we discover a lot about the Arnold's family dog as the elderly Kevin (voice of Daniel Stern) recalls in a voice-over:
"When he was little...he was...cute. Everyone wanted to cuddle him. He was the perfect puppy. Then something happened. Buster...grew up. Suddenly he wasn't so cute. And just as suddenly....the family dog...had become...my dog."
Buster came to the Arnold house by way of Kevin's paternal grandfather. As Buster grew older the Arnold family didn't pay much attention to him until Buster's incessant barking disrupted the family's sleep pattern. And so, the family decided to get Buster "fixed." The night before Buster was to go to Dr. Ferlinger (Cristine Rose) the veterinarian, he ran away from Kevin while on a walk. Suddenly, the family's latent love for the dog resurfaced and they frantically tried to find him. When Buster found them, the family was happy and the next morning, they all took Buster to the vet.
Again the elderly Kevin in his voice-over concluded:
"And in a way, I guess you could say Buster's loss...was also his gain. He'd been this little stranger, who turned out to be part of our family. A venerable member of the alliance. One for all, and all for one. And over the years, through good times and bad...through seasons of hope and change, he stood by us all. A silent partner. The first one to greet me at the door...when I came home from my senior prom. The one who stared out our front window, on the day I left for college. And my mom said he stayed there for hours."
Dreyfuss
Dreyfuss - Large brown dog on the sitcom EMPTY NEST/NBC/1988-95. Dreyfuss was the family pet and confidant of Dr. Harry Weston (Richard Mulligan) a widower pediatrician living in Miami Beach, Florida. The dog's trainer Joel Silverman described Bear (Dreyfuss' real name) as a mix of purebred St. Bernard (mother) and Golden Retriever (father). Among Bears' many talents was his ability to climb inside the kitchen cabinet and close the door behind him. Bear's brother Julio occasionally stood in as Dreyfuss. His sister, Bodi appeared in the movie Steel Magnolias (1989). Bear also appeared on the frontier drama FATHER MURPHY/NBC/1981-84
Apollo & Zeus (The Lads)
Apollo & Zeus - Doberman pinscher guard dogs seen on the detective drama MAGNUM, P.I./CBS/1980-88. Apollo & Zeus lived at the mansion of novelist Robin Masters on the Island of Oahu. The dogs patrolled the perimeters of the estate and answered to the commands given by a stuffy British manservant Jonathan Quayle Higgins III (John Hillerman) who affectionately called the dogs "The Lads." Frequently the dogs went chasing after Thomas Magnum, a private investigator and live-in security guard for the estate. Apollo and Zeus' real names were Brutus and Dominique. They were trained by Scott Hart and earned $1,000 a week. When the producers tried to get look-alikes to save money (The dogs had to be flown in from Los Angeles), the series star Tom Selleck said "No!" He felt comfortable with those particular dogs chasing him and didn't want replacements.
Arnold the Semi-Wonder Dog
Arnold the Semi-Wonder Dog - The family dog (half pit bull/half Labrador) seen on the domestic drama LIFE GOES ON/ABC/1989-93. Arnold lives at 305 Woodridge Road in the town of Glen Brook, Illinois. His caretakers included Libby Thatcher, an ad agency account executive; Drew Thatcher, the owner of the Glen Brook Grill (lots of doggy bag goodies every night for Arnold) and the family's children Paige, the eldest daughter, Becky (14), and Charles "Corky" (18) who has Down syndrome. Arnold's mission in life is to be fed. He likes to carry his red bowl around the house to remind his owners to give his some dog food. Arnold has white fur with black markings around the eyes and ears. Bullet the dog played the role of Arnold the "Semi-wonder dog" Bullet was originally owned by animal trainer Richard Calkins who got Bullet from a friend when the dog was three months old. Bullet was later adopted by Joann Curtis, the daughter of the late Lassie trainer, Rudd Weatherwax who retired Bullet from show business as a family pet. Bullet lived with Curtis for fifteen years until his death of kidney failure in 1999. On the set, Bullet was a very affectionate and got along extremely well all the cast members, especially Chris Burke who was very fond of Bullet. Off the set, Bullet loved to watch cartoons (Tweety Bird was a favorite) and enjoyed eating pizza crust from Palermo's in Hollywood. Bullet's other acting credit included a commercial for the Arizona state lottery.
TRIVIA NOTE: On the series' season finale of LIFE GOES ON, Arnold the dog, who week after week mournfully clutched his food bowl in his mouth in the TV show's opening sequence, finally got fed in the last episodes. (Arnold lays down with his empty bowl, and a cupboard falls open and a large bag of dog food spills out on the floor).
Bijoux
Bijoux - Small, yappy, ill-tempered Jack Russell Terrier dog on the police drama HOOPERMAN/ABC/1987-89. Bijoux was willed to San Francisco police detective Harry Hooperman (John Ritter) by his landlady after her murder. The will had one important stipulation: Hooperman could have her apartment house if he took care of her dog. Since Bijoux hated cops, their partnership was off to a "ruff" start. Bijoux's real name was Little Britches'. She was owned and trained by animal handler Cindy James, the stepdaughter of Edgar Rice Burroughs (of Tarzan fame). For fun, Little Britches' loved to chase mice and to eat a Canadian meat treat called Rollover. Little Britches' ("the dog from hell") other credits included TV commercials for Kibbles and Bits, MCI, and Church's Chicken and a feature film Harry and the Hendersons (1987). Little Britches' died in 1999 at the age of fourteen. In 1954, Cindy was the first woman animal trainer to be accepted into the Los Angles Teamsters Union. TRIVIA NOTE: The Jack Russell terrier breed was established in the early l9th century by the Reverend Jack Russell of Devon, England. He was an avid fox hunter and needed a dog with spirit and endurance.
Brandon
Brandon - Golden Labrador Retriever on the sitcom PUNKY BREWSTER/NBC/1984-86/SYN/1988-89. Brandon shared the home of Penelope "Punky" Brewster (Soleil Moon Frye) , an adoptive waif who lived with her guardian, Henry Warnimont (George Gaynes) an elderly bachelor and building manager. Their dog, Brandon can play checkers, buy his own flea powder, and is treated to an Oreo cookie when he is good. His dog girlfriend is Lady. TRIVIA NOTE: Brandon's name was inspired by the name of the then NBC programming head Brandon Tartikoff. Glen Garner trained Brandon.
Buster
Buster - Pet beagle owned by twelve-year-old Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage) on the 1960s-based sitcom THE WONDER YEARS/ABC/1988-93. Brian McMillan was the animal trainer on the show. On episode No. 61 "Buster (or the Big Fix)" we discover a lot about the Arnold's family dog as the elderly Kevin (voice of Daniel Stern) recalls in a voice-over:
"When he was little...he was...cute. Everyone wanted to cuddle him. He was the perfect puppy. Then something happened. Buster...grew up. Suddenly he wasn't so cute. And just as suddenly....the family dog...had become...my dog."
Buster came to the Arnold house by way of Kevin's paternal grandfather. As Buster grew older the Arnold family didn't pay much attention to him until Buster's incessant barking disrupted the family's sleep pattern. And so, the family decided to get Buster "fixed." The night before Buster was to go to Dr. Ferlinger (Cristine Rose) the veterinarian, he ran away from Kevin while on a walk. Suddenly, the family's latent love for the dog resurfaced and they frantically tried to find him. When Buster found them, the family was happy and the next morning, they all took Buster to the vet.
Again the elderly Kevin in his voice-over concluded:
"And in a way, I guess you could say Buster's loss...was also his gain. He'd been this little stranger, who turned out to be part of our family. A venerable member of the alliance. One for all, and all for one. And over the years, through good times and bad...through seasons of hope and change, he stood by us all. A silent partner. The first one to greet me at the door...when I came home from my senior prom. The one who stared out our front window, on the day I left for college. And my mom said he stayed there for hours."
Dreyfuss
Dreyfuss - Large brown dog on the sitcom EMPTY NEST/NBC/1988-95. Dreyfuss was the family pet and confidant of Dr. Harry Weston (Richard Mulligan) a widower pediatrician living in Miami Beach, Florida. The dog's trainer Joel Silverman described Bear (Dreyfuss' real name) as a mix of purebred St. Bernard (mother) and Golden Retriever (father). Among Bears' many talents was his ability to climb inside the kitchen cabinet and close the door behind him. Bear's brother Julio occasionally stood in as Dreyfuss. His sister, Bodi appeared in the movie Steel Magnolias (1989). Bear also appeared on the frontier drama FATHER MURPHY/NBC/1981-84
Apollo & Zeus (The Lads)
Apollo & Zeus - Doberman pinscher guard dogs seen on the detective drama MAGNUM, P.I./CBS/1980-88. Apollo & Zeus lived at the mansion of novelist Robin Masters on the Island of Oahu. The dogs patrolled the perimeters of the estate and answered to the commands given by a stuffy British manservant Jonathan Quayle Higgins III (John Hillerman) who affectionately called the dogs "The Lads." Frequently the dogs went chasing after Thomas Magnum, a private investigator and live-in security guard for the estate. Apollo and Zeus' real names were Brutus and Dominique. They were trained by Scott Hart and earned $1,000 a week. When the producers tried to get look-alikes to save money (The dogs had to be flown in from Los Angeles), the series star Tom Selleck said "No!" He felt comfortable with those particular dogs chasing him and didn't want replacements.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Muffy on -
OOOH I hate jack russell terriers because one of them almost bit me once.
The Doberman pinschers are too scary looking!!!
I think I'll go with a big dog again and choose Dreyfuss even though I've never heard of that show!! I love the Wonder Years but that beagle is probably no better than the jack russell LOL!!!! Your mileage may vary as they say!!
Thnaks for your fun post, Cat G!!!
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Permalink Reply by Cat G on -
It looks like Dreyfuss is winning this contest, hands down, Muffy. Musta been your vote! lol
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Permalink Reply by Muffy on
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OMG I'm starting to get influential on here LOL!! So many computer smartypants on here
HAHAHA!
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Permalink Reply by Aces on -
Here's a Write - in for Buck from Married with Children. He might show up in the 90's since that show lasted so long but I don't know any of these 80's dogs and just in case, I want to honor this great guy! He was on the show for 7 years.
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Permalink Reply by Cat G on
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Oh no, I missed one? Sorry Aces, I didn't really watch Married with Children. According to IMdb it was the 80's but since I overlooked him, I'll do the research and be sure he's included in the next poll (even if it's out of decade order). Thanks for the catch!
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Permalink Reply by Aces on
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Oh, thanks Cat. Buck was a huge part of the show. He wasn't very active - mostly sleeping on the stairs but we got to hear what he was thinking all the time and he was much smarter than anyone in the family. IMDB shows Buck, whose real name was Mike, retired after eight years on the show at age 13 and died 9 months afterwards. The Bundy's got a new dog named Lucky after awhile and the family didn't realize that Lucky was the reincarnation of Buck.
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Permalink Reply by beeswax on -
You've just made me realize my fondness for Jack Russells was reinforced by Hooperman, a show I'd forgotten. My mother's family dog when she was growing up was a Jack Russell (named Frisky), so it may be a genetic predisposition.
(And you made me mist up by quoting that line from The Wonder Years about how going off to college affects the pets we leave behind...)
A vote for "Bijoux"!
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Permalink Reply by Cat G on
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I didn't really explain that the Link in the top of this subject IS THE POLL! I hope you opened it and actually voted, beeswax. If not . . .
Bijoux was a riot, btw. If I remember correctly, poor Hooperman had his hands full with "Little Britches" as they wrote the script for Bijoux to hate cops! LOL
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Permalink Reply by beeswax on
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Aha! (I thought it was just a graphic.) You guys are fancy, with the voting apparatus & whatnot.
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Permalink Reply by Cat G on
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I'm fancier than most, as I let folks vote more than once! LOL It's really just a free website called PollDaddy. All you need to do is set up the poll questions, and then they provide the code you need to post it!
You can also make comments on the Poll itself. Open the poll link and choose to view results. You'll see a Comments (1) listed. I posted a comment saying that I'd be adding Buck (Married with Children) to the next poll, for Aces, since I missed him in this one.
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