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Top Dogs - Dog Film Stars Part 2

Hollywood has produced many great dog actors. Among the many dog actors, only a few have risen
to star status. Some, now dead, are still remembered for the roles they played. Here in part 2, are
further testaments to the power and longevity of dogs and the media of film.


• Higgins/Benji ( - 1975)

Higgins was a true trooper. He was also a mixed breed and shelter dog. He worked in different
types of media. In fact, he was television star long before he made his first appearance on the large
screen. Higgins was a famous dog during the 1960s for TV fans of two shows: Petticoat Junction
and Green Acres. He did not make his first movie until 1971. In fact, he was 11 years when he
appeared in Mooch Goes To Hollywood. It did not make him either a household name or a star. He
managed to accomplish both in his next movie.

Before Higgins undertook his most famous role of the adorable dog, he took some time off.  After
the break, he showed up ready to become a movie star.  The year was 1974. The audience saw and
fell in love with Higgins as the small, loveable dog Benji. Like toto, Higgins was to prove you did not
have to be a large canine to perform heroic feats.

Benji had successfully bridged the gap between a movie and a television career. It is something not
many actors accomplish. He was remarkably close to his trainer and owner, Frank Inns. Benji died in
1975. He was cremated. His remains were not interred until Frank Inn died in 2002. He was then
laid to rest with his owner and companion in Forest Home Memorial Park.

Brief Filmography: Mooch Goes To Hollywood (1974), Benji (1974)

• Spike – Old Yeller

There is no doubt that Spike as Old Yeller, dominates the movie. Spike is the star  outshining even
the performance of the child actor Tommy Kirk starring as Travis Coates. Like many other famous
dogs, Spike was a rescue dog. He cost Frank Weatherwax $3 to adopt from the Van Nuys Animal
Shelter.

Spike was awkward with huge flopping ears. He was large and ungainly. In fact, with extra training,
he was perfect for the role he won in Old Yeller. Yet, at the time of his adoption, Weatherwax did
not consider him movie star material. He was proven wrong. This movie, one of the biggest tear-
jerkers ever produced by Walt Disney, made Spike immortal in the annals of movie history.

Old Yeller was not the only movie in which Spike appeared during his career. There were other roles,
but they did not measure up to Old Yeller. After his death, he was honored with a burial at sea.

Brief Filmography: Old Yeller (1957), A Dog of Flanders (1959)

This is a mere surface look at the top dogs in the movies. There are many. Some are the only good
memories you may take away from an otherwise mediocre film. I would like to make a few honorable
mentions. Collars off and paws raised to Chris/Kris for his role in Beethoven, Bruiser in Legally
Blonde 2, Shadow and Chance in Homeward Bound and Skippy/Asta in the Topper movies.
      

Content written by Harry Reese of Oh My Dog Supplies, where you can find a extraordinary
assortment of ceramic dog dishes online.
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