This Stargate SG-1 episode takes place when SG-1 is dispatched to find out what has happened to SG-11 who was conducting a mining survey on a planet. On the planet are people who are very similar to Native Americans called the Salish and their “spirit guides” (like Native American mythology). One of them, Xe’ls is their equivalent of a wolf. (more…)
What good would one of the longest running shows be without a dog? The executives for the Simpsons didn’t hesitate to bring one in. In the very first (full length) episode, “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire,” Homer did not receive a Christmas bonus to buy presents so he got a job at a mall working as a Santa Clause.
What little money he made he brought to the dog track to try to win more money. Homer was reluctant at first to spend his money on the “sure thing” and then the dogs’ names were announced, Santa’s Little Helper was the last one. Taking this as a sign Homer waged all his money on the (very) long shot. Sadly, Santa’s Little Helper came in last place and a depressed Homer slowly walked out of the dog track wondering how he could salvage his family’s Christmas. (more…)
For 11 seasons the Bundy family has their loyal companion, Buck the dog. For many seasons Buck was a mutt (briard mix until the character’s death untimely death (the dog “Buck” was retired when he reached 12 1/2 years of age in 1995 – the dog died 9 months later) but (un)luckily he was reincarnated as a cocker spaniel named Lucky and (re)adopted by the Bundy family and stayed with them until the end of the series.
The briard mix Buck (real name Michael) was voiced by Kevin Curran and, on occasion, by Cheech Marin. During and after season 8 he was voiced by Kim Weiskopf. He was trained by Steven Ritt. Michael also had an uncredited cameo in the 1988 movie “Scrooged”.
The cocker spaniel “Lucky” was voiced by Kim Weiskopf also.
Buck is a lot like the rest of the family – lazy, miserable, and extremely sarcastic towards the other characters in the show except no one else understands him so he, quite often, is able to get in the last word.
The mid-1980s TV show, “Punky Brewster” featured a golden retriever named “Brandon” (a.k.a. “Brandon the Wonder Dog” – his real name was also Brandon). Brandon was Punky’s trusty sidekick throughout the series – appearing in every episode but he wasn’t in the credits until the third season.
Brandon was a puppy when the show first aired and loyal viewers watched Brandon grow up along with Punky though the entire life of the series (88 episodes from 1984 to 1988) and he was named after the head of NBC (the network that aired Punky Brewster), Brandon Tartikoff. Brandon lived up to his alias learning many tricks during his show career including how to ride a skateboard in just a couple of days. Glen Garner is credited for being the on-set dog trainer.
In the middle of the first season of Stargate SG-1 the team comes across a young girl who ends up carrying a massive bomb in her that is set to destroy the SGC. Luckily, the bomb does not go off and the girl ends up bring adopted by Dr. Fraiser.
Towards the end of the episode Col. Jack O’Neill tells her that there is a rule on Earth, “Every kid gets a dog” and then hands her a Shiba Inu. Shiba Inus are a spitz breed (very similar to Finnish Spitz) and are smaller in size. They probably used a dog this size so the little girl could carry it (not too well, though).
For close to 20 years Fox has shown the weekly show, “Cops” and since then there have been many spin-offs (best police chases, best police videos, etc..) and quite often you see the K9 officer being involved (nothing beats a video of a K9 taking down a criminal). 
From what I’ve seen, the vast majority of these K9s are either German shepherds or Belgian malinois. In all the years of watching Cops, I think I can count on one hand the number of non-malinois and non-GSD K9 units in the show (once I did see a Dobie and it was interesting to watch).
Why GSDs and malinois? These two breeds are easily trained (both being very intelligent), have stamina to be able to work a long day, are herding dogs (so they are very attentive and protective to their “pack” (meaning the K9 handler)), have a relatively long working life span (roughly 7-10 years for a GSD, 10-15 years for a malinois), can be very powerful (their size, the momentum they can build up while running, and powerful bites), plus the sight of a good example of these breeds can be extremely intimidating.
Don’t think these two breeds are killers – they make great pets (GSDs are far easier than malinois, though) and raised correctly they can be a very loyal companion to any family.
The second episode of the second season of the TV show Millennium was “Beware of the Dogs” and featured a pack of “wild” dogs that seemed to be attacking people in a town. These “attack” dogs were nothing more than a pack of well trained Belgian malinois (ak.k.a Belgian shepherds).
Malinois (or “Mals” amongst the breed fanciers) are an extremely versatile breed. They are herding dogs, family companions, protectors, and hard working dogs. There aren’t many fields that a mal could not easily excel in with the right trainer. Their intelligence and loyalty to their “pack” (family) along with their primal and intense look make them the perfect breed for hard work including police and military work worldwide. Israel only uses malinois in their military and may police departments in the USA use many, if not all, malinois with their K9 units. Only the German shepherd can come close to competing with the malinois. (more…)
At the age of six weeks (a little early IMO) Captain Johnathan Archer had his trusty English Beagle, Porthos. In Season 1 Porthos was played by a male beagle named Prada, whom also played a beagle named Lou in the film Cats and Dogs (voiced by Toby Maguire). In later seasons two female beagles shared the honor, Breezy and Windy (although Porthos was always a male).
In one of the final episodes of Enterprise, “In a Mirror Darkly” (a “evil twin universe episode”), Porthos was replaced with a Rottweiler. While they tried to find a dog that would be a polar opposite to the Beagle (and Rotties do have that look), on set reports that the Rottweiler was even a bigger baby than the Beagle – writer Mike Sussman noted that he was “The sweetest dog I Have ever met”.
In the new Star Trek Film (2009) there is reference to Montgomery Scott having a “transporter accident” with Admiral Archer’s dog. I highly doubt it was the beloved beagle since he would have been over 70 years old when Scotty was born. 
The original Rin Tin Tin (B. September 10, 1918 – D. August 10, 1932) was found by an American serviceman, Lee Duncan, in a bombed out dog kennel in Lorraine, France (WWI) less then two months before the end of the war. He was named after a puppet, Rintintin, that was given to the servicemen as good luck.
He was first “discovered” by producer Charles Jones who was convinced he could easily become the next dog star. Rin Tin Tin’s first big break was in the 1922 film “The Man From Hell’s River ” where he played a wolf. Rinty would play a wolf of a wolf hybrid often in his career, even though he didn’t look like either. His first starring role was in 1923′s Where The North Begins, playing alongside silent screen actress Claire Adams. This film was a huge success and has often been credited with saving Warner Brothers from bankruptcy. It was followed by Shadows of the North (1923), Clash of the Wolves (1925), A Dog of the Regiment (1927), and Tiger Rose (1929).