Famous Border Collies - Lassie And Others

Border Collies have been used in numerous movies and TV shows, but perhaps the most famous is Lassie! Even though Lassie was portrayed as a girl in the movies, all of the dogs who played Lassie were actually boys! The original Lassie character was played by a border collie by the name of Pal. Pal began playing Lassie in 1943 and ended his career playing this famous collie in 1951. After Pal retired, his descendants continued to carry on the legacy by playing the part of Lassie in his place. The names of these collies were: Lassie Junior, Spook, Baby, Mire, and Hey Hey. They continued on the legacy of Lassie until the late 1990's in movies and television series's.

The first Lassie movie came out in 1943; it was called "Lassie Come Home." In the first movie, Lassie (Pal) is separated from his loving owner (a boy named Joe Carraclough) and yearns to find her way back home to be reunited with him. Lassie faces many trials in her travel, but when Joe loses all hope that Lassie will return, she does! This movie was nominated for an Academy Award in Best Color Cinematography. The Saturday Evening Post said that this film started Pal on "the most spectacular canine career in film history." To order this movie along with four other Lassie movies, you can click here.

Other Lassie movies like "Son of Lassie" (in which Lassie has a son named Laddie who accompanies Joe into military combat), "Courage of Lassie", and "Lassie's Great Adventure" were released as time went along. The character of Lassie was also used in many TV cameos and she even had two of her own television shows!!

The many adventures of Lassie are still loved and cherished my many young and old to this day. You can read more about Lassie and all of her wild journeys by clicking here!

Famous Cairn Terriers - Toto From "Wizard of Oz"

Of all the dogs used in movies and TV shows, Cairn Terriers are near the top of the list for most used breed. Dogs such as Toto in the "Wizard of Oz" and Little Ricky's dog Fred in "I Love Lucy" prove just that! Although they were originally bred to hunt, they've definitely made their break-through in the television industry!

Possibly the best known Cairn Terrier is Toto (also known by her real name, Terry) from the movie "Wizard of Oz". She was born on November 17th, 1933. Not only did she appear in "Wizard of Oz", but she also had many other short roles in films and TV show appearances such as her first appearance in the movie "Ready For Love". She also stared in a movie with Shirley Temple called "Bright Eyes" as a dog named Rags. Terry was so dedicated that she even did her own stunts! How cool is that? Although she was a little dare-devil, she actually came close to losing her life when one of the Winkie guards took one step too many and ended up breaking her paw!

Despite her broken paw, Terry continued on in the movie earning a whopping $125 dollars a week which was more than most American workers were making at the time! Judy Garland (Dorthy) loved her so much that she even asked to adopt her although her owner refused. Terry also stared in many other rolls such as "The Women", "Bad Little Angel", "Fury", "Cinderella's Feller", "The Chocolate Soldier", and "Twin Beds". She's so famous that she even has her very own book!

Some other Cairn Terriers who are not as well known as Terry are Danvers who played a dog named Thimble in a British show called "Upstairs, Downstairs", and Mr. Needles who was the family dog on "George Lopez".

Cairn Terriers are definitely one of the best dogs you can own! They're very sweet, lovable, and beautiful dogs to own. If you'd like to find out more about Cairn Terriers, you can check out a book about them by clicking here.