Friday, November 10, 2017

Dear Abby - Famous TV Dogs: Dog the Basset Hound from Columbo

Dear Friends,

Today I'm looking forward to talking about one of my favorite TV dogs, Dog from Columbo.  Not a very original name, but he was a very cute Basset Hound!   Columbo was a mystery series that ran from 1971 - 2003.  Dog helped Detective Columbo solve crimes.  My Momma loves this show, so I have watched with her, and she has a previous post about the retro TV aspects of this series here:  Did You Know Tuesday:  Fun Facts About Columbo.

Dog first appeared in the series in the episode Etude in Black (1972).   Peter Falk, who played Columbo, was originally not a fan of adding a dog to the series.  He thought Columbo already had a rumpled trench coat, a cigar, and a wife who was referred to but never seen.  He did not think he needed a dog too.

As a great fan of rescue, I will add that the character Dog was written as a rescue dog.  Columbo has a running conversation in Etude in Black about what to name Dog.  He considers the names Fido and Beethovan. 

The Basset Hound who played Dog was named Henry.  He also was a rescue dog from a Los Angeles pound, and if he looks familiar, it is because he played Henry the dog in Emergency!

Over the course of the series we learn that Dog enjoys ice cream, swimming, and television. Henry, the original Basset Hound, passed away during the course of the series and was recast with another very mellow dog. 

There is a statue of Dog and Columbo in Budapest.  Peter Falk was related to 19th century Hungarian political figure Miksa Falk, and the statue is at a street named Falk.

Here is a short video of Dog:



Do you remember the TV show Columbo?  Are you a Basset Hound fan?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Love,

Abby xoxoxo

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have never seen that show, but that dog is ADORABLE. I love basset hounds!

The Peculiar Treasure said...

Awww! Dog the dog is so stinkin' cute! I've never seen Columbo, but I love Basset hounds.

Neely said...

Never watched columbo but that dog looks so precious! I think this was one of my dads favorite shows though!

Unknown said...

I'm not old enough to remember Columbo, but I'm a HUGE sucker for Basset Hounds! I adore their sweet old faces!

Jerry Marquardt said...

He was so cute! I love when the dog leads Columbo to solving another crime too. He was adorable, but if you met the pup, you would probably be getting ready to serve some serious time behind bars. I miss the good old TV days...

Parenting Patch said...

I have never seen an episode of Columbo. However, basset hounds are so cute! My mom has a part basset hound who is a total sweetie!

annies home said...

have a friend who raises and kennels dogs and we love to go visit. I am old enough to recall Colombo and his dog and you are so right
come see us at http://shopannies.blogspot.com

valmg @ Mom Knows It All said...

I do remember the dog from Columbo. A friend of ours had a basset hound and he always said walking him was like walking a giant rock.

Unknown said...

I remember growing up watching columbo with my mom although I don't remember Dog

Corey said...

I used to love Columbo. Peter Falk was the best!!

Annemarie LeBlanc said...

My mom watched Columbo, that I remember vividly. Although I was not too much into the show as I was still too young to understand the plot of the show. I would love to have a basset hound. They are such beautiful dogs with those sad eyes and long floppy ears.

Abby said...

Hi friends! Thanks for your comments. I'm glad several of you enjoy Columbo too. It is one of my Momma's favorites, and we watch it together.

Love,

Abby xoxoxo

Anonymous said...

Watched Columbo and Emergency and loved Henry the Bassett Hound and I still really love the reruns they just don't make tv shows from the 70's and 80's like that anymore sure loved those shows

Birdhouse Books said...

Thanks for stopping by! I also loved Henry the Basset Hound from Emergency! (I still enjoy that show in reruns.)