Dear Abby - Famous TV Dogs: Bullet the Wonder Dog from The Roy Rogers Show

Dear Friends,

Today I would love to introduce Bullet, the Wonder Dog from The Roy Rogers Show.  This western theme TV show ran from 1951 - 1957.   My Momma has never seen this show, so we are learning about it, and Bullet, together.  When we asked friends about favorite TV dogs, Bullet is a name that was mentioned often.

The Roy Rogers Show starred Roy Rogers, his wife Dale Evans, a Palomino horse named Trigger, and Bullet.  The famous theme song from the show was "Happy Trails," sung by Dale Evans.

Bullet was a brave German Shepherd who helped lead Roy and Dale to the bad guys, helped when they were outnumbered, and helped them escape as needed.

Bullet was born in 1949.  He made his movie debut in 1951 in the Roy Rogers movie Spoilers of the Plains.  I have not been able to find out a lot about his life, or how long he lived.  However, after he died he was preserved, along with Trigger, and they were displayed at the Roy Rogers Museum.  They were sold in 2010 to RFD-TV.

Like most other retro TV dogs, Bullet inspired a number of products for children, including children's books:

Comic books:

And a toy by Hartland toys:

Bullet even appeared in commercials for dog food!


Do you remember Bullet, or The Roy Rogers Show?   I would love to hear from you in the comments below.

Wishing you a great weekend!

Love,

Abby xoxoxo

Dear Abby - Remembering Special Pets: Mackie

Dear Friends,

Welcome to my very first Remembering Special Pets feature.  Today my Momma's dear cousin Mary has stopped by the blog to visit.  (Momma said that makes her my cousin, too!)

Mary has some wonderful photos and stories to share about her much loved German Shepherd, Mackie (2006 - 2012)

Abby:  What are some happy memories of Mackie? 

Mary:  Mackie loved going to bed at night.  If we watched TV too late at night, Mackie would leave us when he got tired and would go upstairs to bed without us.  The first time he did this, when we were ready to go to bed we began looking for him and calling his name.  We couldn’t find him anywhere, so we went upstairs to bed and he was already sound asleep in his own bed.  After that time, it was a regular occurrence. 

He also loved to ride in the car.  I have a small compact car, and he would sit in the passenger’s seat and look out the window.  He always got lots of smiles and waves, and occasionally another dog would bark at him as we passed.  Mackie seemed to love the attention he got as long as people kept their distance and respected his space. 

Mackie was such a well-behaved boy I was able to take him with me on bike rides through the neighborhood.  I would attach his leash to the bike handlebars and Mackie walked along beside me at a leisurely pace while I huffed and puffed on the bike.  On one of these outings, a large cat decided it didn’t like Mackie on his street and began chasing us.  Mackie was so scared he began running so fast that he pulled me along on the bike and we made it back home in half the time it normally took. 

Mackie and his special toy squirrel

Abby:  Do you have any funny anecdotes?

Mary:  During rainy weather Mackie would not go outside to potty unless I went with him and used the umbrella.  He always made sure he stayed dry, and if anyone got wet—it was me!   

Mackie with his doggie pacifier toy

Abby:  I enjoyed visiting with you today.  Is there anything else about Mackie you would like to share?

Mary:  My husband and I have wonderful memories of Mackie and we will always be thankful for the love and joy he gave us. 

Mary, thank you so much for visiting!  I loved seeing the photos of Mackie and hearing more about his life here.  Readers, you can leave comments for Mary in the comments section, below.

If you have a special pet or pets that you would like to share stories about, I would love to interview you!  Please leave your email in the comments if you are interested.  Thanks!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Love,

Abby xoxoxo