Dear Abby - Famous TV Dogs: Eddie from Frasier

Dear Friends,

I will be taking a break from my Famous TV Dogs series after this week, but wanted to share one more favorite dog with you.  Eddie, the Jack Russell Terrier from Frasier, is my Momma's favorite TV dog, and I am partial to him myself.  Regular readers will know that I am a "Doxie-Jack" (Dachshund - Jack Russell Terrier mix), so I love that Eddie is a Jack Russell.

Frasier was a popular TV series that aired from 1993 - 2004.  It tells the story of Dr. Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer), a radio psychologist who moved back home to Seattle to live with his elderly father, Martin, and Martin's dog buddy, Eddie.  Eddie appears in every episode and usually steals the scenes he is in.

Eddie was originally played by a dog named Moose.  Moose was born in 1990 in Florida.  He was a little too rambunctious for his original family, and they rehomed him with someone who trained dogs for television and movies.  Early in his career Moose appeared in the movie My Dog Skip. 

Moose trained for six months for the role of Eddie on Frasier.  His signature trick was giving Frasier a long, hard stare.  

Eddie stares at Frasier's photo

The actors would dab sardine oil and liver pate on their faces to encourage Moose to lick them on cue.

Eddie and Martin (John Mahoney)

Moose was made more famous by a calendar, and by a book called My Life as a Dog by  Brian Hargrove.

When Moose quit acting, his son Enzo took over the role for the last four seasons of the show.

Moose the dog later retired with his son Enzo.  He had a long life and passed away of natural causes at home at the age of 15 1/2.

Here is a little clip of Eddie giving his famous stare on Frasier:



Do you remember Eddie the dog from Frasier?  I would love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!  I'll touch base next week before the holidays.

Love,
Abby xoxoxo

Dear Abby - Famous TV Dogs: Wishbone

Dear Friends,

Today I am looking forward to chatting about famous TV dog Wishbone.   When I asked friends on Facebook for famous dogs, several people said Wishbone.  This cute TV dog is new to me (because I wasn't born when his show was on!) and also to my Momma (who was a child quite a while before Wishbone aired on PBS).

Wishbone was a PBS series that aired from 1995 - 1998.  It starred a lovable Jack Russell named Wishbone and his person, Joe.  Wishbone loves books and dreams about appearing in stories from classic literature.  As well as a TV series, there was a popular series of books starring Wishbone.

To give you an idea of what the show storylines were like, there were books featured by William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Mark Twain, Washington Irving, and more.   Wishbone also played Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle in more than one episode.

The series was created by a Jack Russell fan named Rick Duffield.  His own dog inspired the Wishbone character.

Wishbone was played by a handsome Jack Russell dog named Soccer.   I have to add that I am partial to Jack Russells as I am a Doxie-Jack or Jackshund (Dachshund - Jack Russell mix)!   Soccer lived from 1988 - 2001.  He was from Texas and lived with his person and trainer, Jackie Martin Kaplan.  Soccer got the part because he did an impressive backflip in his audition.   When Soccer wasn't available, there were four other Jack Russells who sometimes appeared as Wishbone.  Phoebe, Slugger, and Shiner did stunts, and Bear did publicity stills.

Here is a short video showing the opening to the Wishbone show in the 1990's.


Have you seen Wishbone, and do you have any memories of this show?  I would love to hear from you in the comments.

Wishing you a great weekend!

Love,
Abby xoxoxo

Dear Abby - The Secret Life of Pets

Dear Friends,

I hope you are having a great week!  It has been a busy one here.  Momma and I are taking a big blogging break for the next six weeks (!!) so we have been busy catching up here.

I did take a little time off to see The Secret Life of Pets this week.  This is an animated movie about what pets do when their people are out for the day.  First, let's discuss the irony:  this movie about what pets do when they are left alone will entice more people to leave their pets alone ... in order to see the movie! 

The star of the show is Max, a sweet and brave Jack Russell Terrier.  (A reminder that I am a Doxie/Jack mix, so I was very thrilled to see a JRT in this movie.)   Max has everything down pat, like making little happy circles and snuggling with his Momma.  He has a very good life ... until his mother rescues a great big dog named Duke from the pound.  Max isn't sure at all about Duke, and Duke wants to stake his claim in his new home.

Max has many wonderful friends, like Chloe the cat, Gigi the fluffy dog, and Buddy THE DACHSHUND.  Yes, you read that correctly.  There is also a dachshund in this movie, and he steals the show a bit, if you ask me.

Max and Duke end up on an unexpected adventure outside of their apartment building.  It leads them to danger and excitement all over New York City.  There is a good pet rescue message in Duke's story, and the ending of the movie made Momma shed a happy tear.

Here is a movie trailer for The Secret Life of Pets.  I give this movie a very enthusiastic four paws up! 



I will be taking a blog break for a bit but will be back after Labor Day! 

In the meantime, I would love to hear from YOU in the comments below.  Have you seen The Secret Life of Pets?   Or do you just want to say hi?    I would love to hear from you.

Love,

Abby xoxoxo

Dear Abby: Katie and the Puppy Next Door by John Himmelman

Dear Friends,

I hope you are having a happy week.  It has been rainy and gray here this week.  I have been avoiding the raindrops (and mud!) outside.  This gives me extra time to read.

I have a special book that I re-read this week.  It was a gift from my dear friend Oz and his family.  I love it a lot, and think you will like it too.  I wanted to share a few pictures with you.

This cute picture book is called Katie and the Puppy Next Door.  It was written by John Himmelman.  This is a special book because it is about a little Jack Russell Terrier named Katie, and her new neighbor, a red dachshund named Ruby.  Remember that I am a "Doxie-Jack" (a mix of Dachshund and Jack Russell), so this is my favorite book EVER.

Katie lives in a pretty house with three kitties that she loves.  When Ruby comes over, the kitties love her ... but Katie doesn't.  Katie doesn't want to share her kitties, her toys, or her food.  Ruby goes home after their play date - although they have not played.

 Then Ruby comes back another day!   Katie decides to be sweet and try to share.  She shares her food.  She shares her toy.  Then Ruby teaches her how to play with a toy together.  They run around and AROOOOOOO and have lots of fun together.

 After a while they get tired, and they curl up on Katie's big dog bed right along with her kitties.  And they take a nap and they are friends forever.

Now isn't that a nice story?  I love it.  The illustrations are extra cute, too.   I thought you might enjoy sharing it as well.

I'd love to hear from you in the comments.  If you have any fun questions for future posts, please share them. 

Wishing you a good weekend!

Love,
Abby xoxoxo