Lassie
When there's trouble at hand, Lassie has the answer. This smart, lovable and loyal Collie has been portrayed in different settings for decades. Television shows, movies and toys have all featured Timmy's best friend. Lassie is known for sensing trouble and rescuing others. She has been well loved by generations of children.
Interestingly, even though Lassie is a female, all the dogs who portrayed her on television were male because they are larger and have a thicker coat, which looks good on the screen. The first dog to play Lassie on television was named Pal.
Gidget
Gidget the Chihuahua became famous around the world when she began starring in Taco Bell commercials in 1997. The talking dog became so popular that the company continued to feature her in commercials until 2000. Gidget was loved by fans everywhere and was immortalized in toys figurines. Her comical commercials were often quoted and she became a pop culture icon.
But, Gidget's fame doesn't end with Taco Bell. After the success with Taco Bell, Gidget went on to appear in a GEICO commercial and in the movie Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde. Sadly, Gidget passed away in 2009 after she suffered from a stroke. At the news of her death, Taco Bell released a statement that said the well-loved pooch would be missed by many and "Our deepest sympathies go out to her owners and fans."
Snoopy
Snoopy, the lovable Beagle created by Charles M. Schulz, has become an icon. The black and white dog first appeared in the Peanuts comic strip in 1950 and was originally going to be called Sniffy. Schulz learned that a dog in another comic strip went by that name so he chose the name Snoopy, a name Schulz' mother suggested for a new dog, should they ever add one to the family.
The dog, who is very human-like, tags along with Charlie Brown and his friends on television shows and comic strips. He too makes an appearance on everything from lunch boxes to calendars, and is still a favorite character.
Balto and Togo
Balto and Togo were sled dogs who may have saved an entire village. The dogs were the sled team leaders, and led the group 647 miles to retrieve much-needed medication for a diphtheria outbreak in Nome, Alaska. The last ship of the year had just left the area and the town didn't have enough medicine to go around. The Board of Health trusted the dogs and the team to get the medicine to the people in time, and they did. They completed the trip in just five and a half days, which is still record time for the route.
Scooby Doo
Scooby Doo, the title character of the famous television cartoon from 1969 was known for helping the teens in the show solve mysteries, despite his fear of…almost everything. Over the years, Scooby Doo was voiced by five different actors. Although he is a Great Dane, Scooby Doo is another cartoon dog that has human-like characteristics and movements.
Toto
Everyone is familiar with the line "We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto," from the classic film The Wizard of Oz. Toto first came to life in the Oz novels by L. Frank Baum. The adorable black canine gleefully follows Dorothy Gale along the yellow brick road as she discovers a whole new world and learns more about life and even herself.
Pongo and Perdita
These two brave Dalmatians come from Dodie Smith's novel called The Hundred and One Dalmatians. They became popular in the Disney movie adaptation and have reappeared in different versions of the film since then. In the story, the two spotted dogs rescue their kidnapped puppies who were stolen by the villain Cruella de Vil.
Rin Tin Tin
The television shows about a German Shepherd named Rin Tin Tin were about a dog who really lived. The real Rin Tin Tin was rescued by an American soldier during World War I. The dog was in a battlefield and the soldier adopted him, trained him, and got the dog into some silent films. The fans loved Rin Tin Tin and he appeared in an amazing 27 films before he died in 1932.
Schoep
Schoep found Internet fame in 2012 when a photographer captured a tender moment between him and his owner, John Unger, in Michigan. In the famous photo, which received more than two million Facebook views in just a couple days, Unger is standing shoulder-deep in Lake Superior and holding Schoep. Unger later explained that his best friend suffered from arthritis, and floating in water helped calm and sooth him. The dog that captured the heart of millions passed away about a year after his photo became famous.
Willow, Holly, Candy and Vulcan
Queen Elizabeth II has four dogs and is well known for her love of Corgis. The Queen has two Corgis named Willow and Holly and two Dorgis named Candy and Vulcan. Dorgis, which are a mix between Dachshunds and Corgis, were created when one of the Queen's Corgis was bred with Dachshunds, including Princess Margaret's dog Pipkin. The Queen brings her dogs with her when she lives in different homes.
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