America
loves dogs in films and on television. We also seem to
love dogs in the pages of the Sunday funnies and in animation.
To list all of the cartoon dogs that have made some kind
of impact on American pop culture could fill an entire
book. Here, however, is a small whos who list of dogs
that have been popular in cartoons over the years.
1924
- Sandy
Fans
of Harold Grays comic strip Little Orphan Annie fondly
remember Annies dog Sandy. Although Sandy never had much
to say except the occasional panel-ending "ARF!" she was
loved nonetheless and often was able to help Annie out
of tough scrapes when fighting Nazis or investigating
haunted houses.
1950
- Snoopy
Easily
the most recognizable cartoon dog in American history,
Snoopy - the real star of Charles Schultzs Peanuts - is
an American icon. Snoopy stole the show in every Peanuts
strip he appeared in. He fought the Red Baron from the
top of his dog house, was the proud owner of original
paintings by both Vincent Van Gogh and an Andrew Wyeth
(the Van Gogh was sadly destroyed by fire), never quite
finished his novel but typed the opening line "it was
a dark and stormy night" countless times, and had a twin
brother named Spike who lived in the desert outside Needles,
California. Not bad for a Beagle.
1980s
- Odie
It
is nearly impossible not to love Odie, the relatively
stupid, completely mute (he doesnt even think in words),
and incessantly slobbering canine companion of Garfield
the cat in the Jim Davis strip Garfield. Odie was there
simply to be abused by Garfield, no doubt about it, but
there are plenty of times in the history of the comic
that we get to see just how important the little dog is
to the titular chubby cat.
1990
- Santas Little Helper
What
better pet for the misfit Simpson family than Santas Little
Helper, a weary greyhound that couldnt win a race if his
life depended on it? From the Christmas themed pilot episode
of The Simpsons to the episodes airing today (as of this
writing the show is in its 16th season), SLH has been
a fixture in the constantly expanding Simpsons universe.
Who can forget SLH destroying Homers prized giant cookie,
learning to talk in an effort to distract the familys
attention away from their "new" dog Laddie, and being
trained as an attack hound by Mr. Burns and the not quite
in the closet Waylon Smithers? Santas Little Helper is
everything the Simpson family dog should be and more.
Watch for his Snoopy imitation at the end of one of the
series famous Treehouse of Horror Halloween episodes.
Kirsten
Hawkins is a dog lover and animal expert from Nashville,
TN. Visit http://www.doghealth411.com/ for more information
on dog health, the care of dogs, and dog travel.
