Did you know that Lassie - the unmistakably lovable Collie dog who rose to fame in the 1950s on the eponymous TV show - is one of only three dogs to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? The other two are silent film star Rin Tin Tin and actually German German Shepherd, Strongheart. But there are at least a few more iconic TV pets that we reckon deserve a look-in:
Vincent (Lost)
Diehard fans of castaway drama Lost hold a special place in their heart for Vincent, the Labrador who appeared in all six seasons and the only non-human survivor of the plane crash that prefaces the show. Like so many TV dogs, Vincent was a regular plot device for uncovering new twists and turns in the narrative. Vincent was played by a dog called Madison (a female in real life) hailing from Hawaii.
Eddie (Frasier)
Frasier's dad's dog, Eddie, was actually played by two dogs over the 11 seasons of the seminal TV show. (A Jack Russell Terrier called Moose and, later, his son Enzo.) Eddie is known for staring at Frasier for long periods of time, understanding words like 'bath' and for having six puppies. According to BBC News' 2006 obituary of Moose, it took a smear of liver pâté behind an actor's ear to coax him into a nuzzle on-camera.
Salem (Sabrina)
The only cat to make it on our list. Like so many great characters, Salem originated in the comic world - as Sabrina the Teenage Witch's silent pet. Later on, the 1990s TV show of the same name brought Salem to life, inventing a complex back story explaining why Salem - originally just an innocuous pet in the comics - became an opinionated, talking feline (formerly a human, he was turned into a cat for standing up to a bad witch.) Let's be honest though - nobody remembers the 2D version, just the poorly animated but highly memorable TV incarnation of this iconic character.
Astro (The Jetsons)
We simply had to include some cartoon pets in our list - starting with Astro, the memorable dog from the futuristic Hanna-Barbera cartoon, The Jetsons. (We would've included Scooby Doo, but he had his own show - so doesn't count!) Astro was found in the fourth-ever episode of The Jetsons, where had to battle with an electronic dog for the Jetson family's affections. Eventually he won them over and was a mainstay for the rest of the series - and we're pretty glad about it.
