If there are three things that this nation are lovers of they are definitely dogs, TV and films. There are a number of our favourite TV series and films that include our beloved furry friends – but which ones make the list?

Leading dog food supplier Feedem have teamed up with us and compiled a list of the most loved on-screen dogs! Check it out below…

Toto from The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz is a firm film favourite all around the world, so it’s no surprise that canine hero, Toto, is instantly recognised. In the film, Toto was Dorothy’s male canine companion however, in reality, ‘he’ was actually played by a female cairn terrier named Terry. With a number of attention grabbing scenes such as escaping the Wicked Witch (twice) and the true identity of The Wizard being revealed, some may say Terry earned more than her reportedly $125-a-week salary! This was a very healthy sum to earn during this time and more than what a lot of other human cast members made!

Terry’s career continued throughout Hollywood for a long time. She was being coached by Hollywood dog trainer, Carl Spitz; and also appeared alongside Shirley Temple in Bright Eyes. Terry had a daughter who also went into the acting business, and appeared in over 10 films throughout her life — although, she only ever received credit for one, which was The Wizard of Oz. Terry unfortunately died in 1945 when she was 11 years old  but her memory lives on with her permanent memorial at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles.

Lassie from Lassie Come Home  

The Lassie film series was a massive hit in the 1940s and Lassie was potentially the most famous rough collie character in the world. The great succession of movies began with Lassie Come Home — an MGM production starring Roddy McDowell, Elizabeth Taylor and canine star, Pal. Although Lassie was a female dog in the books, ‘she’ was actually portrayed on screen by male canines due to this breed of male dog typically having thicker, nicer-looking coats.

Born in 1940 in Hollywood, Pal competed against around 1,500 dogs to get his paws on the role of Lassie.  However, he didn’t initially impress the casting officials and get selected for the job, although he did have a second chance at it when the chosen female collie was not as enthusiastic to play her part. Pal, on the other hand, was the complete opposite and stole the scene, completing the take so well that the female dog was released and he became the world’s first film-version Lassie! During his long life and career, Pal starred in 7 films and two TV shows before dying of natural causes in 1958.

Scooby-Doo from the Scooby-Doo TV series

Great Dane, Scooby-Doo, is one fifth of the ‘Mystery, Inc.’ crew that travel the country in their Mystery Machine in search of masked villains. From back in 1969 until the present day, the family favourite Scooby-Doo character — lover of dog food and snacks who fears all things spooky — has appeared in countless cartoon shows, animated films and live-action movies over the years.

Although Scooby-Doo was not a real dog, the character was originally voiced by Don Messick and the character got his name from Frank Sinatra’s song, Strangers in the Night. Not only is this cartoon canine instantly recognisable to look at, but even his famous speech impediment of pronouncing most words with the letter ‘R’ at the beginning has helped make him an icon of animation worldwide. Scooby-Doo has officially been voiced by five people over the years and has a number of on-screen relatives which can include Scrappy-Doo, Scooby-Dum, Momsy, and Dad-Doo.

Beethoven from the Beethoven film series

Who can forget the slobbering hero, Beethoven the St. Bernard? The first of the Beethoven films — starring Charles Grodin and Bonnie Hunt — was released in 1992 and became an instant hit. Not only was the film a great success, but the release also encouraged the public’s interest in the St. Bernard breed!

Originally the part of Beethoven was played by a 200-pound pooch called Chris, who was coached by trainer Karl Lewis Miller. Unfortunately, shortly after the completion of Beethoven 2 Chris died. Since no other dog was found that could fulfil the role as well as Chris, multiple canines were brought in with different acting skills and temperaments for future films — including a boy named Benz and a girl named Dolly.

Eddie from Frasier

A Parson Russell Terrier born in 1990 named Moose is most famous for his role as Eddie Crane, the pet of the title-character’s father in the long-running, US TV sitcom, Frasier. To everyone’s amazement Moose won this role after only six months of training. Moose’s most famous scenes were usually holding a long, unbroken staring contest with Frasier Crane — which ended up being one of the show’s most popular sight gags.

Originally, Moose was not the most ideal dog for TV screens. He was raised in Florida and was a bit of a hell-raiser — barking, digging, chewing, and refusing to be housetrained. Due to this behaviour, he was sent to the animal training company, Birds and Animals Unlimited, before being flown to a trainer in LA where he eventually made a name for himself in Frasier (1993-2000). After Fraiser, Moose also starred in the film, My Dog Skip (2000). Before his retirement, Moose also appeared on Entertainment Weekly magazine and released an ‘autobiography’: My Life as a Dog.

Brian Griffin from Family Guy

Family Guy is an animated TV series which stars Brian Griffin – one of the most famous dogs currently on our screens. He is perhaps the most eloquent and rational of the cast.

This white Labrador differs from many other canines in the popular series as he is more human like by using two legs to walk, driving a Toyota Prius, attending university, and writing novels. Although Brian is an adored member of the Griffin family, he was actually killed off in 2013. However, due to an outcry of fury from fans, the beloved pooch was resurrected and returned to the show to pick up where he left off.

Seth MacFarlane voices Brian and he is believed to be one of the show’s best merchandising characters.

Marley from Marley & Me

Marley & Me stars Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson. While the film is based on the book by John Grogan, it is considered a comedy-drama but is possibly the greatest ever tearjerker film – especially for animal lovers!

The story follows an unruly pup through his life as part of the Grogan family. Unlike the other pooches in our collection of most famous dogs in film and TV, the character of Marley was portrayed by 22 yellow Labradors — mainly due to character development throughout the film.

The film was released in 2008 and received mixed reviews, however, Marley & Me has since made a total worldwide box office of approximately $242,717,113 and has ranked at number five in the Metro newspaper’s ‘Top 20 films to make you cry’ list!