Throw these movie dogs a bone

Moviegoers love the yellow Labrador in Marley & Me to the tune of nearly $130-million in ticket sales. They'll check into Hotel for Dogs when it opens nationwide Friday. And if Ron Howard figured out how to get Checkers the cocker spaniel into Frost/Nixon, it might be a bigger hit, too.

Sometimes a movie's best friend is a dog.

Some talented canines just have the "it" factor, stealing scenes from human actors and hearts from audiences. They don't require dubbed celebrity voices or animation artists to get their characters across (but maybe a few stunt doubles). They're members of Hollywood's Kennel of Fame, rising head and haunches above the pack.

Here's a list of the best in shows, from Toto to Cujo and breeds in between. Sit, stay, read. Then add your suggestions.

Benji - This mixed breed mutt was one of the 1970's biggest box office draws with her - yes, Benji is female - eponymous debut and For the Love of Benji. Like many stars of the era, Benji's career faded after co-starring with Chevy Chase (Oh, Heavenly Dog!). 

Skip - This Jack Russell terrier is the canine Olivier, delivering a multifaceted performance in My Dog Skip, one of the best mutt movies of all time.

Air Bud - The most athletic dog actor ever. The golden retriever made the difference on soccer and football fields, basketball courts and baseball diamonds before moving into extreme snow sports.

Verdel - Upstaging Jack Nicholson is As Good As It Gets for this Brussels Griffon charmer.

Hooch - The all-time slobbering champ among Kennel of Famers. This Dogue de Bordeaux is the rare actor to be more adorable than Tom Hanks, in their 1989 hit Turner and Hooch.

Beethoven - Admit it. You never see a St. Bernard without calling him "Beethoven." That's star power.

Cujo - Beethoven's evil twin, the Hannibal Lecter of dogdom. He might have worked more but was a terror in contract negotiations.

Frankenweenie - Tim Burton replaced Boris Karloff with a bullterrier for his calling-card short film, leading Disney to fire the director for wasting time and money. Now it's a cult classic, with Burton planning a stop-action animation remake.

Lassie - The grande dame of canine actors, with a career spanning 70 years (that's 490 dog years). If your barn catches fire or Timmy falls into a well, Lassie is the collie to call.

Old Yeller - Cast as a mongrel, this yellow Labrador retriever convincingly hid his pedigree. Like Heath Ledger, he died tragically and too young.

Toto - The Cairn terrier displayed heart, brains and courage in The Wizard of Oz that everyone else was missing. The only dog actor to have a 1980s pop band named after her.

Comments

[Kathleen]

Here's to the wonderful dogs that you mentioned, particularly Lassie! However, we mustn't forget Rin Tin Tin, the brave German Shepherd, who was the hero of many movies.

[Cat]

Hi Steve,

Awwwwwwww

I like this story very much. My little ~Rocky~ is a Wheaton colored Cairn & can act as good as Toto.