Who doesn't remember the famous Lassie, the endearing Beethoven and the adorable Benji? We've all, at one time or another, watched a movie or a TV show featuring one of these three famous dogs. The animals that star on the small and big screen also inspire families when it comes to adopting a pet. People become attached to the characters and even name their pet in their honor. Here is a brief description of these three canine characters that have amused several generations.

Lassie

Novel synopsis

In England, Lassie, the beautiful dog of little Joe Carraclough, is sold by Joe's father because of poverty. The animal is taken to faraway Scotland by her new owner. But Lassie, after many adventures and dangers, manages to return to her first home.

Lassie, a female collie, comes from a breed of sheepdog whose origins are ancient. The long-haired collie, generally referred to simply as a "collie", is the most common representative of the breed in France with just over 1,000 births per year.

• Life expectancy: 14 to 16 years
• Hair: Long and dense (forms a very marked collar and jabot), short on the head
• Temperament: Loyal, gentle, intelligent, protective, friendly, active
• Weight: Male: 20–29 kg, Female: 18–25 kg
• Dresses: Tricolor, white, blue merle, sable and white, sable merle, sable
• Size: Male: 56–61 cm, Female: 51–56 cm

Source: Wikipedia

Lassie first appeared in the 1940 novel Lassie, Faithful Dog by author Eric Knight. Subsequently, a first film, titled Faithful Lassie, adapted from the novel was released in 1943, and since then, seven more films have followed, most in the 1940s and the last in 2005.

Various Lassie television series aired between 1954 and 2014. The latest series in 2014 was a cartoon.

Fun facts:
All the dogs that played Lassie were male because females shed their fur once a year, making it impossible to film for an entire year.

Lassie's fame has reached such a level that she has her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Beethoven

Movie synopsis
Beethoven, a male Saint Bernard, is a canine character who starred in an American film released in 1992. Seven other film productions followed. The last film was released in 2014.

This film tells the story of a Saint Bernard puppy who, following a burglary in the pet store where he is for sale, escapes from the criminals and ends up in the Newton family home, where he settles. The children immediately want to adopt him, but their father is very reluctant. The dog, named Beethoven because he barked at Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, allows Ted to be respected at school, Emily, the youngest, to avoid drowning in the backyard pool, and Ryce, an unpopular teenager, to finally get noticed by Mark, the school's Don Juan.

Everything seems to be going well, even George grows fond of the dog. But the family veterinarian, who is actually a crook looking for dogs to perform scientific experiments, sets up a scheme to get Beethoven back.

The Saint Bernard is a breed of large mountain dog, often trained as an avalanche search dog. Popular imagination has it with a barrel of schnapps hanging from its neck, which is supposed to invigorate victims of the cold.

• Life expectancy: 8 to 10 years
• Tail: Long and very plumed in the hair variety
• Silhouette: Broad, robust
• Head: Square
• Ears: Drooping, triangular and relatively large
• Character: Lively, gentle, friendly, watchful, calm

Source: Wikipedia

Benji

Movie synopsis
Benji, a long-haired male Pyrenean Shepherd, is a canine character who appeared in five films and five television series between 1974 and 2006.

The film tells the story of Benji, a stray dog ​​living in a small Texas town where he is treated as a friend by many locals, each calling him by a different name. He then gets food and attention whenever he visits one of his acquaintances. One day, Benji meets another stray dog, a Maltese whom Mary names Tiffany, with whom he falls in love.

When Dr. Chapman's children are kidnapped and held hostage for ransom, Benji attempts to rescue them and seeks out friendly humans to help him free the children.

Benji then leads the police to the kidnappers' hideout; they are arrested as they leave the house with Paul and Cindy. Due to the two dogs' act of heroism, Dr. Chapman ultimately decides to let Benji and Tiffany stay at their house for as long as they want, much to Paul and Cindy's delight.

The Pyrenean Shepherd refers to two breeds of dog: the long-haired Pyrenean Shepherd and the smooth-faced Pyrenean Shepherd.

• Life expectancy: 15 to 17 years
• Temperament: Smart, energetic, devoted, easy to train, watchful, bossy
• Size: Male: 40–50 cm, Female: 38–48 cm
• Weight: Male: 20–25 kg, Female: 14–20 kg
• Coats: White, black, fawn, brindle, merle, blue merle, gray
• Origin: France, Spain

Source: Wikipedia