List: Ten Most Famous Dogs

We tried to come up with a top ten list that everyone agreed on ... but that never works! This is my personal list of doggy stars. Let us know if you disagree, perhaps agree, or have your own list to show off. Here we go ....

10. Chloe - The Chihuahua who was lead character in a terrible movie Beverly Hills Chihuahua, seems to have trended in Canine popularity. A stinker of a movie, this dog, never-the-less, wormed its way into popularity, despite my personal misgivings. I hate to include this mutt ... But it’s just too hard to exclude.

9. Astro – This space-age dog from the 1960’s futuristic cartoon show The Jetson’s, was found by Elroy in the episode “The Coming of Astro”. Astro spoke, in kind of a pidgin English, “Rar right yourge” meant “All right George”. Astro launched dogs into the future and showed us they still will have a place in a futuristic lifestyle that appears never to have arrived.

8. Cujo – This killer St. Bernard gets himself a bad-ass case of rabies and goes on to terrorize a small town., in this movie adapted from a Stephen King novel. A dog to be feared. Not all the famous dogs are nice!

7. Bo - The First Dog. This photogenic Portuguese Water Dog belongs to US President Barack Obama and the First Family. A president – a dog ... it’s an all-American pooch story. Everyone loves to see the Commander in Chief bend down to pet his dog.The kids chasing after it are a bonus.

6. Gidget - Taco Bell’s famous Chihuahua was a big hit with the public. Gidget was depicted as a Mexican revolutionary wearing a beret or as a bandit wearing a sombrero in the commercials. His famous line was "Yo quiero Taco Bell!", "I want Taco Bell!" in English.

5. Pluto - His best friend is a mouse, he’s from Disney and he is probably the goofiest dog ever. In terms of longevity and staying power ... Pluto has got it. Named after a maybe planet ... what more is there to be said!

4. Snoopy – Good grief Charlie Brown! Is there a more loved imaginary dog than Snoopy? From the comic strip to the TV screen, Charlie Brown and his friends have been part of modern culture since the 1950’s. Snoopy, with his versatile doghouse and pet bird, have carved a place in our hearts that persists years after the comic’s demise.

3. Brian Griffin – The dog from the show Family Guy is a witty and intelligent character, who speaks better English than his owner. He displays some of the typical canine qualities but his more human characteristics have made him one of the more popular animated dogs in television history.

2. Benji - This fictitious dog was the cuddly star of various movies in the 1970s and 1980s. His cute looks and love-able character made this dog a household name. The real name of the dog who first played Benji was Higgins who previously had a role in the TV show Petticoat Junction which aired in the 1960s. Edgar Buchanan, who also starred in the first movie, was also on the series.

1. Lassie – Lassie come home! Probably the most loved dog of all time, this character was created by author Eric Knight in a short story published in the Saturday Evening Post in 1938. It was later released as the novel, Lassie Come Home, in 1940. The first Lassie movie, was made in 1943 starring Roddy McDowall, Elizabeth Taylor and of course, Lassie. The movie was a hit. The television series, Lassie ran from 1954-1974 . More Lassie series followed in the 1980s and 1990s.