Lassie

The canine that began the world's love affair with the collie breed was named Pal. Pal's lineage could be traced back to 'Old Cockie' (born 1868), England's first celebrated Rough Collie. A male, Pal was born at the Glamis Kennels in North Hollywood in June 1940. His initial owner passed the dog on to animal trainer Rudd Weatherwax, who, with his brother Frank, proceeded to train the animal. After learning of Eric Knight's novel Lassie Come Home (1943), Rudd took Pal to MGM as one of 1500 contestants for the lead role in what was to become an A-Grade technicolor release, starring a very young beauty named Elizabeth Taylor. Pal was first signed on as a stunt dog but quickly replaced the female collie originally cast as Lassie when the latter began shedding fur excessively. As a male, Pal was also deemed to be more impressive-looking in size. Signed up by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Pal remained under contract from 1943 to 1950, appearing in six sequels, including Son of Lassie (1945) and Courage of Lassie (1946). The storylines rarely varied, the lovable pooch saving the day by rescuing the injured and/or imperiled, or by raising alarm to warn of impending danger. By 1951, the franchise had run out of ideas and Pal's contract with MGM lapsed. In lieu of back pay owed him by the studio, Weatherwax retained full rights to the Lassie trademark. Robert Maxwell and Jack Wrather at CBS took up the option and brought Lassie into the realm of the small screen. The ensuing television series ran from 1954 to 1973, totaling 591 episodes. Pal appeared only in the two original pilots before retiring. He died at the age of 18 and was buried on his grieving owner's ranch. Over the ensuing years, Pal's descendants, all products of Weatherwax training (beginning with Lassie Junior) took up the baton.