THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, April 20, 1995 TAG: 9504200044
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: ON TV
SOURCE: Larry Bonko
TELEVISION COLUMNIST
LENGTH: Long : 162 lines
THEY ARE AMONG television's highly paid professionals. They ride in limousines. They are treated to bubble baths. They have stunt doubles. They eat from crystal dishes, and they eat well. They fly first class. They have agents working on big deals for them.
They have all of that plus four paws and a tail.
They are prime time's lovable, scene-stealing, hard-working superstar dogs.
There is Murray (real name Maui) of the NBC sitcom ``Mad About You,'' who has been featured in at least three episodes this season, including one in which Murray became famous as the star of a TV commercial.
In that storyline, Murray rubbed noses on late-night TV with Jay Leno.
``He gets the best of everything,'' said Maui's trainer, Betty Linn-Newman of Animals for Hollywood of Castaic, Calif.
The best includes steak for snacks.
There is Eddie (real name Moose) of the NBC sitcom ``Frasier,'' who is probably the hippest and hottest dog on TV and TV's No. 1 scene stealer. Did you catch ``Frasier'' the other night when Eddie picked out just the right socks for Frasier Crane's tuxedo? Cool.
``We tried to get Lassie, but he was unavailable, so we decided to go with a fresh face and Moose was it,'' said ``Frasier'' casting director Jeff Greenberg.
Don't you just love it when Eddie freezes Frasier with one of those stares of his?
There is Buck (real name Buck) of ``Married . . . With Children'' on Fox. Buck the Stud. He was the focal point of two shows. When Buck impregnated some of the dogs on his block, the neighbors demanded that Al Bundy get his pet neutered. And Buck brought home a stray dog that the Bundys took to immediately, forcing Buck to figure out a way to get the newcomer evicted.
The sex thing was a real stretch for Buck. He was neutered ages ago.
Prime time TV is ho-hum for Buck.
``He sleeps between scenes,'' said his owner and trainer, Steven Ritt of Acton, Calif.
When the cast of ``Married . . . With Children'' appeared before TV writers to promote the show's 200th episode, Buck was there, too.
He's a briard - a bushy breed that originated in the Brie region of France - and is 12 years old. When you see big ol' Buck in person, you feel like hugging him around the neck, which I did.
Dogs on sitcoms are as common as neighbors dropping one-liners.
Look to cable and you will see dogs there, too. I mean, lots of dogs on The Family Channel's ``That's My Dog'' seen Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.
On network TV, there is Dreyfuss on NBC's ``Empty Nest'' and Comet on ABC's ``Full House'' and Ajax on ABC's ``On Our Own'' and Daisy on ABC's ``Thunder Alley'' and that small bundle of fur on the CBS sitcom ``Nanny,'' and the handsome malamute/wolf on ``Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman'' on CBS and Earnest the bloodhound on ``Dave's World'' on CBS.
They come from backgrounds as different as the dogs themselves.
Take Murray, age 7, and a collie mix. ``He is basically a mutt,'' said Linn-Newman, long distance from Southern California. ``His parents came from the pound.''
Yes, he's a mutt. But a bright mutt.
``He knows exactly what he is doing,'' said Maui's trainer. ``He quickly learns where and how to hit his marks when the tape is rolling.''
Friday night is bubble bath night for Maui.
Eddie or Moose, who pulls in huge amounts of fan mail at NBC, is a 4-year-old Jack Russell terrier who started out in life as the house pet of a family in Orlando, Fla. Moose is such a handful that his original owners put him up for adoption with the Birds & Animals group at Universal Studios Florida.
Before long, he was in Hollywood. Trainer Mathilde DeCagny of Birds & Animals in Southern California took those bursts of canine energy - Moose is a spring uncoiling - and turned them into an asset for Moose's owners.
What are these TV superdogs worth? Probably their weight in gold.
``Buck is a valuable asset,'' said Witt. ``Having him has certainly enhanced my life. I wouldn't place a price tag on him.''
Animal handlers or wranglers, as they are called in show biz, charge between $250 and $1,500 a day for the use of their pets. They also ask $25 an hour for themselves.
But superdogs such as Moose, Maui and Buck earn much more because they are series regulars and as such contribute greatly to the success of their shows.
``If Moose walked on two feet, he'd be making more than Kelsey Grammer,'' said a network executive who asked to be nameless. ``The dog has helped make that show a Top 10 hit.''
Buck, who began his run on ``Married . . . With Children'' when he was only 3, lives with Witt. He is pampered. His food dish is made of crystal. He eats a special herb diet.
When ol' Buck's joints ache, Witt calls in an acupuncturist.
Moose lives in Santa Monica, Calif., with his trainer DeCagny, his girlfriend Molly and their offspring (three female pups).
The other TV superdog, Maui, is part of corporate dogdom. At the end of the work day, Maui returns to the Animals for Hollywood compound where he mixes with the other talented canines owned by that company.
He hasn't been spoiled, said Linn-Newman.
``But it would be nice if he had his own trailer.''
The dogs act in response to hand signals or silent cues from the trainers, be it orders to dash upstairs - that's Buck's speciality - or blow out the candles on a cake, which Comet did on an episode of ``Full House.''
``We have a hand signal for every command,'' said Witt. In a recent episode, when the story called for Buck to play a dog growing old and losing his eyesight, it took hours of rehearsal to get it right. Buck buried Peg Bundy's jewelry in the back yard and forgot where.
No growls from Buck when the rehearsals are long. ``He has the inherent ability to please people,'' said Witt.
By the way, Buck's eyesight is fine. He is aging gracefully.
``Dogs who are on the set need a clear sightline to their trainers. They must see us at all times,'' said Linn-Newman. The trick is to get the dogs to do what the script calls for without having them stare too long off-camera for the trainer's hand signals.
``We try to give the cues in a split second,'' she said.
``We try to keep it natural,'' said Witt.
``You want to give the viewers the impression that the dog really belongs with the television family.''
The ``Mad About You'' episode in which Murray evolves as a star of TV commercials was tricky business for dog and trainer. The cast did a TV show within a show in which Murray auditioned for commercials.
Maui, the super-bright dog, was asked to play a dumb Murray who blew his audition. ``For that episode, it was necessary for me to speak the cues which were later edited out,'' said Linn-Newman.
It was a hilarious scene.
After eight seasons, Buck has adopted the ``Married . . . With Children'' cast as his second family. Ed O'Neil, who plays Al Bundy, is his favorite, said Witt.
When he flies Buck to personal appearances, Witt wouldn't think of crating him up and placing him in storage. Buck goes first class with a seat of his own. ``If it's good enough for Lassie, it's good enough for Buck,'' said Witt, who once worked for the animal training wizards (the Weatherwax family) who taught the movie and TV Lassies all they know.
Filmdom's most recent Lassie is the eighth-generation Lassie descended from the original (real name Pal ) who stole scenes from Elizabeth Taylor and Roddy McDowall in ``Lassie Come Home'' in 1943.
He flies first class, just like Buck. Do the dogs know that's where they serve filet mignon? ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photos]
NBC
EDDIE
The hip Jack Russell terrier form "Frasier" is TV's big scene
stealer.
CBS
WOLF
He's the hansome malamute from "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman."
NBC
DREYFUSS
The big gouy from "Empty Nest" keeps company with Richard Mulligan.
NBC
MURRAY
This pooch - a collie mix - got to appear with Jay Leno in NBC's
"Mad About You."
FOX
Buck, whose real name is Buck, was the focal point of two episodes
of Fox's ``Married. . . With Children.''
by CNB