Moose the Jack Russell

If you're a pet owner like me, you may have considered once or twice what it would be like if YOUR dog was an actor. Ok, maybe you haven't. But I have. Whenever I watch a movie or TV show with a dog who is so clever he has his own agent, I can't help but wonder about all of the people behind the six-figure canine actor, and what a day in the life might be like.

One of such dogs I have always found seriously cute and of course, award-worthy, is Moose the Jack Russell. You may not know him by name, but if you ever watched Frasier (where he played the role of Eddie Crane), or My Dog Skip (a real tear-jerker with Moose as the older Skip), then you've seen him in action. Charismatic, and always the comedian, Moose was a natural entertainer, whose true love was chasing cats.

Born in 1990 in Florida, Moose was apparently too much for his original owner to handle.  According to a 2002 Pet Press article,

"Moose couldn’t be house trained; he chewed everything; he dug and barked a lot; and he was constantly escaping and climbing trees. Eventually given to the Florida manager of Birds and Animals Unlimited, a company that trains animals for TV and motion pictures, Moose was put on a plane at 2½ years old and sent to Mathilde DeCagny, an LA trainer working for the show-biz animal company."

Moose was a natural and landed the role of Eddie after only 6 months worth of training. That's where America fell in love with the dog who could famously stare down Kelsey Grammer. With the success of the show, producers realized it would likely have a run that may outlast Moose's acting career, so they bred Moose to have a son, Enzo who would follow in his Dad's footsteps. According to Wikipedia, after about eight years on the show, Moose retired in West LA while Enzo took over the role as Eddie. Moose passed away in 2006 at his home where he lived with his son Enzo. 


Have you ever though your dog, like Moose or Enzo, has what it takes to be a canine actor? What special tricks does your pup know?