1. Lassie the most well known of all animal shows, aired on network television for twenty years between 1954 to 1974. The original Lassie series portrayed a rough Collie named Lassie, who lived with a boy, Jeff Miller, his widowed mother, and his grandfather. Eventually, Lassie was given to the Martin family which included: Timmy and his parents, Ruth and Paul. When the Martins moved to Australia, Lassie was left in the care of a forest ranger, Corey Stuart. In 1968, Corey was injured and Lassie was taken in by two other forest rangers. In 1970, Lassie gave birth to a litter of puppies and the in this final season, Lassie lived with the Holdens in California. The Lassie show was also on the radio from 1947 – 1950.
2. The Crocodile Hunter featured the late, Steve Irwin, and was aired on the Animal Planet from 1997 to 2004. Irwin was an Australian zoologist and conservationist who became known around the world for his wildlife adventures on the Crocodile Hunter show. In the show, Steve’s wife, Terri accompanies him on his animal documentary adventures
3. Mr. Ed aired for the first time on network television in the USA on January 4, 1961. This comedy show featured a horse named Mr. Ed who was owned by Wilbur Post. The intriguing thing about Mr. Ed was that he could talk. Mr. Ed would only talk to Wilbur which was the basis for the show and the funny antics that took place. The show, Mr. Ed won four awards through the years: The Golden Globe Award in 1963 for the best show and comedy, and the TV Land Awards in 2003, 2004, and 2005 for the Most Heart Warming Pet-Human Relationship, Favorite Fauna, and Favorite Pet-Human Relationship. Mr. Ed was on air for six seasons.
4. The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin portrayed the story of the orphaned boy, Rusty and his German Shepherd, Rin Tin Tin. The show first aired in 1954 and lasted for five seasons. Rusty’s parents were killed during an Apache Indian raid on their wagon train. Everyone else on the wagon train was also killed except Rusty and his dog. The boy was adopted by the soldiers from Fort Apache who found him after the massacre. The show’s episodes revolved around the heroic adventures of the boy and his dog as they helped the soldiers defend Fort Apache and keep law and order in the area of Mesa Grand, Arizona.
5. Fury was a Western television series based upon the adventures of a black stallion named Fury and his young owner, Joey Clark. Joey Clark is a troubled young man who is taken in by Jim Newton, the owner of the Broken Wheel Ranch. After Joey moved to the ranch, his life was changed by the wild stallion, Fury. Joey was the only person that Fury would allow to ride him. At the start of each show, a voice announced, “Fury, the story of a horse and the boy who loves him.” All the episodes revolved around the adventures of the boy and his horse. Fury aired for five seasons from 1955 to 1960.
6. The Dog Whisperer is a reality dog training series seen on the National Geographic Channel. It revolves around the dog behaviorist, Cesar Milan and his strategies of rehabilitating dogs with behavioral problems or mental phobias. Milan visits the homes of the dog owners and works with the problem dogs, teaching their owners how to handle the training of their problem dogs. This Emmy Award winning animal show originally aired on National Geographic in September, 2004 and is still going strong today.
7. Wishbone is a PBS production revolving around the Jack Russell Terrier, Wishbone. It is a children’s educational series that depicts Wishbone as the main character. He is owned by a boy named Joe Talbot who lives in the town of Oakdale. In every episode, Joe, his friends, and Wishbone live the stories in classic novels and folk tales from around the world. The show consisted of forty-eight episodes and aired on PBS from 1995 to 1998.
8. Flipper made its television debut in 1964. It was the story of a dolphin named Flipper who was befriended by two brothers, Sandy and Bud. Their father was Porter Ricks, a game warden at Coral Key Park in Florida. Flipper was based upon the Flipper movie which was released in 1963. Flipper was an extremely intelligent dolphin that could understand what Sandy and Bud said to him. Their many adventures of Flipper included episodes dealing with catching poachers, rescues from shark attacks, saving divers from poisonous fish, and saving swimmers from drowning. The Flipper series aired for three seasons.
9. Meerkat Manor is an Animal Planet television series that follows the escapades of the meerkat, Whiskers and the other meerkat families in the Kalahari Desert. The meerkat’s lives are documented in their natural habitat and their methods of survival, and the dangers they face were explored. Meerkat Manor first aired in 2005 in the United Kingdom and included thirteen episodes. Animal Planet picked up the show and it was then aired in Australia, the United States, and Canada. The show was the top animal show on Animal Planet in 2007. Reruns of Meerkat Manor can still be seen on the Animal Planet.
10. Gentle Ben was the tale of an American Black Bear named Ben and his friendship with an eight year old boy, Mark Wedloe. The 650 pound black bear was rescued from hunters by Mark in the series pilot episode. Mark and his parents lived in the Florida Everglades where his father was a game warden. Mark and gentle Ben have many dangerous adventures together but the loyal friends always save each other from harm. The TV series, Gentle Ben was based upon Walt Morey’s novel. It was first made into a movie during the ’60’s and then aired as a television show between 1967 and 1969.
Resourses: Animal Discoveries, Working with Animals
Personal Experience
