Tampa Bay Times
Dog days of summer: Top 10 mutts of the ’80s
By Steve Spears
JUNE 16, 2012
The Spears Lair has been petless since the sad passing of Nick Rhodes, my beloved cat. I’ve already decided that if I get a new cat, it shall be named … Cat Benatar. But something else hit me this morning: What about a dog? Aren’t dogs more in tune with my favorite decade? How many famed mutts can you name from the ’80s? Here are 10 that come to mind. (And please: Give me a recommendation on the appropriate breed and name for the perfect ’80s dog that I might finally eventually adopt for the Lair.)
TOP 10 DOGS OF THE ’80s:
10. HOSE HEAD: The beer-gulping dog is owned by Bob and Doug McKenzie in 1983’s Strange Brew. Later he dons a cape and saves Octoberfest.
9. UBU: Technically, his full name is Ubu Roi, and he was the mascot for UBU Productions, which produced classics like Family Ties in the ’80s.
8. WONDER MUTT: Mark Harmon’s best friend in 1987’s Summer School isn’t happy until he finds “Bob” at the end of the flick.
7. JERRY LEE: The dog partner to Jim Belushi in 1989’s K-9 was an actual police dog in Kansas City, according to IMDB.com. He was killed in the line of duty in 1991.
6. MATISSE: The border collie owned by Richard Dreyfuss and Bette Midler‘s 1986 flick Down and Out in Beverly Hills had better acting chops than many of his human co-stars.
5. CHUCK THE WONDER DOG: Does Tim Matheson’s adventurous dog from 1984’s Up The Creek look familiar? Yep, same dog from Down and Out in Beverly Hills.
4. HOOCH: Tom Hanks‘ canine counterpart in 1989’s Turner & Hooch was ugly and slobbery. Alas, he didn’t make it ’til the credits rolled.
3. RONNIE: Better known as Rick Springfield‘s dog and the cover model for his album Working Class Dog. Springfield was devastated when Ron died at age 13. He has a tattoo in Ronnie’s memory on his back.
2. EINSTEIN: Doc Brown’s hairy pooch in Back to the Future becomes the world’s first DeLorean/time-traveling pooch.
1. SPUDS MACKENZIE: This bullterrier was synonymous with Bud Light in the late ’80s. In fact, he might have been more popular, given the stuffed versions, neon lights and T-shirts made in his likeness.
For Down And Out Gallery: Click Here
