Moose (dog)

Early life

Moose was born on Christmas Eve, 1990 in Florida, the youngest littermate. He was the largest puppy in the litter. Like Pal, the original Lassie, the rambunctious puppy was too much for his original owner. According to an article by Lori Golden:

In fact, chasing cats was one of the activities that led to this troubled terrier becoming one of TV’s most precious pooches. Originally owned by a Florida family, Sam and Connie Thise, Moose was too hard to handle. He 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 Mathilda DeCagny, an L.A. trainer working for the show-biz animal company.

Career

Moose won the role on Frasier after only six months of training. Moose had the ability to fix Kelsey Grammer with a long hard stare; this became a running sight gag on the show. When Moose had to lick his co-stars, however, sardine oil was applied upon the actors' faces. John Mahoney once revealed liver pâté was dabbed behind the actor's ears to make Moose nuzzle the actors.

During the height of Frasier's popularity, Moose received more fan mail than any of his human counterparts.

Moose has numerous television appearances and several magazine covers to his credit. There is an official Moose calendar and an "autobiography", My Life as a Dog, which was written by Brian Hargrove, husband of Frasier actor David Hyde Pierce.

Retirement

Moose spent the last six and a half years of his life in retirement in West Los Angeles with son Enzo, their trainer Mathilda DeCagny, her husband Michael Halberg and Jill, the dog from As Good as It Gets. In his last year of life, suffering from dementia and deafness, he retired from TV. He died of natural causes at home at the age of 15 and a half years on June 22, 2006.

Selected credits

Enzo

Moose's son Enzo (July 1995 – June 23, 2010) was also a Parson Russell Terrier canine actor. Enzo was one of a few puppies bred specifically as possible replacements for Eddie as it became clear that Frasier was a hit and would enjoy a long run. A daughter, Miko, was considered but never grew large enough (she was given to a technician); a son, Moosie, now lives with Peri Gilpin, the actress who played Roz Doyle.

Enzo, born to mother Chelsea Marvin (also a Jack Russell) was a closer match and turned out to have unusually similar facial markings to his father; later in the series, he was used as a stunt double to perform the more physically challenging tricks for his aging father. Enzo took over the role after the eighth season. Enzo was also used as one of the puppies that "Eddie" had fathered during the show.

Enzo was cast as Skip in the feature film My Dog Skip. Moose played the older Skip in a few scenes. His trainer and several actors have commented on Enzo’s skill and trainability; he performed tricks and portrayed a wide variety of emotions. A 1999 interview quotes the director of My Dog Skip:

"Skip never failed us. I wish I worked with actors who were as well prepared as Skip. There was not a trick or a piece of business we asked the dog to do that he wasn't able to do; it was uncanny. The trainers were so good, they could stop him on a mark, he could lift his leg, he could do a somersault. I expected to see him reading The New York Times any day."

Enzo died of cancer on June 23, 2010, at the age of 14, one day after the fourth anniversary of his father's death in 2006.

Partial credits