What Kind Of Dog Is Scooby Doo And Other Famous Cartoon Dogs?
I was sitting looking at my dog’s ears. She has incredible ears. Usually she looks like Yoda from Star Wars, then on other days she’s a spitting image of Dobby from Harry Potter. It got me thinking about dogs in movies and cartoons, and what breed they are. For instance, what type of dog was Scooby Doo?
He was a Great Dane!
Movie and cartoon dogs are just as famous as some movie stars. Some of your favourite movies would not have been the same without these furry friends! I thought it would be fun to find out a bit more about some famous cartoon dogs and what breed they actually are, and tell you a little bit about them. So, let’s get started with good old Scooby Doo.
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SCOOBY DOO
This cute but cowardly character is a male Great Dane. His equally cowardly companion is the amateur detective, Shaggy Rogers. Scooby Doo is a great example of canine and human behaviours mixed together.
Just like his friend Shaggy, not only is Scooby a big scaredy-cat, they are both always hungry.
Scooby’s range of vocab is pretty limited, speaking in a slurred, dog-like voice. His speech extends to ‘Ra Ra Raaagggy’ when a monster is about to attack, ‘Puppy Power’ when he is raring to go, ‘Lemme at ’em, Lemme at ’em’ when he is feigning bravado, and of course, the most famous catchline ‘Scooby Dooby Doo’ when things go well, especially at the end of each episode. He’s rather clumsy and ungainly, and usually, not the sharpest tool in the box.
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! premiered on CBS on September 13, 1969. In 2013 Scooby Doo was voted the 5th most popular cartoon of all time.
THE PAW PATROL DOGS
My niece and nephew are nuts about these dogs. They can tell you who the bravest is, or the smartest, or the cutest. But what about what kinds of dogs are the Paw Patrol dogs? Nope, they can’t tell me that.
I looked into though, so I can tell you!
Ryder is a 10 year old goodness-knows-what. Ten years old is getting on a bit in dog years and Ryder shows this in his role as wise pack leader. He might not be a pedigree, but he’s got the best of lots of different breeds, as mixed breeds often do.
The pilot, Skye, was the token girl in the original crew. But what breed is she? I was surprised to find her described in various websites as different breeds, and they were JUST WRONG! She’s not a Cavapoo, or a nova Scotia duck tolling retriever. She’s a cockapoo, part Poodle, part Cocker Spaniel. Cockapoos make fantastic family dogs as they’re always happy, they’re non-shedding and they’re super-smart, just like Skye! See more on poodle mix breeds in this article.
Siberian Husky, Everest, was added in a later lineup. She’s super strong and resilient and the perfect choice for rescuing people lost up a mountain.
Chase is a German Shepherd who always manages to sniff out the bad guys and chase them in his cop car.
Marshall is a firefighting Dalmation, and he drives a fire truck, of course! Dalmations are really popular choices for cartoons and movies, aren’t they?
Super handyman Rocky is great at fixing and recycling things. He’s a Scottish Terrier / Schnauzer pup.
Zuma is a chocolate Labrador, (probably one of the most coveted family dogs around). He has a cool hovercraft and loves to get his paws wet.
Rubble the bulldog is great at building. What vehicle would a bulldog have? A BULL-dozer, clearly!
The official Paw Patrol video is a great quick summary of their breeds, and includes a couple of the newer pack members too.
Tap twice to load then open Video...
PLUTO
Pluto is a mixed breed. He’s possibly the oldest cartoon dog, having made his debut as Mickey Mouse’s pet in an animated cartoon called “The Chain Gang” that was released in 1930.
Most cartoon dogs do very human things, but Pluto doesn’t. He doesn’t speak, wear clothes, or walk around on his 2 back legs as if he were a person. He’s probably the most dog-like cartoon dog around, a total contrast to Mickey Mouse’s friend, Goofy.
GOOFY
Another Disney creation, Goofy didn’t appear until 1932. He was Goofy by name and of course, goofy by nature. Goofy clumsily walks around in even clumsier clothing, speaking in his clumsy voice. Like Scooby, Goofy isn’t that bright, but at least Scooby is cute. Who could say that of poor old Goofy?
Oh, and what breed is Goofy? Who knows?
MUTTLEY (FROM DASTARDLY AND MUTTLEY)
Both Scooby Doo, and Dastardly and Muttley, came out in 1969, and both from the same production company, Hanna-Barbera. Dastardly and Muttley are a villainous pair who run around trying to catch a carrier pigeon, Yankee Doodle, from delivering messages.
Muttley’s speaking extends to his snickering laugh. Muttley, as you might have expected, is a mutt, affectionately used to describe a mixed breed.
ODIE (FROM GARFIELD)
Garfield, the fat orange cat, has a canine friend called Odie. In the original comic strip he was a nondescript, beige and brown, little dog.
In the movies though he was played by a course-haired dachshund-terrier mix.
LADY AND THE TRAMP
Tramp, like many of these fantastic cartoon and movie dogs we’ve looked at, was a mutt. Lady, of course was a pedigree – a Cocker Spaniel.
CONCLUSION
So, now you know what breed some of the famous cartoon dogs are. Do you have a dog that looks like a famous cartoon dog? Send in a picture and let us see it!
And let me ask you, do you agree that my dog looks like the famous movie characters Yoda and Dobby? Does your dog look like a famous movie character?
PIN ME!