Moose (dog)

Moose
Moose on the cover of Entertainment Weekly
Species	Dog
Breed	Jack Russell Terrier
Sex	Male
Born	December 24, 1990(1990-12-24) Florida, USA
Died	June 22, 2006(2006-06-22) (aged 15) West Los Angeles, California, USA
Relative age	105
Nation from	American
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1993–2003[1]
Notable role	Eddie Crane in Frasier Old Skip in My Dog Skip
Owner	Mathilda DeCagny[1]
Children	Enzo, Buddy, Sweetie[1]
Weight	5 pounds

Moose (December 24, 1990 – June 22, 2006) was a veteran canine actor. He was a Jack Russell Terrier and is most famous for his portrayal of Eddie Crane on the television sitcom Frasier.

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 obstreperous 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, 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 Mathilde DeCagny, an LA trainer working for the show-biz animal company.^[2]

Career

DeCagny described Moose as very highly trainable;^{[citation needed]} he 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.^[1] When Moose had to lick his co-stars, however, sardine oil was applied upon the actors' faces. To make Moose nuzzle the actors, liver pâté was dabbed behind their ears to achieve the required response, John Mahoney once revealed.^[1]

During the height of Frasier's popularity, Moose received more fan mail than any of his human counterparts.^[1]

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.

After retirement

Moose spent the last 6½ years of his life in retirement in West Los Angeles with son Enzo, Mathilde DeCagny (their trainer), her husband Michael Halberg and Jill, the dog from As Good as It Gets. He died of natural causes at home at the age of 15 and a half years, on June 22, 2006.

Selected credits

• Universal Studios Animal Actors’ Showcase
• Coach print advertisements (National campaign)
• Rold Gold Pretzel TV commercials
• Frasier - "Eddie" (1993–2000)
• My Dog Skip - Skip (2000)

Enzo

Enzo
Species	Dog
Breed	Jack Russell Terrier
Sex	Male
Born	July 1995
Died	June 23, 2010(2010-06-23) (aged 14)
Relative age	98
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2000–2004
Notable role	Eddie Crane in Frasier Skip in My Dog Skip
Owner	Mathilde DeCagny[1]
Parents	Moose Chelsea Marvin

Enzo (July 1995 – June 23, 2010) was a canine actor. He was a Jack Russell Terrier. Enzo was the son of Moose, the original Eddie Crane on the US sitcom Frasier. 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. The longevity of Frasier necessitated the breeding of puppies as possible replacements for Moose. 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. Moose's son 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 sire. Enzo took over the role after eight years. 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 [1] quotes the director of My Dog Skip:

"Skip never failed us. I wish I worked with actors who were as well prepared as Skip," admits Mark Johnson. "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 on June 23, 2010, of cancer at the age of 15.[2]

Partial credits

• Frasier - "Eddie" (2000–2004)
• My Dog Skip - "Skip"
• See Spot Run - "Boodles" (supporting)

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} BBC: Frasier's dog Eddie dies aged 16
2. ^ Behind the scenes with TV's Top Dog: From Troubled Terrier to Canine Comedian

External links

• Moose at the Internet Movie Database
• Best Friend 'Eddie' Dies