Daily Reel - A Dog of Flanders (1959)

Canine star Spike appeared in many less-known works than the film he is still best remembered for: Old Yeller (1957). Among them, The Silent Call (1961) and this adaptation of Ouida’s famed story in which he plays Patrasche.

Spike, a rescue dog trained by Frank Weatherwax, also had a son who carried on the legacy by costarring in Island of the Blue Dolphins (1964).

Produced by Twentieth Century Fox

Daily Reel - Darling Companion (2012)

Canine star of Darling Companion, Kasey, a Collie/German Shepherd mix, was found by the Las Vages Humane Society tied to a tree and abandoned with a rope embedded in his neck. Years later, Kasey is a minor celebrity after Darling Companion, with Diane Keaton and Kevin Kline, and the hard work of trainers Sarah Cole and Guin Dill.

Kasey plays Freeway here, but his film career started long before with scenes in Santa Buddies (2009) and The Lincoln Lawyer (2011), as well as a costarring role in Monster Mutt (2011), and numerous TV and advertising appearances. Dyed to match him, another canine TV star, Kuma, doubles as Freeway in scenes like the deer chasing.

Produced by Werc Werk Works, Kasdan Pictures, Likely Story