From scene stealing dogs and sarcastic cats to talking horses and even the occasional monkey, television has given us some unforgettable animal characters. These 25 beloved TV pets made us laugh, stole our hearts, and sometimes became just as famous as their human co stars.
Lassie — Lassie
Lassie is basically the blueprint for every heroic TV pet that came after her. The loyal Collie spent episode after episode rescuing people from trouble and became one of television’s most recognizable dogs.
Eddie — Frasier
Martin Crane’s Jack Russell Terrier had an incredible talent for getting under Frasier’s skin, often without doing anything more than staring at him. Eddie was primarily played by a dog named Moose.
Salem — Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Salem was no ordinary house cat. He was actually a former witch sentenced to live as a cat after attempting to take over the world, which explains both the talking and the attitude.
Comet — Full House
The Tanner family’s Golden Retriever became another lovable member of an already very full house. He was the kind of ridiculously well behaved family dog every '90s kid wanted.
Marcel — Friends
Before Ross had three divorces to worry about, he had a pet capuchin monkey. Marcel eventually left New York and, hilariously, became a movie star in the Friends universe.
Murray — Mad About You
Paul and Jamie’s lovable dog was obsessed with chasing an invisible mouse and wasn't exactly the brightest member of the Buchman household. That only made Murray feel more like a real family pet.
Buck — Married… with Children
Buck somehow fit perfectly into the dysfunctional Bundy household. He even got sarcastic inner monologues that revealed exactly what he thought about the family he was stuck living with.
Paul Anka — Gilmore Girls
Lorelai adopted Paul Anka during Season 6 and quickly discovered that he was just as quirky as everyone else in Stars Hollow. Naturally, she named him after singer Paul Anka.
Vincent — Lost
Vincent survived the crash of Oceanic Flight 815 alongside the human passengers and became one of the island’s most comforting presences. He also made it all the way from the first episode to the emotional series finale.
Stella — Modern Family
Jay initially wanted nothing to do with Stella, but that didn't last very long. The little French Bulldog eventually became his beloved companion and one of the Pritchett household's funniest residents.
Cheddar — Brooklyn Nine Nine
Captain Holt's beloved Corgi was treated with about as much seriousness as any human member of the precinct. Anyone who messed with Cheddar quickly learned that Holt did not play around when it came to his dog.
Champion — Parks and Recreation
April and Andy adopted Champion despite him only having three legs, and he fit right into their wonderfully strange household. Andy's immediate devotion to him made the pairing even sweeter.
The Chick and the Duck — Friends
Joey and Chandler unexpectedly became pet parents after adopting a chick and a duck. The bizarre little family became one of the show's funniest running jokes.
Santa's Little Helper — The Simpsons
The Simpsons adopted Santa's Little Helper after Homer lost his Christmas money at the dog track. Decades later, he's still part of television's most famous animated family.
Snowball II — The Simpsons
Lisa's black cat has spent years living alongside Santa's Little Helper in the Simpson household. The complicated history of the family's many cats named Snowball has also become a running joke of its own.
Scooby Doo — Scooby Doo, Where Are You!
Scooby may technically be Shaggy's pet, but he's every bit as important to Mystery Inc. as the humans. He'll face just about any monster if there are enough Scooby Snacks involved.
Snoopy — Peanuts
Charlie Brown's dog has never behaved much like an ordinary Beagle. Between fighting the Red Baron from atop his doghouse and imagining countless alter egos, Snoopy often steals the entire show.
Dino — The Flintstones
Even a Stone Age family needs a pet. Fred and Wilma's purple dinosaur behaves much more like an enthusiastic dog, especially whenever Fred walks through the door.
Astro — The Jetsons
The future apparently still has man's best friend. Astro is the Jetson family's loyal dog, complete with his famous habit of adding an R sound to practically everything he says.
Gary — SpongeBob SquarePants
Gary might communicate almost exclusively through meows, but SpongeBob understands his pet snail perfectly. Their relationship is essentially a wonderfully weird underwater version of a boy and his cat.
Brian — Family Guy
Brian is technically the Griffin family dog, although he talks, drives, writes books and generally lives more like a human. Somehow, nobody in Quahog finds any of this particularly strange.
Porkchop — Doug
Doug Funny rarely went anywhere without his loyal dog Porkchop. Far from an ordinary cartoon pet, Porkchop frequently walked on two legs and seemed to understand almost everything happening around him.
Lucky — ALF
It takes a brave cat to share a house with an alien whose species considers cats a delicacy. Lucky somehow managed it and became an important part of the Tanner family's already unusual home.
Buster — The Wonder Years
Kevin Arnold received Buster from his grandfather during the show's fourth season. The Beagle was another sweet addition to a series built around the everyday experiences of growing up.
Happy — 7th Heaven
The Camden family already had seven people to keep track of, but Happy was just as much a member of the household. She was so important that the dog even appeared in the show's opening credits.
