Benji vs. the Littlest Hobo

Cafe Society
1

Which dog (or rather, which series of stray-dog-helps-people films/TV shows) is better? Some criteria to consider:

[ul]
[li]Looks. Benji is a small brown mutt, a bit ungainly but cute. The Littlest Hobo is a short-haired, grey and white German Shepherd—not cute, but arguably majestic-looking.[/li][li]Smarts. Both dogs are unusually intelligent, with the capacity to understand humans’ intentions and feelings, and to solve complex problems through long-term planning. Both have single-handedly discovered and foiled a number of criminal schemes.[/li][li]Theme songs. Benji’s got “I Feel Love”, a catchy, Golden Globe–winning feel-good country number. The Littlest Hobo has “Maybe Tomorrow” a si4milarly infectious tune that somehow manages to be both haunting and upbeat.[/li][/ul]
Overall I’d say it’s a toss-up, so I’m heading to the Dope to get opinions from the hippest, smartest people on the planet. What other criteria should we consider, and which dog is the overall winner?

2

Benji was loyal and whatever, but Hobo clearly had a full understanding of mechanical engineering, given the stuff he did.

3

Damn, I thought this would be a “Who would win in a fight?” therad. Also, where’s Boomer?

4

I was always so sad that the Littlest Hobo didn’f Have a home and wished he would come and live at my house.

5

The winner, of course, is Lassie.

6

Lassie wasn’t a stray dog.

7

If that’s the criteria by which you judge which dog is better, then feel free to answer the poll on that basis. :slight_smile:

Who?

8

He.

9

Wow. There’s an entire genre for this scenario, isn’t there?

10

If that’s your criteria, Rin Tin Tin was a stray, Buddy (of Air Bud) was a stray, and Moose (aka Eddie from Frasier) was a rescue.

11

Yup. From Pete the Pup in the Our Gang films to Rin Tin Tin.

12

I’m concerned with shows featuring a perpetually stray dog that runs around and helps a different set of people in each instalment. That excludes Lassie and Eddie. I’m not familiar with Rin Tin Tin and Buddy so I don’t know if they fit. From what I could glean of Darren Garrison’s link, Boomer seems to fit. Maybe if someone wants to compile a list of all such dogs, we can do a more comprehensive poll in a future thread.

13

But Joe was gainfully employed, until he was falsely accused of a crime he did not commit.

14

Sandy.

15

There’s a voice that keeps on calling me
Down the road. That’s where I’ll always be.
Every stop I make, I make a new friend.
Can’t stay for long, just turn around,
And I’m gone again.

Maybe tomorrow I’ll want to settle down.
Until tomorrow, I’ll just keep moving on.

16

Who?

17

Benji hooked up, and hard, with Tiffany, a little white purebred froo-froo thing WAY above Benji’s league. And he took her to the Acropolis. How is this even a contest?

18

I’m even more impressed that Benji has his own wiki.

19

I know, right?

20

The Benji dog was also the dog on Petticoat Junction, meaning he spent his days on the set being played with these ladies.

I might not know which dog is better, but thanks to this thread, I now have a clearer picture as to which dog I’d rather be. :wink: