# Benji vs. the Littlest Hobo **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 19, 2019, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benji-vs-the-littlest-hobo/828064 "2019-01-19T18:47:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benji-vs-the-littlest-hobo/828064/1 "2019-01-19T18:47:39Z")
Which dog (or rather, which series of stray-dog-helps-people films/TV shows) is better? Some criteria to consider: [ul] [li] **Looks.** [Benji](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/9a/Benji1974.jpg) is a small brown mutt, a bit ungainly but cute. [The Littlest Hobo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/26/The_Littlest_Hobo_The_Complete_First_Season_DVD_cover.jpg) 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”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8en_0oRv8w8), a catchy, Golden Globe–winning feel-good country number. The Littlest Hobo has [“Maybe Tomorrow”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgGKSjiw0HQ) 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? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benji-vs-the-littlest-hobo/828064/2 "2019-01-19T19:01:12Z")
Benji was loyal and whatever, but Hobo clearly had a full understanding of mechanical engineering, given the stuff he did. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benji-vs-the-littlest-hobo/828064/3 "2019-01-19T19:16:15Z")
Damn, I thought this would be a “Who would win in a fight?” therad. Also, where’s Boomer? ---
**Author:** ![Poysyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benji-vs-the-littlest-hobo/828064/4 "2019-01-19T20:06:15Z")
I was always so sad that the Littlest Hobo didn’f Have a home and wished he would come and live at my house. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benji-vs-the-littlest-hobo/828064/5 "2019-01-19T20:07:12Z")
The winner, of course, is Lassie. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benji-vs-the-littlest-hobo/828064/6 "2019-01-19T20:21:47Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > The winner, of course, is Lassie. Lassie wasn’t a stray dog. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benji-vs-the-littlest-hobo/828064/7 "2019-01-19T20:22:49Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Damn, I thought this would be a “Who would win in a fight?” therad. If that’s the criteria by which you judge which dog is better, then feel free to answer the poll on that basis. 🙂 > [@](#): > > Also, where’s Boomer? Who? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benji-vs-the-littlest-hobo/828064/8 "2019-01-19T20:54:15Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Who? [He](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here%27s_Boomer). ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benji-vs-the-littlest-hobo/828064/9 "2019-01-19T21:07:47Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > [He](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here%27s_Boomer). Wow. There’s an entire genre for this scenario, isn’t there? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benji-vs-the-littlest-hobo/828064/10 "2019-01-19T22:07:40Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Lassie wasn’t a stray dog. 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. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benji-vs-the-littlest-hobo/828064/11 "2019-01-19T22:13:16Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > Wow. There’s an entire genre for this scenario, isn’t there? Yup. From Pete the Pup in the _Our Gang_ films to Rin Tin Tin. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benji-vs-the-littlest-hobo/828064/12 "2019-01-19T22:27:38Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > 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. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2019, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benji-vs-the-littlest-hobo/828064/13 "2019-01-20T00:37:57Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > 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. But [Joe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Run,_Joe,_Run) was gainfully employed, until he was falsely accused of a crime he did not commit. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2019, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benji-vs-the-littlest-hobo/828064/14 "2019-01-20T01:35:29Z")
Sandy. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2019, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benji-vs-the-littlest-hobo/828064/15 "2019-01-20T02:25:53Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benji-vs-the-littlest-hobo/828064/16 "2019-01-22T13:46:43Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > Sandy. Who? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benji-vs-the-littlest-hobo/828064/17 "2019-01-22T13:51:41Z")
[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.](http://benji.wikia.com/wiki/File:Acropolis.jpg) How is this even a contest? ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benji-vs-the-littlest-hobo/828064/18 "2019-01-22T14:00:04Z")
I’m even more impressed that Benji has his own wiki. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benji-vs-the-littlest-hobo/828064/19 "2019-01-22T14:02:21Z")
I know, right? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2019, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benji-vs-the-littlest-hobo/828064/20 "2019-01-22T14:07:33Z")
The Benji dog was also the dog on Petticoat Junction, meaning he spent his days on the set being played with [these ladies.](https://deadline.com/2015/10/pat-woodell-petticoat-junction-dies-1201587194/) 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. 😉 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/benji-vs-the-littlest-hobo/828064.md?page=2)