In Lassie, did anyone ever actually derive information from Lassie’s barking?

The tradition of Lassie has continued on social media, with people posting videos of a variety of wild animals (deer, weasels, snakes etc.*) showing up at people’s doorsteps and insisting they come rescue a partner/offspring who’s gotten stuck in a fence or fallen down a hole.

Awhile back on the Dope, there was a thread about posters’ ideas for new TV shows. Mine was “Cadaver Dog”, about the adventures of a lovable beast trained to follow the scent of decomposition. The first episode was called “Timmy’s In The Well”.

*well, maybe not snakes. But that’ll be next.

This trope was parodied in The Jerk, when Steve Martin’s character interprets a dog’s barking as a warning that there was a fire.

“Look. I think she (Lassie) is trying to tell us something.”

Up the Creek (1984) features a spin on the trope.

That’s canine thespian Jake - IMDb in the role of “Chuck, the Wonder Dog,” voiced by Frank Welker - IMDb.