Moose was a veteran canine performer. He was a Jack Russell Terrier and is most
famous for his portrayal of Eddie Crane on the television sitcom Frasier.
Early life Moose was born on Christmas Eve, 1990 in
Florida, the youngest littermate. He was the largest puppy in the litter. Like
Pal, the original Lassie, the rambunctious puppy was too much for his
original owner. According to an article by Lori Golden:
In fact, chasing cats was one of the activities that led to this troubled
terrier becoming one of TV’s most precious pooches. Originally owned by a
Florida family, Sam and Connie Thise, Moose was too hard to handle. He
couldn’t be house trained; he chewed everything; he dug and barked a lot; and
he was constantly escaping and climbing trees. Eventually given to the Florida
manager of Birds and Animals Undiluted, a company that trains animals for TV and
motion pictures, Moose was put on a plane at 2½ years old and sent to
Mathilda DeCagny, an L.A. trainer working for the show-biz animal company.
Career Moose won the role on Frasier after only
six months of training. Moose had the ability to fix Kelsey Grammer with a
long hard stare; this became a running sight gag on the show. When Moose had to
lick his co-stars, however, sardine oil was applied upon the actors' faces, John
Mahoney once revealed liver pâté was dabbed behind the actor's ears to make
Moose nuzzle the actors. During the height of Frasier's
popularity, Moose received more fan mail than any of his human counterparts.
Moose has numerous television appearances and several magazine covers
to his credit. There is an official Moose calendar and an "autobiography",
My Life as a Dog, which was written by Brian Hargrove, husband of Frasier actor
David Hyde Pierce. Retirement
Moose spent the last six and a half years of his life in retirement in West
Los Angeles with son Enzo, their trainer Mathilda DeCagny, her husband Michael
Halberg and Jill, the dog from As Good as It Gets. In his last year of life,
suffering from dementia and deafness, he retired from TV. He died of natural
causes at home at the age of 15 and a half years on June 22, 2006.
Selected credits Universal Studios Animal Actors’
Showcase Coach print advertisements
Rold Gold Pretzel TV commercials Frasier - "Eddie"
My Dog Skip - Skip Enzo
Moose's son Enzo was also a Jack Russell Terrier canine actor. Enzo was one of a
few puppies bred specifically as possible replacements for Eddie as it
became clear that Frasier was a hit and would enjoy a long run. A daughter,
Miko, was considered but never grew large enough; a son, Moosie, now lives
with Peri Gilpin, the actress who played Roz Doyle.
Enzo, born to mother Chelsea Marvin - also a Jack Russell - was a closer match
and turned out to have unusually similar facial markings to his father; later in
the series, he was used as a stunt double to perform the more physically
challenging tricks for his aging father. Enzo took over the role after the eighth
season. Enzo was also used as one of the puppies that "Eddie" had fathered during
the show. Enzo was cast as Skip in the feature
film My Dog Skip. Moose played the older Skip in a few scenes. His trainer and
several actors have commented on Enzo’s skill and trainability; he performed
tricks and portrayed a wide variety of emotions. A 1999 interview quotes the
director of My Dog Skip: "Skip never failed us. I wish I worked
with actors who were as well prepared as Skip. There was not a trick or a piece
of business we asked the dog to do that he wasn't able to do; it was uncanny.
The trainers were so good, they could stop him on a mark, he could lift his
leg, he could do a somersault. I expected to see him reading The New York
Times any day." Enzo died of cancer on June 23, 2010, at
the age of 14, one day after the fourth anniversary of his father's death in
2006. = Partial credits =
Frasier - "Eddie" My Dog Skip - "Skip"
See Spot Run - "Boodles" References
External links Moose at the Internet Movie Database
Frasier's Best Friend 'Eddie' Dies "My Life As A Dog", Eddie's
Autobiography by Brian Hargrove at Amazon.com