Dog

Columbo’s Dog

If you’re a fan of the classic TV show Columbo, you probably remember the lieutenant’s faithful companion, a Basset Hound simply known as Dog. Dog was a cute and cuddly pet, but also an ally of sorts in Columbo’s investigations. 

Dog makes his debut in the first episode of season 2, Etude in Black. The story was Columbo rescued him from the pound (and reportedly the dog actor actually was rescued from the pound). We see Dog again in The Most Dangerous Match, Try and Catch Me and Playback.

Dog was popular with the fans, and became a recurring character in the show. He appeared in 15 episodes, spanning from 1972 to 1990. 

How did Columbo get Dog?

The studio wanted Columbo to have a partner for the second season. Peter Falk and the show's writers and creators were strongly against it, but the studio insisted. So they came up with a clever solution that both gave Falk a partner...and stuck it to the studio a bit: They gave Columbo a dog.

Not just any dog...but the absolutely least police-like dog they could think of. The original Basset was an elderly dog who had apparently been rescued from the pound.

Falk was reportedly not happy with the idea at first, but when he met the Basset who was going to play the role he fell in love with the pooch and decided it was fine. 

What's in a name?

A recurring gag in the show is people asking Columbo what his dog's name is. His answer "We just call him Dog. Doesn't matter he doesn't come anyway." 

In Etude in Black the veteranarian suggests naming him "Fido" but that doesn't stick.

Some sources claim Dog's name was originally supposed to be "Fang" (and that's his name in the Mrs. Columbo spin-off) but Falk and the writers apparently preferred to stick with "Dog". 

Just a few more things...about Dog

• Dog was played by several different Basset Hounds throughout the show’s run. The first one, who was already elderly when he first appeared, died after the second season, and had to be replaced by a younger one, who was made up to look older. Peter Falk joked that the dog spent more time in the make-up chair than he did.
• Hollywood dog trainer Ray Berwick brought Dog to the Columbo team. There is some dispute about whether the original Dog was named "Henry". It's true that Berwick had a Basset named Henry in his crew - that dog was featured on the TV show Emergency! - but it's not clear if the same dog also appeared on Columbo. Some sources claim it was the same dog, other sources claim it wasn't.