Kayak Inspired Dog Names

Ok, ok. We cheated a bit. The most famous Eddie is actually spelled with an “ie” not a “y” like the eddies created when rushing water flows past objects and causes an area of calm yet swirling current. Although Eddie from Frasier was known to be a cute, lovable Parsons Russell Terrier, he was actually just as much a terror as a terrier, both on screen and off. 

On the show, Eddie was often one of Frasier’s biggest antagonists and his position is cemented in the show’s very first episode. In the pilot, Frasier’s father Martin ends up moving in with him, providing much of the show’s early-season tension, which is upsetting to Frasier enough. But Frasier soon learns his greatest fear has come true: Martin also plans to bring his “friend” Eddie, who remains a mystery early on but seems no less daunting because of it — Frasier is concerned by Eddie’s constant staring. When he finally appears, Frasier’s disdain is prevalent every time he refers to the sassy little pooch and his regard for Eddie remains throughout the show’s 11 seasons, making Eddie one of the most prominent and most frequently featured dog actors of his era. 

Surprisingly enough, despite being well-trained enough to perform in front of the camera and convincingly at that, Eddie was known to be a bit of a menace on-set. While his on-screen relationship with co-star John Mahoney, who played Frasier’s father Martin, was well-documented throughout the length of the series, it came out years later that Mahoney was actually not a big fan of Eddie (whose real name was Moose), as he often bit Mahoney every time he was directed to jump on his lap. In fact, although viewers of the show never saw anything to the contrary, it took quite a bit to mimic caring between the two, let alone others on set. Whenever Eddie needed to lick someone or show affection, the crew had to put sardine oil and liver pate on them just to get him close enough to feign his interest. 

Moose played Eddie for a total of 7 seasons and eventually retired in 2000. He was succeeded by his son Enzo, one of few bred specifically as a replacement for the old dog actor. Fortunately for the crew, Enzo ended up with very similar markings, especially compared to his siblings who never quite filled out the same in terms of color and size.