What Kind of Dog is Benji?

Benji was the name of a canine character in several very popular movies. The dogs that played Benji were so cute, and so intelligent, that it's natural for many people to want to own a dog just like him.  

So -  what kind of dog is Benji, anyway? 

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Unfortunately, answering that question is not as easy as it would seem, because the dogs who acted out the part in the movies were mutts. The first dog that played the character of Benji was named Higgins. His trainer, Frank Inn, found him at a dog pound in Burbank, California. 

What Kind of Dog is Benji?

The trainer was often asked what kind of dog it was, and his best guess was a cross between a miniature schnauzer, a miniature poodle, and a cocker spaniel. Let's call him a "cockaschnoodle," just for fun. 

Benji wasn't the only part that Higgins played. He was also a regular guest on the TV show Petticoat Junction, which was popular in the 1960s. Higgins' first appearance in the movies was in 1971 as a character in Mooch Goes to Hollywood. He was 15 years old and officially "retired" when he was drafted to play in the first Benji movie. 

Higgins' daughter then took up the role and played the part of Benji in movies from 1977 to 1989. She looked a lot like Higgins, except her fur was softer and fluffier, and she had a white patch on her muzzle. Because she began to play the role when she was only 11 months old, she was called "Benji" both in real life and in the movies. 

When the role was reprised for the movie Benji: Off the Leash! In 2004, another shelter dog was drafted for the part. A nationwide search for the perfect dog took three months, and was widely reported in an effort to encourage others to adopt shelter dogs. Finally, a cross-bred dog that looked the part (and was easy to train) was found at the Humane Society of South Mississippi in Gulfport.   

And that brings us back to our original question - what kind of dog is Benji? And the answer - all the dogs that have played Benji in the movies have been mutts. And with the exception of Higgins' daughter, they've all been adopted from an animal shelter, where many more adorable, trainable and devastatingly cute dogs are now waiting for a permanent home.

What Kind of Dog is Benji?