Moose | |
Species: | Canis familiaris |
Breed: | Jack Russell Terrier |
Gender: | Male |
Birth Date: | 24 December 1990 |
Birth Place: | Florida, United States |
Death Place: | West Los Angeles, California, United States |
Nationality: | American |
Occupation: | Actor |
Role: | Eddie Crane in Frasier Old Skip in My Dog Skip |
Years Active: | 1993–2000 |
Owner: | Mathilde de Cagny[1] |
Children: | Enzo Moosie Miko |
Weight: | 15 pounds |
Moose (December 24, 1990 – June 22, 2006) was a wire-hair Jack Russell Terrier who portrayed Eddie Crane on the American television Cheers spinoff sitcom Frasier.[2]
Moose was whelped 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:
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.[3]
Moose had 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 actor David Hyde Pierce who portrays Niles Crane in Frasier.
Moose spent the last six and a half years of his life in retirement in West Los Angeles with son Enzo, their trainer Mathilde de Cagny, her husband Michael Halberg, and Jill, the dog from As Good as It Gets. He died of natural causes at home at the age of 15 (incorrectly stated as 16) on June 22, 2006.