Favorite furry celebrities

Uggie (born in 2002) is a Jack Russell Terrier actor famous for his roles in 'Mr. Fix It', 'Water for Elephants', and most recently 'The Artist.' He was adopted and saved from being sent to a dog pound by animal trainer Omar Von Muller. He started his career with a touring dog talent show, and in commercials before moving into movies. The campaign "Consider Uggie" was launched in December 2011 on Facebook by S.T. VanAirsdale, an editor at Movieline, for Uggie to receive a real or an honorary Oscar nomination. BAFTA have already annouced that he would be ineligible for one of their awards, while he received a special mention at the Prix Lumière Awards in France. He won the Palm Dog Award at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.

A friendship begins between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him. When they are forcefully parted, the horse moves through the First World War, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets -- British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter.

Winter was found off the coast of Florida after she had lost her tail in a crab trap at age 3 months. She was fitted with a silicone and plastic tail which enables her to swim normally. She has since become a popular attraction at the aquarium. Winter plays herself in "Dolphin Tale," a family-friendly 3-D movie starring Harry Connick Jr., Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Kris Kristofferson.

In the 2007 blockbuster "I Am Legend," a German shepherd named Sam is the faithful companion of Robert Neville (Will Smith), who thinks he may be the only human on Earth not infected with a vicious man-made virus. The dog is played by 3-year-old Abbey, who was discovered in a California kennel. After just three weeks of training Abbey was ready to meet Smith, who promptly fell in love with her. The only time the crew had to use a backup dog was for scenes when Sam and Neville play fetch, which Abbey refused to do.

Seabiscuit (May 23, 1933—May 17, 1947) was a champion thoroughbred racehorse. From an inauspicious start, Seabiscuit became an unlikely champion and a symbol of hope to many Americans during the Great Depression.On June 23, 2007, a statue of Seabiscuit was unveiled at Seabiscuit's home and final resting place, Ridgewood Ranch.

Albert the pig and Eshaya Draper both star in the 2008 comedy "College Road Trip," which opens March 7. Albert, who is portrayed by several different pigs, is Trey Porter's (Draper) pet and knows how to do sommersaults and play chess.

A Cavalier King Charles Spaniel plays Elizabeth Taylor, Charlotte York Goldenblatt's (Kristin Davis) little showdog on the HBO series "Sex and the City." Charlotte receives the dog from a breeder after she becomes depressed about being unable to bear children.

Bruiser, played by a chihuahua named Moonie, is the faithful and stylishly dressed companion of Reese Witherspoon's Elle Woods in 2001's "Legally Blonde" and its sequel "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde."

Mr. Jinx starred as the family cat of Greg Focker's (Ben Stiller) fiancee, the Byrnes. Mr. Jinx was played by three different Himalayan cats, one of which was named Mishka.

In 1997, Taco Bell began to use an advertisement featuring a chihuahua professing his love for tacos and often used the catchphrase "Yo quiero Taco Bell," which means "I love/want Taco Bell." A little chihuahua named Gidget played the part. Dinky and Taco (a male chihuahua) were her backups. The campaign became a bit of a pop culture hit and Gidget got her own action figures. In 2000, the fast food chain pulled the popular campaign. Later, Gidget appeared in a 2002 GEICO commercial, and in 2003 played Bruiser's mom in "Legally Blonde 2." Gidget died on July 21, 2009 after suffering a stroke.

Hedwig is Harry Potter's pet snowy owl in the book and film series about the popular boy wizard. The character Hedwig is female, but seven male owls (named Gizmo, Kasper, Oops, Swoops, Oh Oh, Elmo and Bandit) play the part in the first film.

Perhaps the most unconventional of TV pets, Marcel was a big hit as Ross Geller's (played by David Schwimmer) little troublemaking buddy on the hit "Friends." Marcel was played by two female white-throated capuchin monkeys named Katie and Monkey.

Murray the dog stars alongside Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt on the hit sitcom "Mad About You." Murray was played by a border collie mix named Maui, who is the offspring of two rescue dogs that are also animal stars. According to the "Mad About You" Web site, Maui was born in 1988 and later lived at Boone's Animals For Hollywood in California, where he has his own room in a Spanish-style house.

The 1995 film "Babe," based on the book "Babe: The Gallent Pig" by Dick King-Smith, tells the tale of a pig who wants to be a sheepdog. The role of Babe was portrayed by both animatronic puppets as well as live animals. It is reported that 48 piglets played the role of Babe.

Melissa Joan Hart, star of "Sabrina, The Teenage Witch," poses with the cat Salem Saberhagen, whose character is supposed to be a warlock trapped in feline form as punishment for attempting to take over the world. Four cats were used for non-dialogue scenes, but an animatronic puppet was often used to portray Salem, reportedly due to the show creators' concern for the treatment of animals.

Eddie the dog is pictured here with fellow "Frasier" stars Kelsey Grammer, left, and John Mahoney. The little Jack Russell terrier who played Frasier's dad's best friend was named Moose. He also starred opposite Frankie Muniz and Kevin Bacon in "My Dog Skip" in 2000. Moose retired at age 10 after nine seasons on the hit sitcom, and was replaced by a lookalike named Enzo. Moose was 16 1/2 years old when he passed away in June 2006.

In 1968, a streetwise orange tabby from a Hinsdale, Ill., shelter was waiting for a loving home after being abandoned by his owner. When the shelter staff realized the feline had star potential, they contacted a professional animal handler who adopted him on the spot. 9Lives Cat Food signed the cat to star in its TV commercials a year later, and Morris became a star, gracing magazine covers and appearing on national talk shows. He even starred opposite Burt Reynolds in 1973's "Shamus." Morris passed away in 1978, but two other cats have since played the finicky feline.

Keiko the orca whale starred in the 1993 film "Free Willy" with Jason James Richter, who plays the streetwise boy Jesse. After the movie's release, animal welfare activists protested Keiko's living conditions and worked to find him a new home. The orca was eventually released into a bigger pool in Oregon, but the warmer waters caused skin lesions. He was eventually released, but died at age 27 of pneumonia near Norway on Dec. 13, 2003.

A St. Bernarnd named Kris played the title role in the 1992 film "Beethoven," which is about a dog who is the center of attention in a loving family, but whose vet wants him dead. Here, he poses with co-stars Christopher Castile, Sarah Rose Karr and Nicholle Tom in the back row, and Bonnie Hunt and Charles Grodin in the front.

Sandy the dog poses with Aileen Quinn, who played Annie in the 1982 film "Annie." Sandy reportedly died in 1990 at the age of 16.

An orangutan named Manis played Clyde in the 1978 film that starred Clint Eastwood as Philo Beddoe. In the comedy, Clyde tags along as Philo searches for his lost love. According to Mother Jones magazine, Manis died a few months after the filming. A federal hearing was held against the company that trained Manis after an assistant claimed that a trainer beat the orangutan with a cane and axe handle. Because abusing primates was not illegal at the time, the company was fined only for other abuses.

The famous mixed-breed pooch first rose to fame in the 1974 film "Benji," which grossed $45 million. The first dog to portray the beloved canine was a cocker spaniel, miniature poodle and schnauzer mix named Higgins who was rescued from an animal shelter in California. Higgins was 15 when he first started playing Benji, and did all of his own stunts. Higgins retired at age 17 and was replaced by his daughter Benjean, who starred in three "Benji" films and several TV specials. The most recent Benji (who starred in the 2004 film "Benji: Off the Leash!") is portrayed by Moochie. She was a stray found wandering the streets in the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

"Flipper" was a popular TV show in the mid-'60s that starred a bottlenose dolphin named Flipper and Luke Halpin (pictured), who played Sandy Ricks. Flipper helped the Ricks family with the marine preserve where dad Porter Ricks was chief warden. Five female dolphins portrayed Flipper.

"Mr. Ed" was a popular sitcom in the 1960s that starred a talking horse, and his owner Wilbur Post. Mr. Ed was portrayed by a palomino American Saddlebred named Bamboo Harvester, and was voiced by Allan Lane. At the age of 19, the horse suffered from various ailments and a broken leg, and was quietly euthanized in 1970. Here, Bamboo Harvester is shown with Alan Young, who played Post on the TV program.

The original Rin Tin Tin was a tiny German shepherd puppy rescued by Cpl. Lee Duncan in France at the end of World War I. A film producer saw the dog performing tricks at a dog show and paid Duncan to film him. In 1922, he was cast as a wolf in "The Man from Hell's River," and his career took off. He starred in more than 20 films and did sound effects for radio programs until his death in 1932. Rin Tin Tin's offspring, Junior, replaced him. The beloved dog also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The famous female collie Lassie started as a main character in a 1938 Saturday Evening Post story by Eric Knight, who later wrote "Lassie Come Home." The book was so popular that MGM released the film in 1943. The original Lassie was played by a male pooch named Pal, who was bred with various female dogs to continue the classic Lassie look. Lassie's significance goes beyond being a popular character. She was the first dog to be portrayed as a member of the family rather than primarily as a working animal. In 1960, Lassie received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Toto was Dorothy's four-legged pal in the 1939 movie "The Wizard of Oz," starring Judy Garland. Toto was played by a female black Cairn Terrier whose real name was Terry. She was paid $125 a week for her role, more than what many of the human actors received. (The Munchkins were reportedly paid just $50 a week.) Terry starred in 13 films, including "Bright Eyes" with Shirley Temple. She died at the age of 10.

Petey the dog was a famous character from "The Little Rascals." The original Petey was named Pal, but his offspring, Lucenay's Peter, played the popular canine character at the height of its popularity.