Shep, or The Thanhouser Dog or Shep the Dog (died November 1914), was a male

collie Collies form a distinctive type of herding dogs, including many related landraces and standardized breeds. The type originated in Scotland and Northern England. Collies are medium-sized, fairly lightly-built dogs, with pointed snouts. Many ...

dog who starred in a number of silent films made by the

Thanhouser Company The Thanhouser Company (later the Thanhouser Film Corporation) was one of the first motion picture studios, founded in 1909 by Edwin Thanhouser, his wife Gertrude and his brother-in-law Lloyd Lonergan. It operated in New York City until 1920, ...

Life

Shep was a collie owned by Jack Harvey, a film director. When Harvey was working for

Vitagraph Studios Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio. It was founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907, ...

, Shep appeared in a number of films, but was not given much publicity. In September 1914 ''

Motion Picture Magazine ''Motion Picture'' was an American monthly fan magazine about film, published from 1911 to 1977.Fuller, Kathryn H. “Motion Picture Story Magazine and the Gendered Construction of the Movie Fan.” ''At the Picture Show: Small-Town Audiences a ...

'' said that Shep was owned by

Arthur Ashley Arthur Ashley (October 6, 1886 – December 28, 1970) was an actor, writer, and director of silent films and also acted in legitimate theater. He was involved with World Pictures. He directed and acted in several film productions. Later in his ...

while he was with Vitagraph. In ''

A Dog's Love ''A Dog's Love'' is a 1914 American short silent fantasy drama film with subtitles, directed by Jack Harvey on his directorial debut. It stars Shep the Dog, Helen Badgley, and Arthur Bauer. The film is about a dog who loses his best friend, ...

'', an 11 minute short released in October 1914, Shep plays a dog who grieves after his human playmate (

Helen Badgley Helen Badgley (December 1, 1908 – October 25, 1977) was an American child actor, child actress of the silent films, silent film era. Biography Badgley was born in Saratoga Springs, New York. At three years of age she appeared in her first fi ...

) has died. Other successful films in which Shep appeared were ''

Shep's Race with Death ''Shep's Race with Death'' is a 1914 American short silent drama film, directed by Jack Harvey for the Thanhouser Company. It stars Shep the Dog, Mrs. Whitcove, and J.S. Murray. The film about a "collie dog howins a race with death, saves ...

'' and ''A Dog's Good Deed''. The Barrier of Flames 1914

In November 1914 ''Reel Life'' said, "In '' The Barrier of Flames'', a forthcoming Thanhouser release, Shep, the beautiful collie, who daily reports for work at the New Rochelle studio, performed another daring rescue, distinguishing himself by a feat of human heroism and sagacity by climbing a ladder and rescuing

from the top story of a burning house." The same month, ''The Moving Picture World'' wrote "Shep, Thanhouser's collie, has recently been acclaimed by critics as a great dog actor. His work in motion pictures is a study in itself. The dog rehearses his parts and goes through them just like a regular actor and never grumbles or tries to sass back." In a feature on Shep, ''The Chicago News'' of 23 December 1914 said: Shep died after a short illness in November 1914. The ''New York Star'' reported the death, and said, "There was much sorrow expressed last week at the death of Shep, the Thanhouser dog, who had created a unique part for himself in moving picture work. For Shep was a dramatic actor and could register sorrow or joy with the ease of a great artist. He was known to thousands for his work upon the screen, and though he had many imitators few were even in his class."

Filmography

* 1913 ''With the Assistance of 'Shep (short) * 1913 ''Shep, the Hero'' (short) as Shep * 1913 ''Faithful Shep'' (short) as Shep * 1913 ''Their Mutual Friend'' (short) as Dick * 1913 ''Heartbroken Shep'' (short) as Shep * 1914 ''Good Pals'' (short) as Shep * 1914 ''Love's Old Dream'' (short) * 1914 ''Sonny Jim at the North Pole'' (short) as Shep * 1914 ''The Violin of M'sieur'' (short) as Napoleon the dog * 1914 ''

The Million Dollar Mystery ''The Million Dollar Mystery'' is a 23-chapter film serial released in 1914, directed by Howell Hansel, and starring Florence La Badie and James Cruze. It is presumed lost. Plot A prologue for ''The Million Dollar Mystery'' introduced the chara ...

'' * 1914 ''The Little Captain'' (short) as Shep * 1914 ''A Dog's Good Deed'' (short) as Shep * 1914 ''

'' (short) as Shep * 1914 ''

'' (short) as Shep * 1914 '' The Barrier of Flames'' (short) as Shep * 1915 '' Shep the Sentinel'' (short) as Shep (posthumously released) File:A Dog's Love.jpg, Scene from ''A Dog's Love'' File:A Dog's Love2.jpg, Shep follows the ghost of the little girl in ''A Dog's Love'' File:Stlll from Shep'sRace with Death 1914.jpg, Still from ''Shep's Race with Death''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shep 1914 animal deaths Dog actors Individual dogs Thanhouser Company