Life with the dogs

Eisenmann’s work with dogs became a mix of screen performance, public demonstration, writing and a succession of working teams.

Public work

The 1958 feature The Littlest Hobo gave Eisenmann and London a formal screen credit. A later project, My Dog Buddy, credited Eisenmann as a patrol officer. Live appearances and television work brought several dogs before audiences, not London alone.

Teams, not one unbroken dog story

Contemporary reporting names dogs including Thorn, Toro, Little London and London Jr. as part of the early working group. Later teams used some of the same names again. A familiar name or a similar-looking dog is not enough to establish identity across eras.

Books and public ideas

Eisenmann’s books set out his distinctive ideas about dogs, education and performance. They tell us a great deal about what he believed and remembered, while leaving some details of the dogs’ lives and abilities open.