Spike (dog) Spike (dog) Spike (1952-1962) was a lop-eared yellow Mastador (Mastiff/Labrador Retriever mix) and a dog actor best known for his performance as Old Yeller in the 1957 Disney film of the same name co-starring Tommy Kirk, Dorothy McGuire, Fess Parker, and Kevin Corcoran. Spike was rescued as a pup from a shelter in Van Nuys, California and became the pet and pupil of animal trainer Frank Weatherwax. Spike also appeared as Patrasche in 20th Century Fox's "A Dog of Flanders" with Donald Crisp and David Ladd in 1959 and as King in the 1956 film, "The She-Creature". In 1961, Spike
Lad, A Dog into a series of 48 page picture books with illustration by Don Bolognese. The first book, "Lad, a Dog: Lad to the Rescue", was released in August 1997 and adapts the story of Lad saving the baby from a venomous snake. The next two, "Lad, a Dog: Best Dog in the World" (December 1997) and "Lad, a Dog: Lad is Lost" (February 1998) focus on Lad's first dog show and subsequently becoming lost. The final book, "Lad, a Dog: The Bad Puppy", released in May 1998, details Lad's raising of Wolf. In the 1960s, Warner Brothers purchased the film rights