Bogie in the Dog House

For showtimes for High Sierra, click here

Bogie was a big dog fan. He owned a variety of breeds, including Cappy, a Newfoundland, and Zero, a terrier.

Zero was extremely well-trained and actually got to star alongside his master in High Sierra as Pard. Whenever the two got to film together, Bogart couldn't help smiling.

In the film, the spunky dog was a bad luck charm for Bogie’s character and eventually led to his downfall. However, in real life, Zero was anything but. High Sierra was a critical and commerical success, and it was the big break that Bogart needed. Zero's career didn't end with the film noir though. He appeared in one other film, Law of the Timber, this time all by himself. 

Lauren Bacall was also a dog person, and when she and Bogart married, they received a boxer as a wedding present. Their pack grew to include Droopy and Puddle, cocker spaniels, and Harvey, Babe, and George, boxers.

“Harvey was really smart. He knew he wasn't allowed to get on the furniture so he would only put two paws on at a time, and he would sit between us if we had a fight,” Bacall said.

While the couple loved their canine companions, their neighbors weren’t such big fans. In fact, some of them went to the city council to complain about the barking. One even suggested cutting the dog’s vocal cords.

“What kind of monster is he?” asked Bogie. “He ought to be glad he can hear the wonderful sound of dogs barking.”

Bogie and Bacall had a special bond with Harvey, who was actually named after the invisible rabbit companion from the Broadway play, Harvey (later made into a movie with James Stewart). The boxer would often appear with them in publicity photographs, and his close link with Humphrey was especially evident at the end of his life.

“Harvey died six months after Bogie,” Bacall remembered. “I went to see him at the vet's and said goodbye. Five minutes after I got home, I was told that after I left, Harvey had eaten his dinner and died.”

Below is a picture of Zero from High Sierra.