This is only a guess, but maybe a brindle bulldog doesn't train well for camera. Plus they've got two young children on set. How well does a bulldog do with strange children? Sorry, I really don't know the breed. It just seems that these adaptations always seem to choose one of those super-obedient, super-friendly dogs. I imagine there's a reason.
It does seem however, that Little House adaptations want to reflect who we are now (or whatever time period they're filmed in). The Michael Landon series basically reflected a 70's and 80's sensibility. The show covered themes such as obesity, drug addiction, racial prejudice, women's rights, etc. in ways that the 70's and 80's saw these issues instead of how the 1880's and 90's saw them. People spoke in very contemporary ways, had a modern sense of humor, and basically acted like people on Diff'rent Strokes and Eight is Enough except that they wore semi-period clothing and didn't have electrical appliances. The Beyond the Prairie special also seemed to amp up the romance in the courtship between Laura and Almanzo, the factor that is least emphasized in the books. And this series is no exception. The children seemed to be pulled off a soccer field in suburban America. Caroline is pretty and girlish. Charles has none of the character that Laura gives him in the books. He's the pioneer everyman. Laura's picture of her parents shows them as a contrast in temperment. She is plain, serious, pragmatic, educated and deeply religious. He's handsome, lively, curious, and self-taught. Maybe none of the adaptations would do well if they stayed true to the flavor of the book series. Would people turn off the tube as soon as they heard a "Jumping Jehosophat" or "By Jinks"? Maybe they would. I know someone who left a movie theater when Amy March proclaims, "Butter is such divinity!" in the film version of Little Women. So I don't hold out much hope for a really faithful adaptation to come out anytime soon.
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MunchknLLL
19 years ago
Kids on the set should not be a reason to use another breed of dog. Bulldogs had the viciousness bred out of them back in the 1800s after bullbaiting and other forms of dogfighting were banned in England in 1835. Bulldogs today are quite docile. Lots of people still think that bulldogs are mean, though. OK, Uga did bite that Auburn player a few years back, but that was an exception. The vast majority of bulldogs are downright sweet! and that includes Uga most of the time.
I don't know how trainable bulldogs are. I don't think they're stupid, but they may tend to be a tad stubborn. Today's bulldogs aren't quite as agile as they were in the 1800s. They have somewhat shorter legs and blockier bodies.
Brindle, btw, is just a coat color of bulldogs. Brindles have hairs that are ticked or striped with red or brown and black. I'm not sure, but I think Handsome Dan, Yale's mascot, might be a brindle-and-white bulldog.
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sayhellokitty
19 years ago
Fair enough. Next theory: bulldogs don't look good on camera? Not cute or friendly or sweet-looking enough. The dog has to have a personality. It's nearly a character.
Real-live case. Bill Clinton got Buddy the chocolate lab around a time when the Clinton image was stressing loyalty and friendless and broad appeal. Labs also photograph very well. But they didn't get a yellow lab because they photograph too well, potentially upstaging the president. Not kidding.
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