How the “Lassie Effect” Makes Breeds More Popular


Cesar Millan and Lassie at the taping of the 100th episode of National Geographic Channel’s “Dog Whisperer.”
Photo via time.com

You may remember that the last time a 101 Dalmations remake came out, there was a spate of articles concerned that families would run out and buy cute Dalmation puppies for their kids. This would be a problem because the breed is not known as the most family-friendly. Well, a new study published in the journal Plos One suggests that these concerns were well-founded.

According to the researchers from the University of Bristol, Western Carolina University, and the City University of New York, there is something called the “Lassie Effect,” in which the appearance of a breed in popular culture can boost its popularity for a whole decade. Incredibly, “registrations of Old English Sheepdogs went up 100-fold after Disney’s 1959 release of The Shaggy Dog.”

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One thought on “How the “Lassie Effect” Makes Breeds More Popular”

  1. Have you actually seen how Cesar treats dogs? I’m gonna have to stop following this blog. Thanks it was a good run. But I cant support Cesar. Good by.

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