What Dog Breed Is Snoopy And Five Fun Facts

If you’re a Peanuts/Charlie Brown fan like I am, then your favorite character just might be Snoopy. One of the most charismatic and funny animated dogs to ever appear in popular culture, Snoopy has been around for decades providing countless laughs and entertainment.

Snoopy is a beagle. Plain and simple, this dog was born a beagle and will stay a beagle forever. This is true even if he doesn’t quite look like one.

Snoopy even looks like a beagle, though his coloring is that of a black and white beagle rather than a tri-colored one. Still, he has those floppy ears that come down from his head plus a big dark spot that shows in the middle of his back. His face looks happy, but more from underneath it than anything else. Turns out that’s because Charles Schulz decided to draw Snoopy as a child would see him, from underneath, rather than drawing him to look good from above. This means that Snoopy’s face has a big smile on it and we see him as a child might, rather than looking down on him as an adult.

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Five Fun Facts About Snoopy

Snoopy Is Incredibly Loyal To Charlie Brown Despite Not Always Liking Him

He also loves Charlie Brown, though Charlie wasn’t his first owner. He originally belonged to a character called Lila but within a few years he had transferred his loyalty to Charlie Brown, and that’s where he ended up staying. This despite the fact that he can never remember Charlie Brown’s name and calls him that “round-headed kid” instead of referring to him by name. He does other things to Charlie Brown as well, but throughout it all, he is most definitely loyal to Charlie Brown and helps him through various trials.

One of the trials that Snoopy helps Charlie Brown through occurs when Peppermint Patty insults Charlie Brown during a baseball game. Not only does Charlie Brown walk out, but Snoopy walks out as well. He’s definitely on Charlie Brown’s side. He does the same thing in a set of comics where a bully steals Charlie Brown’s ball and tells Charlie Brown he has to fight him for it. He supports Charlie Brown throughout the comics, television, and movies, always showing Charlie Brown the same unwavering support no matter who is picking on him. It’s a wonderful combination of loving and caring.

Snoopy Was One Of Charles Schultz’s First Peanuts Characters

Two days after the author Charles Schultz first published the comic “Peanuts” in newspapers in 1950, the character of Snoopy made his first appearance. The dog was modeled off of one of Schultz’s childhood dogs named Spike who was also black and white.

Snoopy Has Actually Gone To Space

After the 1967 Apollo 1 disaster that saw the death of three astronauts during a routine test on the ground, NASA reached out to Charles Schulz for help. They wanted to use Snoopy as their safety mascot as a way to bolster the mood of NASA workers after this terrible tragedy.

Schulz himself helped design a pin to give to the aerospace workers for outstanding contributions that helped make the space program safer. They called it the “Silver Snoopy Award.”

NASA then named the lunar module (the part of the ship that touched down on the moon) for Apollo 10 “Snoopy.” Although Snoopy didn’t actually take any astronauts down to the moon (this was the dress rehearsal for the first lunar landing with Apollo 11), it was still an honor to be on the important spacecraft.

Snoopy Has 7 Brothers and Sisters

In the comics, Snoopy had a very full and diverse life. One of the most interesting pieces of information that was eventually revealed was that he was one of 8 puppies. His brothers and sisters’ names are:

Andy
Belle

Marbles
Molly
Olaf

Rover
Spike

Despite the potential rich entertainment mine that Snoopy’s dog family could be, Charles Schulz eventually felt that bringing along other dogs into the comics took away the focus on Snoopy. Therefore they were rarely seen except for Spike.

Snoopy Has A Star On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame

The popularity of Snoopy is readily evident by the fact that Snoopy was the first Peanuts character to receive his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2016.

Why Is Snoopy So Beloved?

There are many endearing qualities to Snoopy, but take it from the author himself:

“He can win or lose, be a disaster, a hero or anything and yet it all works out. I like the fact that when he’s in real trouble, he can retreat into a fantasy and thereby escape.

“He can win or lose, be a disaster, a hero or anything and yet it all works out. I like the fact that when he’s in real trouble, he can retreat into a fantasy and thereby escape.”
Charles Schulz, 1980

In The End

No matter whether we decide to see Snoopy as a child or as an adult, we will always see him from the center of the action, as we were intended to. He is one of Charles Schulz’s most favorite characters and remains a popular figure even today. There is no doubt that Snoopy the beagle was intended to capture our attention and fill an empty place in our hearts. We will always love him.