TVSquad

The late Bea Arthur was, among other things, a comedic genius, feminist icon, and beloved American actress of stage and screen. But widely overlooked in the recent coverage of her passing is the fact that she was a active advocate for animal rights. She campaigned against the force-feeding of ducks in the foie gras trade, even accompanying the president of PETA to London, where she demanded that Harrod's discontinue their peddling pâté.

Welcome to TV Squad Lists, a feature where each blogger has a chance to list his or her own rundown of things in television that stand out from the rest, both good and bad.

Ever since the early days, pets have been a staple of many TV shows. Whether they are the star of the show like Cleo from The Peoples Choice or unforgettable supporting pets like Eddie from Frasier, these pets are often the best remembered part of any TV show.

Here is my own personal list of favorite pets. Before you start, I excluded Arnold Ziffel because the Ziffel family insisted he was their son not a pet. Feel free to add your own favorites.

1.Rowdy the stuffed dog (Scrubs)
I admit that having a stuffed dog for a pet is a bit unusual but when you think about it, it's a brilliant idea. He never has to be walked, fed or taken to the vet and he'll never run away. Seeing the hours of fun JD and Turk have with Rowdy makes me want to run to my nearest taxidermist and order myself a mounted hound.

(S03E03) The designers were told to design something for one of fashion's hottest accessories. I had a few guesses... The accessory would either be an iPod, a baby (well, maternity clothes), or pets. I was right with my third guess because the designers were each given a small dog to serve as a muse. Their challenge: Design an outfit for their dog, a complimentary outfit for their model, and think up a narrative explanation for their creation. The narrative part seemed kind of pointless to me, but, hey, I'm no Heidi Klum.

Oh, and I just have to say this because I'm so excited... Someone's getting kicked off for being naughty in the next episode. Scandal!

You know, I really don't like reality programming, but I'll consider a reality series that's only three-minutes long and features a house full of cats but no humans an agreeable compromise. Well, actually, it's not a "reality series" per se, it's more like a three-minute promotion for Meow Mix catfood on Animal Planet, but hey, let's not split (cat) hairs. The series, called Meow Mix House, debuts on June 16 during the 9 p.m. EST hour and will focus on a house filled with cats from animal shelters in New York and Los Angeles. They'll take part in competitions, and those who are voted off will be placed in a permanent home and receive a year's supply of Meow Mix. The winner, however, wil be given an executive job at Meow Mix. So yeah, it's essentially a commercial for Meow Mix, but it also reveals the importance of pet adoption. The cats will be given personalities, as well, through voiceovers. It should be both cuddly and adorable. The series will run for ten weeks, though it may not always run in the same timeslot.

As if Ellen doesn't have enough to do with her wildly popular talk show, she is also going to find time to write a new weekly comedy for WB. Ellen is going to share the writing responsibilities with her brother, Vance, one of my all-time favorite reporters from The Daily Show. The half-hour, live-action sitcom features a family from two points of view: the humans and the pets. Ellen will voice one of the animal characters. It's a goofy idea that I might laugh off if it didn't have such strong comedic power behind it. Especially Vance. That guy is hi-larious. So far, plans for the show only have him listed as a writer but I sure would love to see him back on television. In the press release, Vance says that any creative differences will be solved by their mom.