© 1996 - 2013 Linda M. Young

Perhaps for you it began in a darkened movie theatre. Or maybe you were a child of the fifties sprawled on the carpet before a wooden television console. Perhaps you became acquainted later, on a color set or by syndicated rerun. Maybe, like us, you always awaited those revival series and movies with anticipation. Whenever it began, the attraction has never gone away—you still enjoy the love, loyalty and adventure with a collie named Lassie.

Lassie remains one of my earliest TV memories: one of sitting cross-legged in front of one of those big sets watching snowy reruns of Jeff's Collie on Boston's WBZ as I also watched the new Timmy episodes on Sunday nights at 7 p.m.. I remember the advent of the ranger and the all-animal episodes, being disillusioned as the stories grew steadily more "relevant"—and unfortunately more boring, of having high hopes for The New Lassie, and finding only one outstanding story—and one real "howler"—in the lot.

Despite the problems, I still stick with Lassie and have caught reruns (first in syndication on various Providence and Boston stations, then on Nickelodeon and Animal Planet, now on Discovery Kids and WHT) when I can, and watched the Animal Planet version. I have most of the DVDs.