Robert Weatherwax, a professional dog trainer for film and television productions who took over the profession from his father Rudd, Lassie’s original owner, died Thursday at a Department of Veterans Affairs facility in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He was 83.

Weatherwax was born on June 4, 1941, in Burbank, California – exactly one year before the birth of Pal, the dog who portrayed Lassie in seven MGM films and the pilot of the television series “Lassie.” Growing up, Weatherwax and his sister JoAnne had to help their father with his professional work, including teaching their pets new routines. Their grandfather, WS Weatherwax, was an animal trainer during the silent film era.

The Weatherwax family’s furry clientele included such famous screen dogs as Skippy, aka Asta, who appeared in Golden Age comedies such as The Thin Man and The Awful Truth; Terry, who played Toto in The Wizard of Oz; and Spike, the floppy-eared dog known to audiences as Old Yeller.

As a young adult, after serving in the U.S. Army in West Germany, Weatherwax trained with his father on the series “Lassie.” The CBS show ran from 1954 to 1974 and, of course, numerous Weatherwax dogs played the eponymous role over those two decades.

After returning to Southern California, he worked with his father on various productions before starting his own company, Weatherwax Trained Dogs. Notable films in his career include Back to the Future, Nickelodeon, The Thing from Another World, and Dennis the Menace.

His book, Four Feet to Fame: A Hollywood Dog Trainer’s Journey, was published in 2017 and co-authored by Richard Lester. Weatherwax’s last collie was a descendant of a Lassie actor. He is survived by his children, Robert Ruddell Weatherwax and Mary Duxbury.