Zeus & Apollo |
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| "The Lads" |
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| Zeus & Apollo |
Zeus and Apollo are Higgins' beloved, highly trained, and exceptionally loyal,
Doberman Pincher guard dogs. They provide an additional layer of security for
Robin's Nest. Higgins often refers to them as simply "The Lads". When confronted with the verbal command of
"Zeus, Apollo, Patrol!" they will roam the grounds of the estate looking for intruders, or unwelcome guests. According to Higgins, they are also trained to respond to some "34 distinct unvoiced commands". In the early seasons of the show, Magnum was often chased by "The Lads", but later not so much. In fact, they even became close "pals".
During the course of the series, Zeus and Apollo have proved their toughness many times. In the "
Pilot Movie", while chasing after Magnum in the Ferrari, Zeus (or was it Apollo?) had the main gate close on his neck! No big deal, he simply shook it off and went back on patrol! They were drugged by a senior citizen Nazi sympathizer in Season One's "
Never Again...Never Again". They've been sedated by tranquillizer guns on several occasions (see Season Two's "
Ghost Writer"). Apollo was tragically shot in Season Six's "
All Thieves on Deck" and almost died. Close to death, he had to have surgery and eventually made a full recovery. On several occasions they have thwarted estate intrusions from a variety of nefarious henchmen. In short, they are loyal and tough as nails!
"The Lads" enjoy all of the luxuries of the estate and are accustomed to dining on fine cuisine that is lovingly prepared by their master Jonathan Quayle Higgins (and sometimes begrudgingly by Thomas Magnum). They are usually served prime cuts of lightly sauteed steaks, or braised sirloin tips! Yes, life is good for Zeus and Apollo!
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| Dinner Time! |
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| Wall Hurdle! |
According to Larry Manetti's book
Aloha Magnum, Zeus and Apollo were played by several different Doberman Pinchers throughout the show's run. In the first half of Season One, three local Doberman Pinchers were used, two female dogs named "Cola" and "Nohea", and one male named "Joe". When their trainer,
Karl Lewis Miller, left the show mid-season, professional Hollywood animal trainer
Scott E. Hart was brought in as the official animal supervisor for the show. At the beginning of Season Two, the producers had Scott Hart bring his own dogs from the mainland, and they were two males and one female. The two males were "Whiskey" and "Brutus" and the female was "Dominique". At the beginning of Season Four, Scott was told that the dogs were being written out of the script in order to save costs. However, the "Lads" were saved by Tom Selleck and John Hillerman who didn't want the show to go on without them!
Special thanks to IslandHopper for providing additional info.
