McGruff poses at a holiday party

McGruff the Crime Dog still exists and fights crime with the help of the National Crime Prevention Council. Check out the awesome McGruff timeline. Crime Dog McGruff debuted in 1980 and was named following a contest. From Wikipedia:

The most common entry was “Sherlock Bones”. Other entries included “J. Edgar Dog”, “Sarg-dog”, and “Keystone Kop Dog”. The winner, McGruff the Crime Dog, was submitted by a New Orleans police officer.

Keystone Kop Dog reminds me too much of beer and Sherlock Bones sounds like a porn name.

I haven’t seen McGruff PSAs in years, but man were they catchy. Bullying, drugs, and dropping out of school all seemed cool until Scruff came along.

Help me take a bite out of crime.

McGruff the Crime Dog PSA: Scruff’s Comic Book (1994)