Anne and Clive Lunt own the Great Danes who have all played Schmeichel and they told the Manchester Evening News: "We have always shown dogs. I got my first Great Dane about 43 years ago and I’ve probably had about 15 to 20 over the years. The agent for Granada was a friend of mine and he asked me if he could use one of my dogs. When we first went in they said it would only be for three weeks but then we had storyline after storyline, it just took off. Because Chesney was a small child who had had no love in his life and he loved this animal, I think everybody took them to their hearts."
The dog first appeared on the cobbles in 2003 as the best pal of Chesney, played by actor Sam Aston. Since then he has been played by four different dogs, all owned by Anne and Clive who have been breeding and showing dogs, including Great Danes, for more than 40 years. At their busiest, the couple owned 12 of the pets but now have just two along with Schmeichel’s canine co-stars Ozzy and Eccles.
Thanks to Schmeichel’s success, the couple now run their own business – Animal Capers – supplying TV shows with pets of all shapes and sizes from horses to goldfish.
When the first Schmeichel had to retire due to ill health, Magnam – another of Anne’s prize pets – took his place, followed by Spike. The three dogs have all now died but the character lived on when Spike’s grandson – also called Schmeichel – took over in March.
Anne, who lives in Hyde, said: "He is a natural. He is a lovely character and Sam (Aston) has built up quite a bond with him. He said it’s the finish of an era and I agree."