Animal Film Stars Recognized by PATSY Awards (1951-1973)

The very first recipient of a PATSY was Francis the Talking Mule in 1951, in a ceremony hosted by Ronald Reagan at Hollywood's Carthay Circle Theater. The award later covered both film and television and was separated into four categories: canine, equine, wild and special. The special category encompassed everything from goats to cats to pigs.
This is an incomplete list that covers only motion picture releases, and the list doesn't go beyond 1973, even though the PATSY's didn't disband officially until 1986. That year, the Genesis awards were established to honor individuals in the major news and entertainment media for producing outstanding works which raise public awareness of animal issues. In 2011 the American Humane Society announced the creation of the Pawscars, described as, "an unofficial, animal-centric spin on the Oscars."
In case your wondering, Lassie won many awards in the TV categories not listed here.