Gee, why not do a 70's version of Mr. Ed, but instead of a horse, get a talking dog? Make it obvious, as in close-ups, where the talking dog is a puppet, with only the mouth moving! Put a young Broadway star, never mind if he doesn't sing here and he's so uncomfortable, his acting ability questionable? Finally, put in an old reliable, Gordon Jump (pre-WKRP), and make sure he always gets his comeuppance (Jump is the bad guy here) by landing on water (sometimes with his lackey). Watched this as a kid, and despite my tolerance level, it still sucked.