Before 'Wilfred': 'A Dog's Life'

Comedy-baseball rennaissance man Ken Levine passes along this failed TV pilot from 1979, "A Dog's Life," starring Barney Martin (aka "No. 1 Dad" from "Seinfeld") and Charles Martin Smith.

Sure, it didn't make it to series, but its very existence — even coming from Norman Lear's shingle — shows how much TV times have changed, especially in the talking-dog genre. (Then again, based on a couple of fall pilots for this year, perhaps I should rethink that ...)