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Another beloved performer did not need dialogue at all. The dog seen around the Shady Rest was played by Higgins, an exceptionally successful canine actor who became famous well beyond Hooterville. Within Petticoat Junction, the animal was generally referred to simply as Dog, despite Higgins being his off-screen name. He appeared in a remarkable number of episodes and became involved in a recurring comic rivalry with Uncle Joe. Behind the scenes, the relationship was apparently much friendlier than the fictional one. Accounts of publicity photography describe Higgins sitting comfortably with Edgar Buchanan even though their characters were frequently at odds. The contrast made their on-screen feud even more amusing for those who knew what happened when the cameras were not filming a scene.
Higgins later achieved another level of fame through Benji, the hugely successful 1974 family film. That connection means a viewer discovering Higgins through Benji can look backward and find the same canine performer roaming around the Shady Rest years earlier. Benji was Higgins’ final acting role, and it was also Edgar Buchanan’s final feature-film appearance. It is a remarkable intersection between two pieces of family-entertainment history. Long before animal performers became surrounded by elaborate marketing campaigns, Higgins had already built an extraordinary screen résumé. His presence demonstrates how even a seemingly minor element of Petticoat Junction could develop a history extending far beyond the series itself.
The program also produced a genuine romance involving two members of its cast. Betty Jo Bradley eventually fell in love with Steve Elliott, played by Mike Minor, and their relationship became increasingly important as Betty Jo matured. Linda Kaye Henning and Minor also became romantically involved away from the cameras and married in real life. Their relationship gave viewers the unusual experience of watching performers portray a developing television romance while a real relationship was developing outside the fictional world. Betty Jo’s growth from one of Kate’s young daughters into a married woman and mother became one of the most substantial long-term character arcs on the series. It also helped Petticoat Junction evolve beyond the original premise of three unmarried sisters living at their mother’s hotel.