DOG’S BEST FRIEND

After “Return to Mayberry,” “I Dream of Jeannie: 15 Years Later” and “Gunsmoke: Return to Dodge,” are we ready for . . . “Lassie: The Next Generation”?

Jon Provost is. The one-time Timmy, the collie’s best friend for seven years on the series, wants a comeback. And he reports, “June Lockhart and Hugh Reilly (the folks who looked after him and Lassie) are interested.”

Back in 1964, he couldn’t stand the thought of starring opposite Lassie for one more minute. “I was going through puberty and I was tired of dogs,” he recalls. “My seven-year contract was up. My parents said it was up to me to decide whether I wanted to take up the three-year option. I was 14 years old and I wanted out.”

Post-”Lassie,” Provost guested on other series and made TV movies like “The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes.” In 1969, he retired and went to college. Now 37, he sells real estate in northern California.

Provost says he was inspired to return to the entertainment business because of the fan mail generated by “Lassie’s” current run on independent and cable channels around the country. He’s talking about a “Lassie” reunion picture with Palladium Entertainment, which has the rights, and has former cast member Kelly Junge (Lassie’s next door neighbor Scott Richards for 18 months) writing a script.