History Main / ShootTheDog

If one Shoots the Dog too often, one runs the risk of becoming a KnightTemplar or PsychoSupporter. Alternatively, a PsychoSidekick, popular in hard-boiled crime fiction since the 1980s or so, is a character whom the author approves of whose main purpose is to Shoot the Dog whenever necessary. TheSpock is also likely to suggest Shooting the Dog and is the personification of this trope. Depending on [[StrawVulcan the]] [[StrawmanEmotional slant]] [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism of]] the series, he will also be the one to carry about the shooting, or the characters will TakeAThirdOption at the last minute. If the author doesn't want to compromise his heroes' goodness, he'll have the BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork. One common way to show the emotional pain this causes is by showing the shooter [[CradlingYourKill cradling their kill]].

* UsefulNotes/GeorgeWashington (hero number one in the U.S.A) has a Shoot the Dog episode among his many awesome moments. With the revolution in danger of falling apart due to the demoralizing effect of endless military defeats, Washington broke the traditional Christmas truce to [[http://s3.amazonaws.com/mtv-main-assets/files/resources/large_crossing-the-delaware-met-museum.jpg lead troops across the Delaware River]] and sneak attack a group of enemy mercenaries. The resulting lopsided victory had a crucial psychological effect.

If one Shoots the Dog too often, one runs the risk of becoming a KnightTemplar or PoisonousFriend. Alternatively, a PsychoSidekick, popular in hard-boiled crime fiction since the 1980s or so, is a character whom the author approves of whose main purpose is to Shoot the Dog whenever necessary. TheSpock is also likely to suggest Shooting the Dog and is the personification of this trope. Depending on [[StrawVulcan the]] [[StrawmanEmotional slant]] [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism of]] the series, he will also be the one to carry about the shooting, or the characters will TakeAThirdOption at the last minute. If the author doesn't want to compromise his heroes' goodness, he'll have the BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork. One common way to show the emotional pain this causes is by showing the shooter [[CradlingYourKill cradling their kill]].

When a character does [[DirtyBusiness an ambiguously (a)moral act]] because current circumstances make it the most pragmatic and logical thing to do. If TheHero performs the job himself, he may even go so far as to hide it from the rest of the cast (possibly with [[PoorCommunicationKills serious repercussions later]]) due to the risk of [[SlaveToPR compromising his moral standards]], or they might say WhatTheHellHero to which he might reply IDidWhatIHadToDo. Otherwise, he may delegate it to the AntiHero or TheLancer, whose reputations won't be hurt as severely for the deed. May demonstrate WhatYouAreInTheDark, and is a major reason why BeingGoodSucks.

* The above panel comes from the ''ComicBook/{{Superman}}'' storyline ''ComicBook/TheSupergirlSaga''. Superman is the last living bastion of good in an alternate universe and must pass judgement on three Kryptonian criminals [[ApocalypseWow who just went and murdered the entire Earth]]. As he would reason with the Cleric during the ''ComicBook/SupermanExile'' storyline, they threatened to escape to his Earth and destroy it as well and he felt that trying to try them on his Earth wouldn't even fly, so he is forced to play judge, jury and executioner and kill the trio with Kryptonite. Superman is so distraught by this that it's part of the reasoning for his exile from Earth.

* Creator/FredRogers - yes, the same [[Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood Mr. Rogers]] who can arguably be called the patron saint of the Internet, ended up having to perform a non-fatal version of this trope. To make a long story short, he heard that Francois Clemmons, one of his co-workers, was gay - [[ValuesDissonance in a time where homophobia was rampant]] and word getting out would have [[CreatorKiller ruined Clemmons's career]]. Despite his support of Clemmons's sexuality, Rogers advised him to remain closeted.

* In ''Webcomic/TheWotch'', [[spoiler: [[http://www.thewotch.com/?epDate=2006-10-18 Miranda]] offs Natasha Dahlet]].

This trope is named after the [[ItWasHisSled climactic scene]] of ''Literature/OldYeller'', where the protagonist shoots the "ol' yeller" dog he has come to love [[MercyKill to spare him a miserable death from rabies]].

* [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] courtesy of [[BadassIsraeli the Israeli Defense Force]] with the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVcOQUisM0w Kitty Corner Shot]].

This trope is named after the [[ItWasHisSled climactic scene]] of ''Literature/OldYeller'', where the titular dog is literally shot to [[MercyKill put an end to its misery]].

For a diametric opposition that makes you ''cheer'' for the hero's senselessness, see HonorBeforeReason. For extra anguish, it may well have been a SenselessSacrifice because the one shot [[InterruptedCooldownHug was no longer a threat]]. Expect the shooter to go for the most {{Jerkass}} solution even when FridgeLogic indicates much less morally compromising ones are possible, because MurderIsTheBestSolution.

Note that this trope is '''''not''''' KickTheDog [[Administrivia/TheSameButMore But More So]] (the closest thing to that would be MoralEventHorizon); kicking the dog is the villain being senselessly evil just to show the audience how evil he is. Shooting the Dog is an ostensibly heroic character doing [[DirtyBusiness something that is necessary but morally grey]] -- such as putting down the old family pet after it's contracted rabies. ({{Past Experience Nightmare}}s are far more likely after shooting the dog than after kicking it.) Senseless shooting of a dog would actually fall under KickTheDog or MoralEventHorizon. [[JustForFun/IThoughtItMeant And it also has nothing to do]] with the desire every 8-bit gamer ''ever'' has had to shoot the ''VideoGame/DuckHunt'' [[TheScrappy dog]].

Compare/contrast with JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope, LightIsNotGood, OmniscientMoralityLicense, WellIntentionedExtremist, KnightTemplar, TheUnfettered, RevoltingRescue, CruelToBeKind and PragmaticHero. If the act is presented as wrong it may come across as DesignatedEvil. The version where a bad guy does this for a hero is BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork.

Compare/contrast with JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope, LightIsNotGood, OmniscientMoralityLicense, WellIntentionedExtremist, KnightTemplar, TheUnfettered, RevoltingRescue, CruelToBeKind. If the act is presented as wrong it may come across as DesignatedEvil. The version where a bad guy does this for a hero is BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork.

Compare/contrast with JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope, LightIsNotGood, OmniscientMoralityLicense, WellIntentionedExtremist, KnightTemplar, TheUnfettered, CruelToBeKind. If the act is presented as wrong it may come across as DesignatedEvil. The version where a bad guy does this for a hero is BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork.

* ''FanFic/BetterAngels'' has this as Shane Walsh's modus operandi, lightly contrasting the "[[FanNickname Ricktatorship]]" that takes place in ''Series/TheWalkingDead'' show canon.

* In ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'', [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries Renee]] [[ComicBook/GothamCentral Montoya]] and ComicBook/TheQuestion are at the wedding of ComicBook/BlackAdam and Isis looking for a [[SuicideAttack suicide bomber]]. When they find the bomber they discover that it is a young girl, just a kid, but they are too far away from her to reach her before she detonates her bomb. Since an explosion in this crowded space would result in hundreds, possibly thousands of deaths Renee realizes she has no choice and shoots the bomber, killing her before she can activate the device. Charlie, and later Black Adam himself, [[YouDidEverythingYouCould assure her that she had no choice]], but Renee [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone is traumatised by the fact that she]] [[TheseHandsHaveKilled just killed a little kid]].

* In ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'', [[Characters/BatmanJasonTodd Jason Todd]] ''thought'' he was doing this for Batman and ComicBook/{{Nightwing}} back when he was more AntiHero than AntiVillain. Then he [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope went really dark]].

* In ''Franchise/GreenLantern'' ''Corps'' #66, the combined corruption of Parallax and the Black Lanterns have made it impossible to heal [[spoiler:Mogo]]. As long as [[spoiler:Mogo]] is active, he will continue to send out Parallax corrupted Green Lantern Rings across the universe, dooming countless billions to die by the hands of those who should be their champions. Faced with no alternative, John Stewart [[spoiler: channels Black Lantern energy and ''[[EarthShatteringKaboom destroys Mogo]]'']]. Stewart has become kind of a magnet for this sort of thing, as he also [[spoiler:killed a fellow Lantern who had broken under torture and was about to give up the access codes to Oa]].

* ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis'': Some Franchise/{{Justice League|OfAmerica}} members [[LaserGuidedAmnesia erased Dr. Light's memory]], and when Batman found out about it, [[spoiler:they did the same to him]].
* In ''Sacrifice'', Franchise/WonderWoman [[spoiler:snapped Maxwell Lord's neck, in order to break his mind control over Superman. The latter wasn't too happy when he found out]].

* ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} was recruited into the ''ComicBook/NewAvengers'' specifically so that they'd have someone willing to shoot the dog on the team. With ComicBook/CaptainAmerica, Franchise/SpiderMan, ComicBook/LukeCage, and ComicBook/IronMan on the team at the time, the argument was that they needed a dog-shooter for those situations when a hard moral choice might be necessary.

%%* Everything ComicBook/NickFury does in the Franchise/MarvelUniverse falls into this category.

* In the fourth issue of ''ComicBook/SupergirlCosmicAdventuresInThe8thGrade'', Streaky the Supercat appears to be de-stabilizing a reactor core to blow the school up, so Lena decides to shoot him. However ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} stops her.

* The above panel comes from the ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' storyline ''ComicBook/TheSupergirlSaga''. Superman is the last living bastion of good in an alternate universe and must pass judgement on three Kryptonian criminals [[ApocalypseWow who just went and murdered the entire Earth]]. As he would reason with the Cleric during the ''ComicBook/SupermanExile'' storyline, they threatened to escape to his Earth and destroy it as well and he felt that trying to try them on his Earth wouldn't even fly, so he is forced to play judge, jury and executioner and kill the trio with Kryptonite. Superman is so distraught by this that it's part of the reasoning for his exile from Earth.

** In "The Savage Time", in the middle of a retreat, Franchise/GreenLantern tells Hawkgirl to leave him behind so she can carry wounded soldiers out in his place. She does so without argument.

** ComicBook/TheQuestion gets in on the act in "Question Authority." He struggles for months about how to prevent the events that led, in an AlternateUniverse, to the Justice League becoming [[KnightTemplar fascist rulers]] of the world--events that centered around {{Franchise/Superman}} murdering [[Characters/SupermanLexLuthor Lex Luthor]] (then came to this universe, imprisoned the League, and impersonated them to take over that world as well). Question's solution: go kill Lex himself (using his tie). After all, Supes is the ultimate good guy, and Question's a confirmed loony conspiracy nut. (Unfortunately, the real conspiracy Question uncovered in the process of confronting Lex was a bit more than he could handle.)

* In ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'', when Robin [[spoiler:becomes Red X to uncover Slade's plans]].

* The third volume of ''ComicBook/NewAvengers'' revolves around whether or not ComicBook/TheIlluminati (a secret group of some the world's most influential heroes, including Iron Man, [[Characters/FantasticFourTheFantasticFour Mister Fantastic]], ComicBook/BlackPanther and [[ComicBook/SubMariner Namor]]) are willing to shoot the dog. Shooting the dog, in their case, means potentially destroying an entire alternate version of the planet Earth due to a phenomenon known as "incursions." During an incursion, two universes clash, with their respective Earths being the collision point. If the two Earths collide, the universes are destroyed, so the only way to save both universes is to destroy one of the Earths. [[spoiler:For the most part, the Illuminati avoid committing genocide because most of the alternate Earths end up being destroyed by people other than them, with the first case in which they had to choose the destruction of an Earth by themselves having said Earth devoid of life. When the time comes to choose to destroy an inhabited world, everyone but Namor decides it's not worth it, so he destroys the Earth himself, prompting the rest of the Illuminati to kick him out. Then, Namor assembles a group of villainous monsters to destroy the ensuing colliding Earths until the final incursion between the last two universes.]]

When a character does [[DirtyBusiness an ambiguously (a)moral act]] because current circumstances make it the most pragmatic and logical thing to do. If TheHero performs the job himself, he may even go so far as to hide it from the rest of the cast (possibly with [[PoorCommunicationKills serious repercussions later]]) due to the risk of [[SlaveToPR compromising his moral standards]], or they might say WhatTheHellHero to which he might reply IDidWhatIHadToDo. Otherwise, he may delegate it to the AntiHero or TheLancer, whose reputations won't be hurt as severely for the deed. May demonstrate WhatYouAreInTheDark.

* In the Marvel UK event ''Revolutionary War'', Mephisto has brainwashed the hero Killpower into leading a demonic invasion of Britain for him. In the final issue, his former partner Motormouth manages to re-access his heroic personality, who begs her to kill him before Mephisto reasserts his control. Motormouth refuses, as she's a hero, but Colonel Liger of the ''ComicBook/{{Warheads}}'', Major Hauer of the Supersoldiers, and Comicbook/DeathsHead I and II point out that they are most certainly ''[[AntiHero not]]'' heroes and empty copious amounts of lead into him.

[[quoteright:300:[[Franchise/{{Superman}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/superman_kills_zod_n_for_nerds_1.png]]]]

-->'''Strong Bad:''' You murderer! You shot my brother! I mean, computer!\\

* In ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'', [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries Renee]] [[ComicBook/GothamCentral Montoya]] and ComicBook/TheQuestion are at the wedding of [[Characters/ShazamBlackAdam Black Adam]] and Isis looking for a [[SuicideAttack suicide bomber]]. When they find the bomber they discover that it is a young girl, just a kid, but they are too far away from her to reach her before she detonates her bomb. Since an explosion in this crowded space would result in hundreds, possibly thousands of deaths Renee realizes she has no choice and shoots the bomber, killing her before she can activate the device. Charlie, and later Black Adam himself, [[YouDidEverythingYouCould assure her that she had no choice]], but Renee [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone is traumatised by the fact that she]] [[TheseHandsHaveKilled just killed a little kid]].

* ''ComicBook/IdentityCrisis'': Some Franchise/{{Justice League|OfAmerica}} members [[LaserGuidedAmnesia erased Dr. Light's memory]]]], and when Batman found out about it, [[spoiler:they did the same to him]].

* In TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 comic ''ComicBook/{{Bloodquest}}'', Cloten and Lysander are forced to gun down civilians while masquerading as renegade marines, or they would risk blowing their cover. They are utterly disgusted by what they have done, but given that a Chaos invasion was under way and if they just left the civilians to actual Chaos Marines to find them and [[FateWorseThanDeath the horrible things they would put them through]], it was just better to kill them [[MercyKill as mercifully as possible]].
* Comicbook/DoctorStrange will do whatever is necessary to protect the Earth and his loved ones. He'll agonize about it afterward, but he'll still do it.
* In ''Franchise/GreenLantern'' ''Corps'' #66, the combined corruption of Parallax and the Black Lanterns have made it impossible to heal [[spoiler:Mogo]]. As long as [[spoiler:Mogo]] is active, he will continue to send out Parallax corrupted Green Lantern Rings across the universe, dooming countless billions to die by the hands of those who should be their champions. Faced with no alternative, John Stewart [[spoiler: channels Black Lantern energy and ''[[EarthShatteringKaboom destroys Mogo]]'']]. Stewart has become kind of a magnet for this sort of thing lately, as he also [[spoiler:killed a fellow Lantern who had broken under torture and was about to give up the access codes to Oa]].
%%* The ending of the ''Comicbook/HackSlash'' story ''Little Children''.

* Some Franchise/{{Justice League|OfAmerica}} members actually [[spoiler:{{brainwash|ingForTheGreaterGood}}ed the dog. Twice. They [[LaserGuidedAmnesia erased Dr. Light's memory]]]], and when Batman found out about it, [[spoiler: they did the same to him]]. Also, Franchise/WonderWoman [[spoiler: snapping Maxwell Lord's neck, in order to break his mind control over Superman. The latter wasn't too happy when he found out]].

* [[spoiler:Ozymandias]]'s plan in ''Comicbook/{{Watchmen}}'' is a ''nuke'' the dog. Then later [[spoiler: he has to disintegrate his beloved pet, a genetically engineered lynx, in an attempt to destroy Dr. Manhattan]].