History PetTheDog / WesternAnimation

** Bender's biggest Pet the Dog moment was most likely in "Jurassic Bark", [[spoiler:where he spends the whole episode acting like a insensitive, possessive, abusive, jealous jackass because Fry, his best friend, is spending so much time trying to figure out how to clone his old dog Seymour, his best friend before Bender. Eventually, Bender gets so fed up he takes Seymour's fossil and throws it into a lava vent. However, when this causes Fry to collapse in grief, he realizes (and ''[[PlatonicDeclarationOfLove admits]]''), that Fry loved his dog much the same way Bender loves Fry. He then dives into the boiling lava to retrieve Seymour despite Fry's protests, melting his eyes in the process.]]

--> '''Nixon:''' Now look here you drugged-up communist, I paid for this body and I'd no sooner return it than I would my little cocker-spaniel dog Checkers.\\

* In ''TheSimpsons'', Mr. Burns has one when he decides to take care of The Simpsons' puppies. Admittedly, he was first planning to make them into a coat, but he did decide to spare them later on.

** The occasions when [[GrumpyBear Squidward]] is nice to [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick. A notable example can be found in the episode "Pizza Delivery", when Squidward responds to a customer making Spongebob cry by throwing the pizza in the customer's face. An aggressive way to pet the dog, but it looks like [[AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther he really does care about Spongebob]].

** Vicky's pets, particularly her dog Doidle, are the only beings she treats with any respect. But a more amazing example about Vicky comes in the storybook ''In a Tizzy over Turkey!'': Her parents and Tootie (who she treats no different than the kids she babysits) go out to get some cranberry sauce, but their car breaks down, and Vicky is actually sad that they're gonna miss their Thanksgiving dinner! Yep, even Timmy feels sorry for her when he hears that...

-->''Zim:'' It's over, Tak! The Earth is mine to devastate! ''(hurriedly)'' ''And I already promised the moon to Gir.''

-->'''Zim: It's over, Tak! The Earth is mine to devastate! ''(hurriedly)'' ''And I already promised the moon to Gir.''

'''Zim:''' ''(expression softens)'' Guh... I can see you understand your mistake, Gir, and me being angry will get us nowhere.
** In "Tak, The Hideous New Girl," Zim reveals that he promised the moon to Gir after Zim conquered Earth.

* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' has a few Pet the Dog moments with his minion-disguised-as-a-dog.

'''Zim:''' Guh... I can see you understand your mistake, Gir, and me being angry will get us nowhere.
** Zim also promised the moon to GIR once he takes over Earth and genuinely worries about him during a zombie (candy-starved children) attack.
--->'''Zim:''' Maybe that little robot isn't such a bad evil minion after all.

** Bender's biggest Pet the Dog moment was most likely in "Jurassic Bark", [[spoiler:where he spends the whole episode acting like a insensitive, possessive, abusive, jealous jackass because Fry, his best friend, is spending so much time trying to figure out how to clone his old dog Seymour, his best friend before Bender. Eventually, Bender gets so fed up he takes Seymour's fossil and throws it into a lava vent. However, when this causes Fry to collapse in grief, he realizes (and ''admits''), that Fry loved his dog much the same way Bender loves Fry. He then dives into the boiling lava to retrieve Seymour despite Fry's protests, melting his eyes in the process.]]

* While ''ReBoot'''s Megabyte may be an EvilOverlord, he has one moment of this early in the series. After crashing Enzo's birthday party and [[ThePowerOfRock rocking out]] [[GoKartingWithBowser with Bob onstage]], he declares "[[AlwaysWantedToSayThat I've always wanted to do that]]" and gives Enzo his guitar as a birthday present. [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse Sadly the guitar never appeared again.]] He gets ''another'' one with Enzo later when, despite being such a cruel bastard as to kill Frisket and [[KickTheDog proudly refuse to let Enzo say good-bye]], he ''still'' instructs his henchmen to take Enzo away first:

* Played with by the Joker on ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' and his relationship with Harly Quinn. Almost any time he shows real affection towards her, you can tell that he is just using her as another part of his mind games. She would catch on that he doesn't really love her, and all it took was a token gesture of affection and she would melt in his arms again.

*** Virtually any time Bender realizes he seriously hurt [[MoralityPet Fry's]] feelings leads to him showing unusual kindness.

*** Virtually any time Bender realizes he seriously hurt Fry's feelings leads to him showing unusual kindness.

* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' Grouchy con man Stan Pines would do ''anything'' for his 12-year-old niece and nephew, and Mabel in particular has him wrapped around her little finger. Before they showed up, there was his handyman, Soos, [[spoiler:hired when he was only a child himself. Stan plays a ParentalSubstitute role in his life and even [[NoodleIncident got himself banned from airplanes in a misguided attempt to help him]].]]

* ''WesternAnimation/HorridHenry''. Henry is an UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist who is frequently an asshole to his little brother Perfect Peter as well as his classmate Moody Margaret and cousin Stuck-Up Steve. (...then again, Margaret and Steve ''deserve'' it.) However, he does show BigBrotherInstinct towards Peter a few times, and during the sleepover episode, decides to have fun ''with'' Peter and his friends, instead of at their expense.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' there are very few moments where Sentinel Prime acts less of a {{Jerkass}}, notably in "Return of the Headmaster" where he shakes Optimus' hand after helping him [[GrandTheftMe regain his stolen body,]] and "Predacons Rising" where he took some responsibility for what happened to Elita-1 (It was his idea to go to the planet where that event happened in the first place). But his biggest Pet the Dog moment to date was at the end of "Decepticon Air" where he offered Optimus a spot in the Elite Guard, showing that the two Primes have buried the hatchet.

* Cotton from ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' hates most things and most people for [[ComedicSociopathy no reason.]] But most scenes featuring him and Bobby have him showing his own brand of love.

* Heloise on ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'' has had few. A lot have to do with her MoralityPet Jimmy. She had a literal example with [[CallASmeerpARabbit Cerbee]], and again with a poodle rat in another episode.

** Another ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode offers a subversion when greedy tobacco company executives discuss making a line of toys to get kids interested in smoking cigarettes, complete with an EvilLaugh. Until the head pulls up a puppy and starts to pet it and talk to it in baby voice. He then hands the dog to another executive, pulls out a [[ShootTheDog rifle]] and says [[KickTheDog "Pull..."]]

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'': The temporarily reformed Mr. Freeze saves a cat from falling in the track of a speeding subway and gives it back to a grateful little girl and her family. Mr. Freeze was about as anti as an AntiVillain could get already. He makes his first appearance in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' expressing a desire to help people out. He even starts a charity to right the wrongs he committed, naming it after his beloved, dead wife.

** Even Peter's Stepfather, Francis, had somewhat of a Pet the Dog moment with him when they reconciled after Peter questioned Francis' view of him.