History Webcomic / Housepets

We all love our pets, don't we? Now imagine this: your pets are sapient, anthropomorphised, and have the height of a small child. What would they be doing all day? ''[[http://www.housepetscomic.com/ Housepets]]'' portrays such a scenario. This comic by Rick Griffin portrays pets virtually as children who are almost human besides height and differences in clothing style (or lack thereof).

In May 2021, the author announced that the series would go on a [[SeriesHiatus hiatus]] while he rethought some things about it (as well as his life in general). Eventually [[https://twitter.com/RicksWriting/status/1426618452123525121 announcing on twitter]] that its current ongoing incarnation would end once the ''Heckraiser'' arc is finished in favour of individual stories/volumes, not to dissimilar to how Webcomic/AAndHClub is published. As of September 24th, 2021 the hiatus has ended.

However, life in Babylon Gardens is not exactly normal, as several members of the cast have become embroiled in a strange, cosmic level supernatural game of D&D played by three teenage demigods, the Great {{Kitsune}}, the Spirit Dragon, and [[AerithAndBob Pete the Gryphon]]. At the center of this subplot is Joel Robinson, A.K.A King, a human turned into a dog to serve as Pete's avatar in the game, which occasionally intersects with the pets' normal lives. After the game's introduction, it is often hard to tell which is the comic's central story.

The main characters are [[PunnyName Peanut Butter and Grape Jelly]], the beloved dog and cat of the Sandwich family. In a twist on the classic [[CatDogDichotomy "smart cat, dumb dog" setup]], Peanut and Grape are actually fairly similar in intellect with similar interests, and their subtle personality differences shine like a beacon. Peanut is the sensitive and slightly silly one. He's childlike and excitable and loves playing all kinds of games. Grape is the lazy and pragmatic one, though sometimes she is too sensible for her own good.

In May 2021, the author announced that the series would go on a [[SeriesHiatus hiatus]] while he rethought some things about it (as well as his life in general). Eventually [[https://twitter.com/RicksWriting/status/1426618452123525121 announcing on twitter]] that its current ongoing incarnation would end once the ''Heckraiser'' arc is finished in favour of individual stories/volumes, not to dissimilar to how Webcomic/AAndHClub is published.

We all love our pets, don't we? Now imagine this: your pets are sapient, anthropomorphised, and have the height of a small child. What would they be doing all day? ''Housepets'' portrays such a scenario. This comic by Rick Griffin portrays pets virtually as children who are almost human besides height and differences in clothing style (or lack thereof).

[[http://www.housepetscomic.com/ Check it out here.]]

The artists [[http://rickgriffinstudios.com/ other website]] also hosts further art and another comic ''Webcomic/AAndHClub''.

We all love our pets, don't we? Now imagine this: your pets are sapient, anthropomorphised, and have the height of a small child. What would they be doing all day? ''Housepets'' portrays such a scenario. This comic by Rick Griffin portrays pets virtually as children who are almost human besides height and differences in clothing style.

[[WordOfGod According to the author]], the comic was initially inspired by childhood drawings made by Griffin of a dog named "Bino". Bino appears as a character in the comic, as the leader of Babylon Garden's "Good Ol' Dogs Club." Portrayed as an antagonist more often than not, he is the middle brother caught between his popular older brother, police dog Officer Fido, and his quirky younger brother, Joey.

Initially, the story centered around the pets of Babylon Gardens and the [[HilarityEnsues wacky hijinks]] they found themselves in, but about a year into its run, Griffin started to include more mature themes. While never falling prey to CerebusSyndrome, much of the comic has dealt with the implications of a world where animals and humans are similarly intelligent, including but not limited to: [[PetHeir naming pets as heirs]], wild animals deciding to live a civilized life, InterspeciesRomance, an African micronation which humans never colonized and is run entirely by animals, and novels marketed towards animals and the associated subcultures that they give rise to.

However, life in Babylon Gardens is not exactly normal, as several members of the cast have become embroiled in a great supernatural game played by a set of three demigods, the Great {{Kitsune}}, the Astral Dragon, and [[AerithAndBob Pete the Griffin]]. At the center of this story is King, a human turned into a dog to serve as Pete's avatar in the game, which occasionally intersects with the pets' normal lives. After the game's introduction, it is often hard to tell which is the comic's central story.

!!Due to TropeOverload, the page for ''Housepets!'' has been split into the following subpages:

!!This comic provides examples of:

* [[Housepets\TropesAToL A to L]]
* [[Housepets\TropesMToZ M to Z]]

* AFormYouAreComfortableWith:
** How King sees the [[CosmicChessGame Universes & Unrealities]] game.
** When [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/07/11/a-billion-points-of-light/ King meets Bahamut in Heaven]], he takes the form of a {{Space Whale| Aesop}} doubling as a [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Zelda]] ShoutOut. Unlike his [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/05/16/here-come-da-judge/ prior appearance.]]
** Inverted [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/12/06/my-eyes-have-seen-the-glory/ when]] Lois suggests Kitsune doesn’t look [[ExpectingSomeoneTaller mystical enough.]]
* AbortedArc:
** The author decided to prematurely end a story arc which depicted catnip use as similar to smoking marijuana because it would break the self-imposed PG rating, although catnip itself is still available as seen in later strips.
** Two other arcs were aborted by acts of god. "The Arc Specifically About Being Naked" was killed by a broken computer, and "All Hallow's Ween" was ended by a medical emergency.
** {{Subverted}} with "All's Fair". He had a flare-up that led him to urgent care, but it timed perfectly with the Year 7 milestone. So he decided to take a week off, then he did a week-long Spot arc, then resumed the arc with a Part 2.
** InUniverse, Peanut realizes the ''Theatre/GuysAndDolls'' Imaginate ShowWithinAShow is running long and ends it with a cardboard sign saying "Everyone Gets Married. The End.".
* AbusiveParents: Sasha's dad is a drunk who yells at her and locks her outside all night in the snow.
* AccessoryWearingCartoonAnimal: Pretty much all of the cats, dogs, and rabbits wear collars as their only attire.
* {{Adorkable}}: Several characters qualify, most notably [[TheCutie Peanut]], [[{{Otaku}} Joey]], [[CloudCuckoolander Tiger]], [[GenkiGirl Sasha]], [[FatComicRelief Truck]] and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold King]].
* AffectionateNickname
** Sasha uses them frequently. She calls Fox "Foxie-bon", and Bino "Biney-bon". We haven't heard one for current boyfriend Kevin yet.
** Grape calls Maxwell "Maxie". She also expressly forbids Peanut from calling Maxwell that.
** Bailey calls King "Kingy".
** Bino tries calling Duchess by a pet name, but she won't allow him to do so in public.
* AffectionateParody: Pretty much the whole point of the Imaginate arcs.
* AllAnimalsAreDomesticated:
** Not exactly, as the wolves moving into the neighborhood caused quite a stir, but if they're friendly enough they seem to be able to integrate without too much trouble, and they're all sentient, so it works.
** There is also mention of a feral level of animals, most notably Joel's former pets.
* AllThereInTheManual: The official names of several characters are only given within the tags of each comic. As well as any official monickers a character may have (such as "The Other Daryl" to refer to a BigEater wolf who happens to have the same name as another character).
* AllJustADream: Typical ending of any of the mortals' dealings with the celestial nerds. It doesn't negate what happened, but it becomes [[RunningGag a convenient way of ending an audience with the gods]].
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/10/15/maybe-to-an-astral-plane/ Keene even called Pete out on it once.]]
--->'''Pete:''' Then I must ask something of you, mortal.\\
'''Keene:''' And that is?\\
'''Pete:''' Wake up. *snaps his fingers*\\
'''Keene''' (waking up in his bed)''':''' '''''DON'T YOU PULL THAT IT-WAS-ALL-A-DREAM THING ON'''''... ah crud
** Then in the end of the "Heaven's Not Enough" Great Kitsune surprises everyone by [[spoiler: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/09/15/fuzzy/ not doing that]], which also leaves all the mortals involved in the middle of Australia.]]
** Defied when it's revealed that all the main characters are [=NPCs=] in a ''Dungeons & Dragons'' ripoff. The deities are quick to point out that the universe and everyone inside it existed ''before'' they turned it into a game setting, so it's all just as real as before.
** Again invoked in [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2016/06/01/going-down-2/ the penultimate strip]] of "The Four Animals You Meet in Heaven". Cerberus does this to Keene when restoring his life and returning him to just a few moments before what was his death.
** [[spoiler:The ultimate payoff of the "Temple Crashers" arc - everything actually happened, but this ends up being how Keene gets everyone still trapped inside the collapsing temple to safety, since in the temple he wields the power of dreams. Naturally, he's none too happy about the anticlimactic resolution]].
* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Joey, most acutely. [[LampshadeHanging He even plays]] [[WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer Rudolph]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/12/12/three-gifts-plus-another-i-guess/ in a Christmas pageant.]]
** Tiger also qualifies as well, being a dog with the name of a cat.
* AlternateAppearanceAura: Peanut, Grape, Max and Tarot in the Pridelands Imaginate, thanks to Tarot's powers.
* AlternateRealityEpisode: THE GALLIFRAX PROTOCOL, in which Tarot, Peanut, Grape, and Max visit an alternate Earth where they resemble "normal" animals instead of their normal FunnyAnimal appearance.
* AlternativeNumberSystem: Spo came from a very large family. How large? The sibling born immediately after him [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/02/23/their-naming-conventions-had-a-cover-charge/ was named Spp.]]
* AltText: Especially in the later comics, the alt text occasionally provides a secondary punchline for the strip, or some other humorous comment.
* AluminumChristmasTrees: A surprising number of fans were unaware of the existence of calming treats for dogs when Peanut spent the entirety of the arc [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2018/11/21/exciting-happenings/ "The Hot Springs Episode”]] under their influence.
-->'''Peanut:''' Hey Grape, something surprising is happening outside.\\
'''Grape:''' I know, it woke me up... [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness Why aren't you freaking out like usual]]?\\
'''Peanut:''' I got bored, and it turns out there's a reason Mom only gives me one treat at a time from the medicine cabinet supply.
* AmazingTechnicolorWildlife: For example, you have normally-colored Peanut alongside Grape, a purple cat.
* AmazinglyEmbarrassingParents: Not quite her parent, but Bill is this to Bailey.
** Great Kitsune invoked this vis-a-vis Craig and Draig when it's revealed he's helping Kix raise them.
* AmbiguousGender: While the Biggelsworths also have this description, Fiddler and Keys. We know one is male and one is female, but no real indication of who's who to this day. When Breel, the marten masseuse, was introduced the forum erupted in debates as to the nature of their gender.
** Peanut had this problem with Grape early on, just automatically assuming she was male until [[GenderReveal she revealed otherwise]], which was hard for him to process.
* AmbiguouslyGay: Bruce and Roosevelt, judging from [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/02/04/nachos-and-thou/ this strip]] where they're practically cuddling on the couch while watching [[UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball (American) football]]. Later, they share a rather intimate moment in what looks to be a hot tub but turns out to be the otters' pool with the heater cranked. Their status has become less ambiguous with [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2017/01/09/not-over-until-its-over/ this comic]].
** Cory the skunk, who in his first appearance flirts with Zach, although that could just be his patter as part of TheCon.
** Breel, who when introduced was very 'friendly' with Keene. Like with Bruce and Roosevelt, his status was eventually [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2018/03/19/love-will-set-you-free/ confirmed]].
* AmicableExes: Sabrina used to date Maxwell, and they're still on fairly friendly terms with one another.
* AnchoredShip:
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/04/30/just-friends/ Just Friends]] arguably did this for Peanut and Grape
*** Also a sort of RelationshipUpgrade, since mushiness has been approved.
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/09/17/where-history-comes-back-from-the-dead-oh-no/ Anchored?]]
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2017/04/24/take-the-long-way-home/ Is it Anchored?]]
** Final answer? [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/03/22/nants-ingonyama-bagithi-baba/ No.]]
* AnimalJingoism: Not outright hatred, per se, but the Good Ol' Dogs Club only admits dogs, and then there's the interspecies romance taboo...
* AnimalsNotToScale: Almost all dogs, cats, rabbits, and raccoons are the same size (about waist height on a human) while mice are about real life size, and ferrets (plus King and Tarot) are on a scale somewhere in between those, the wolves are huge and musclepacked, apparently from living in the wild, while real wolves are smaller than some dog breeds. Equines and kangaroos, despite being sapient the same as everyone else, are no more outwardly anthropomorphic than their real life counterparts, and are of the same size as them; the consistency is all over the place with this comic.
* AnimalStereotypes:
** Played with to a degree, but the cast act more like children then animals to the point where Rick sometimes adds in stereotypical animal behavior specificly for people who look for it.
** In the first Christmas strip, after Joey gives his girlfriend Squeak a block of cheese, she tells him straight out "the whole cheese thing's a stereotype".
** Based on his first appearance, some readers assumed that Cory was on the way of joining the long list of cartoon skunk bad guys. [[spoiler: They ended up being right.]]
* AnimationBump: Most notably, the switch to color, but the drawing style has been improving overall.
* AnimalWrongsGroup: PETA is portrayed as this during the "A Sinister Shadow" arc.
* ArbitrarySkepticism:
** [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] when [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/08/12/police-rapport/ Fido voices skepticism that Marion has been turned into a squirrel.]]
--->'''Fox:''' How is this ridiculous to you!? You are dating a literal witch!
--->'''Fido:''' Hey, just because I have direct evidence of ghosts, spirits, prophecies of the future, magic(k)al control over time and space- Okay, maybe you have a point.
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/11/27/absolutely-unbelievable/ And again, this time with Lois.]]
--->'''Lois:''' So there's demigods in this now? You expect us to believe that?
--->'''Marion:''' Lois, everything about [[BalefulPolymorph our predicament]] violates every known law of physics, so I think we can afford to suspend disbelief a little.
* ArrangedMarriage: Not a marriage (yet), but the whole reason Peanut and Tarot ended up together is because Spirit Dragon asked Tarot to attract Peanut. This was to keep Pete from trying to take Peanut as an avatar.[[note]]The character class Pete was targeting for Peanut was "dream sunderer", but it necessitated a romantically-unattached ChasteHero to be able to build up power quickly. Once he was with Tarot, this was no longer possible. He had a workaround to use his mana pit to power him up quickly, but Zach unintentionally thwarted that.[[/note]]
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Tarot, especially early on, tends to follow dire predictions with more mundane inconveniences, like [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/08/31/soul-scattering-will-do-that/ this one:]]
-->'''Tarot:''' The truth shall be brought to light, and I fear that day, for all who do not hold love in their hearts shall perish, and their souls will be broken into shards as countless as all the sand on the face of the earth. Plus it's terrible for your complexion.
* ArtEvolution: Compare [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/03/06/so-no-he-did-not-like-the-box/ this comic]] to [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/03/09/bzzt/ the next day's.]] A second evolution was implemented around October 2012, this one a conscious decision by the artist for a new art style.
** An in-universe ''inversion'' with Peanut's Spot (Superdog) comics. Compare [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2008/08/20/i-have-decided-to-start-a-new-comic/ his first appearance]] with how he's drawn [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/11/28/romancing-the-spot/ here]].
* ArtShift: Played for laughs InUniverse within "[[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/09/18/thats-why-you-save-it-for-the-cover/ That's Why Your Save It For The Cover]]", where the last panel of the ShowWithinTheShow "Spot (Superdog)" was drawn well by Joey, causing it to heavily stand out from the rest of the normally StylisticSuck comic. The {{Punchline}} of that comic is that said drawing was a actually commission Peanut didn't expect to have to pay.
** In a meta sense, with Rick's shift to a more comic book-like style of page with the 101st "chapter", there are some changes- the colors are more muted, the backgrounds more detailed, and the female animals (at least the dogs, from what's been seen so far) have more noticeable... assets.
* ArtifactTitle: Rick seems to be introducing more and more characters (the Wolf Pack, Itsuki, the Galactic Nerds, the Forest creatures, the zoo creatures, Karishad) who wouldn't exactly be considered 'house pets'.
* AsHimself: InUniverse example as Peanut is drafted by Grape [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/03/20/make-like-your-name/ to roleplay relationship-related interactions]] for Tarot:
-->'''Grape:''' Maybe what we need here is a roleplay demonstration. I will be you (''referring to Tarot''), and Peanut will be Peanut.\\
'''Peanut:''' Woo, I get to be me!
* AsideGlance:
** Peanut in the fourth panel of [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/03/13/well-thats-over-then/ this comic]] glances at the audience after Grape solves his problem by simply breaking the remote controler to Bino's shock collar, cutting off Peanut's rambling panicked explanation so she can take a nap in peace.
** Bruno the bear gives one [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2015/02/23/laying-it-all-bear/ when Bino challenges]] [[GenderBlenderName her]] as part of his attempt to become an honorary wolf, [[YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe displaying her disbelief]] that such a small canine like him seriously thinks that waving around a stick is going to scare her off.
* AsTheGoodBookSays...: Kitsune quotes Matthew 23:17, "You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?" He referred to Jesus as a good friend of his.
* AssKickingPose: Employed by Miles and his pack when coming to Fido's defense near the end of the [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/11/06/cake-and-punch-will-be-served/ "Jungle Fever" arc.]]
* AsYouKnow:
-->'''Bahamut (Dragon Judge):''' Explain your actions in seizing the fate of a mortal.\\
'''Pete:''' You're omniscient...you tell me.\\
'''Bahamut:''' Technically, we all are, but [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall that sorta makes it hard to tell a story]].
* AttractiveBentSpecies: Played straight with [[spoiler:Thomas]] when [[spoiler:Sofia hits on him after he becomes a camel like her, thanks to Pete's cursed treasure]]. Inverted with [[spoiler:King]] when [[spoiler:he meets Bailey, since in that case ''he's'' the one who falls in love and wasn't of her species to start with]]. In both cases, it's LoveAtFirstSight.
* AuthorTract: InUniverse, [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by Grape in "[[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/09/02/the-boring-adventures-of-spot/ The Boring Adventures Of Spot]]":
--> '''Grape:''' Don't you think you're editorializing a bit much? \\
'''Peanut:''' A little, but that's why people ''make'' comics, right?
* AwkwardKiss: Maxwell gets one. [[spoiler: From Rufus, of all people. Especially because Rufus is a dog, which Maxwell has been shown to be quite smug around. Also because Rufus lives on the sandwich farm, there's a question of how he met Rufus in the first place.]] Also doesn't help that Grape wants to know all the fun,juicy details of why [[spoiler:Rufus]] kissed him as Maxwell continues to turn more red.
* BackupBluff: When superpowered Res is holding off The Forgotten, it's constantly saying it's hopeless, but Res replies he may just be stalling, while thinking to himself not to expose how terrified he is. [[spoiler:As it turns out, he had the power to finish it after all.]]
* BalefulPolymorph:
** Joel, who starts out as a JerkAss, gets captured and turned into a dog named King by Pete, to serve as Pete's "pet". At first, we find it fitting considering Joel's established personality. [[spoiler:But Pete didn't do it to force him to become a better person, he wanted to use Joel/King to his advantage. Once Jo-- er, King falls in love with another dog and realizes how much he prefers his new life, he decides to stay this way once he's finally free of Pete]].
** Thomas Milton, nephew of the late Mr. Milton, who breaks into Pete's temple to steal treasure. Turns out Pete placed a protective spell on it, one designed to deprive human thieves of their hands... [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2017/11/10/equal-and-opposite-reaction/ which means turning them into handless animals, like a camel in this case]] (since Thomas came with a camel to help him get the loot). Thomas now has to figure out how to reverse its effects... [[spoiler:but all the scrolls he could have used are buried under the temple once it comes down, forcing his camel Sofia to drag him out by his new tail to save him. Whether he'll also find true love and life as a camel to be better than his human life remains to be seen, as it does seem his camel companion Sofia has... [[AttractiveBentSpecies a bit of a thing for him now]]]].
** ''Then'' [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2018/04/13/turn-in-your-badger/ Thomas spreads it to Steward,]] who conspired with him to lift the loot from the temple. He angrily spits a single coin at Steward... and then it turns out the treasure's ''still'' cursed, so Steward turns into [[spoiler:a badger]].
** And now we have [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/04/29/an-auspicious-beginning/ Marion Ward]], a human who, one morning, woke up as a squirrel. His story is only just begun:
--->'''Marion:''' (''[[RingRingCrunch smacks his alarm]]'') nngh, man I need to shave my... (''sees his hand is furry'') ...hand. (''{{beat}}'') ...aaaaaaAAAAAAAA''AAAAAAAA'''AAAAAAAA[[OverlyLongGag AAAAAAAAA]]'''''...
** And now Marion's girlfriend [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/10/25/presto-chango/ Lois has joined in]] by turning into a bobcat.
--->'''Lois:''' Marion... my head feels kinda... fuzzy...
* BearsAreBadNews: Bino's encounter [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2015/02/23/laying-it-all-bear/ with Bruno]], as part of his efforts to become an honorary wolf, does not go well. After the audience gets an AsideGlance from [[GenderBlenderName her]], in disbelief that Bino thinks his challenge is a serious threat, she then simply falls onto him, squishing the dog beneath her.
* BearHug: Fox gets one from his new partner Mungo, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2016/07/07/making-an-adjustment/ as seen here]].
* BecomeARealBoy: When he is incarnated by Cerberus, Breel is shook when his heart starts beating.
-->'''Breel:''' Hey, we've established I've been alive before, I can '''handle''' it\\
(''Cerberus removes Breel's halo, and he immediately clutches his chest'')\\
'''Breel:''' '''WHAT''' is that moving in my chest?!\\
'''Keene:''' You mean the breathing, or the heartbeat?\\
'''Breel:''' Does '''everyone''' have those?!
* BecomingTheMask:
** Heavily implied that this was happening with Spirit Dragon before Peanut broke her heart to stay with Tarot
** Even though [[BalefulPolymorph he didn't want it at first]], after falling in love and ''marrying'' Bailey, it's safe to say Joel/King has decided he wants to be a dog. [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/09/15/fuzzy/ At the end of the Cosmic Game]], he chose to remain a dog and stay with Bailey, Fox, and all the friends he's made.
* BerserkButton:
** Parodied out of Universe. At one point, Rick left a comment stating he would "e-strangle" the next person to mention how much more buff Fido looked after a minor style revision. A few comics later Rick then commented himself how buff Fido was looking, leading readers to wonder if Rick would now e-strangle himself.
** If you should ever find yourself in the comic's universe, here's a handy list of things you should ''not'' do:
*** Don't tease Tiger about having the name of a big cat.
*** Don't wake Grape from a nap.
*** Don't be a cat or cat-lover in the Good Ol' Dogs Club when Bino's around.
*** Don't mention the name Joel around Fox, he's quick to get angry ever since he was kidnapped (or rather dognapped). Then there's [[WhamEpisode Heaven's Not Enough...]]
* BigBulkyBomb: Played with in [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/06/29/the-bigger-one/ this]] strip, in "The Great Water Balloon War" story arc, in the form of an absolutely huge water balloon requiring much of the contents of a pool to fill it.
* TheBigDamnKiss: One between Keene and Breel [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2018/03/19/love-will-set-you-free/ frees them of their bonds.]]
* BigEater: Tiger. [[FurryReminder RL dogs are basically walking garbage cans, after all.]]
** Grape [[https://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2020/08/21/you-scream/ eats voraciously]] during the ''Jurassic Park'' Imaginate. So King broaches the possibility to Max that she might be "eating for two". He scoffs at it...then asks Grape if she is. She bodyslams him.
* BiggerOnTheInside: In [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/09/19/atrium-actually/ this]] strip, even Zach, who's been in the temple in the back yard of Mr. Milton before, is absolutely stunned by how huge the place looks like from the inside, far in excess of the external dimensions.
* BigRedButton: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/08/01/the-only-way-to-end/ Ferrets love 'em.]]
* BilingualBonus: The line from the Japanese comedy show in [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/03/05/cultural-appropriation/ this]] strip is, ‘[[IsThereADoctorInTheHouse Call a doctor!]]’
* BlackDudeDiesFirst: Parodied as Max, who has all-black fur, plays the first victim in the ''Literature/AndThenThereWereNone'' Imaginate.
* BlandNameProduct:
** One of the books Peanut uses to get caught up on the ''Pridelands'' series of books is ''[[ParodiesForDummies Pridelands for Imbeciles.]]''
** Nothing goes as well with a game of Universes and Unrealities as a fresh bag of [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/06/25/hitting-below-the-belt/ Doritas]].
* BouquetToss: [[spoiler: Tarot]] caught the floral bouquet thrown after King's wedding, with the help of Karishad.
* BrainBleach: Evoked by King in response to Miles' Christmas party [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/11/30/byobs/ plans]]
* BreadEggsMilkSquick:
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2008/10/24/related-to-killer-whales/ The Dolphin's thoughts.]]
** And then [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/08/30/the-age-of-aquarium/ two years later]] it suddenly shows up again.
* BrickJoke: They happen from time to time.
** When Peanut is done up as the ghost of Banquo in their Theatre/{{Macbeth}} imagination play, Maxwell screams like he did when he was freaked out by Sabrina and her spiritual connections.
** Most recently, the alt texts of [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/10/05/the-writing-on-the-wall/ this]] and [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/10/15/maybe-to-an-astral-plane/ this]]. More specifically, the joke's about Pete really wanting to use a ballpoint pen instead of a "writing wedge".
** The comic of [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/08/18/in-bed/ 8/18/2010]], and this one [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/11/08/i-just-love-weddings/ just over three years later]], is a BrickJoke concerning Tarot's prophesy of Sabrina nearly drowning.
** In "Heaven's Not Enough, Part 2", Tarot can be seen using her cellphone to make a text message. Come part 3 of the same arc, and it's revealed she was messaging Kerishad, the local CloudCuckooLander.
** The first thing King ever said to Bailey was, "Please don't sniff my butt." Apparently she obliged, because come [[spoiler:his proposal to marry her which she accepted]], she suddenly remembers, "I never got to sniff your butt!"
** Fox is pretty big on believing he's the protagonist of a summer blockbuster adventure. That comes up a few times, especially when [[spoiler:he goes on the run to try to prove Sasha didn't attempt to kill Keene Milton and is being reprimanded for it]]. In response to being told that [[spoiler:the case wasn't a summer blockbuster type thing]], he exasperatedly asks:
--->'''Fox:''' '''''Why does everyone keep telling me that?!'''''
** Ladies and gentlemen, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2018/04/04/rocks-fall-everyone/ the mother of all brick jokes]]:
--->[[spoiler:"''[[LampshadeHanging Here's to ten years of setting up that stupid gag!]]''"]]
* CallToAdventure: In "Temple Crashers 2", specifically when Tarot recruits Fox's help. He's a little reluctant, but ultimately joins.
-->'''Fox:''' Resolving the fate of the world ''might'' be outside my wheelhouse.\\
'''Tarot:''' Nah, you'll be fine. Come on, we need to get you a hat.
** Then at the climax of the arc, Great Kitsune pulled one for Res.
--->'''Res:''' Why can't you stop this?\\
'''Kitsune:''' Despite the omnipotence, there's quite a few things that I cannot change--it's beyond my paygrade, as it were. So if you act now, one of a dozen things is about to happen; if you don't, one thing will happen.\\
'''Res:''' What's that?\\
'''Kitsune:''' You'll find out! In about, oh, five seconds.\\
'''Res:''' (''[[TookALevelInBadass jumps into the mana pool]]'')
* CallBack: Rick Griffin could give [[CallBack/OnePiece Oda-sensei]] a run for his money at this trope.
** Remember how [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/02/16/ohh-diss/ Sabrina dumped Spo off on Fido?]] Nearly 3 years later, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/11/02/the-spirits-are-down/ turnabout is fair play.]]
** And Fox, when he was kidnapped in "A Sinister Shadow", [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/05/06/something-is-missing/ let on that it wasn't the first time.]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/01/27/the-first-time/ We arrived at "the first time"]] in a flashback story.
** "[[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/07/04/hungry-for-cheddar/ Didn't I eat your guys' leader, once?]]"
** "[[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/01/30/worlds-collide-and-have-dinner/ You look distressingly familiar.]]"
** "[[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/08/28/giving-an-earful/ Would you like to see my giant blue gryphon feather?]]"
** In "Theme Park World", Tarot says Sabrina, three years from then, would nearly drown. A bit over three years later, not only does it happen, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/11/11/marco/ but we find out why.]]
** In [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/05/23/separation-anxiety/ "Separation Anxiety"]], Sabrina threatens Fido with a visit from [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/11/02/the-spirits-are-down/ this guy]], possibly a fate worse than being [[RetGone retgoned]].
** Fox told King that if he ever saw Joel again, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/12/16/peace-on-earth-to-men-of-good-will/ he'd give him what was coming to him.]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/05/21/that-one-scene/ He made good on it]] (sans the throttling).
** In "Housepets Babies!", a young Fox believed [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/01/20/too-cool-for-school/ his life would become an action blockbuster.]] That's [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/08/01/dont-know-when-ill-be-back-again/ exactly how he described]] the vague memories that remained after his trip to Heaven in "Heaven's Not Enough".
*** And then ''again'' [[spoiler:after the mystery of the attempt on Keene Milton's life had been resolved [[RealityEnsues in the most anticlimactic way possible]] well before Fox attempted a daring escape to prove Sasha's innocence]], he's told that [[spoiler:despite what the action hero in him wanted to believe, it wasn't as if the case depended entirely on him to be solved so that Sasha could be exonerated]].
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/12/29/not-over-yet/ "Let's just say, I know what it's like to be left behind."]]
** Bino shouts [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2015/03/16/jacked-up/ "I'll be one with the ferals!"]]. Way back when the comic started, Grape references this quote to Peanut [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2008/08/01/anise-is-like-catnip-but-for-dogs/ when they look outside their species for romance.]]
** Tarot uses [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/08/31/soul-scattering-will-do-that/ a familiar-sounding euphemism]] in explaining [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2017/09/25/the-shards-thing-again/ what could happen if they don't win the treasure hunt]] in the epic "Temple Crashers 2" mega-arc.
* CanadaEh: Res
* CarnivoreConfusion:
** Usually played straight. It's accepted as a fact of life that predator species kill and eat prey animals for sustenance (something that gets pointed out more than once and even [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2008/10/03/stop-the-revolution-i-want-to-get-off/ happens on-panel]]); however, it should be noted that like the predators, the prey species are also fully sentient, able to talk to and even hold lengthy conversations with the animals who want to eat them.
** Except for some, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/07/06/playing-with-your-food/ like the cows, which seem to be either non-sapient, or just don't care.]]
--->'''Peanut:''' (''to Uncle Rueben's horses'') Well, no offense, but you guys ''do'' look delicious.\\
'''Action Replay:''' None taken.\\
'''Money For Nothing:''' We also get that a lot.\\
'''Made of Win:''' Now that I think about it, that's probably why your cat friend was so eager to go riding.\\
(''SmashCut to Grape sitting on the fence of the cattle enclosure, shouting at a cow'')\\
'''Grape:''' Hey... Hey, I'm gonna eat your innards... ''AT LEAST GET A LITTLE INDIGNANT?''
** Illustrated by the title and cover of the second book ''Housepets! Hope They Don't Get Eaten'' featuring a picture of the wolf cubs seasoning an understandably concerned looking Zach.
** One of the Bigglesworths attempts to eat Squeak and Spo, only to be foiled (and disturbed) by Squeak's foot ([[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever macro?]]) fetish.
* CasanovaWannabe: As the wolves are told to get jobs or go to school, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2018/10/08/talking-to-the-camera/ Poncho ends up with a part-time job at the Zoo.]] It's implied at the time that it has something to do with their breeding program, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/10/04/contemplating-life-choices/ though we see later]] his job may be more mundane.
* CassandraTruth: Grape was right that last time about Pete...
* CatchPhrase: For Peanut: "_______ is/are a thing, isn't it/aren't they?"
* CatConcerto: Fiddler and Keys
* CatsAreMean: By and large downplayed, since Grape is only mean compared to Peanut. Sometimes played straighter for comedic effect.
* CatUpATree: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2008/06/27/i-said-no-escape/ Grape]] has been trapped up a tree by angry dogs at least once.
* CensorBox: Parodied with Bino during "The Arc Specifically About Being Naked".
* CerebusRetcon: Lucretia's remark to Miles: "Our life sucks." When introduced years earlier, it was just a funny, succinct way of explaining why Miles' pack chose to enter civilization rather than remain in the wild. When [[CallBack called back to]] much later on, it was in the context of [[spoiler:showing how the friendship between Miles and Gale ended, implying it's his fault]].
* ChairReveal: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/07/27/make-profit-not-war/ Those ferrets sure love showmanship]], with a twirl of a tall-backed chair revealing the instiagtor of the big water balloon war.
** Breel [[JustForPun turns it]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2017/06/02/end-of-year-nine/ on Keene]]in the Year 9 finale.
* ChainedHeat: Zach and Jessica end up in a trap, both dirty, injured, and cold, so they snuggle for warmth. Cue Keene showing up thinking he caught a gargoyle.
* ChekhovsGun:
** The last panel of [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2008/09/26/goodnight-everybody/ this]] just seems to be a throwaway gag, involving the reactions of Peanut and Grape to seeing what Fido is up to [[spoiler:with Sabrina]]. A year and a half later, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/04/28/also-stripe-i-mean-seriously/ it turns out it's not.]]]
** The golden statue of himself the Great Kitsune sent to King within "[[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/07/14/never-believe-its-not-so/ Never believe it's not so]]" eventually comes to prominence within the "Housepets 5000 BC" arc when it was used to contact the Great Kitsune about Satau managing to find himself within the present. [[spoiler: It's revealed within this arc [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2015/08/05/statue-wary/ that the statue is the Great Kitsune, himself,]] disguised as a golden statue using shapeshifting magic.]]
--->'''King:''' Have you been in there '''the whole time?!'''\\
'''Great Kitsune:''' No! ...not anymore than [[TheOmnipresent I'm everywhere all the time]].
* ChristmasEpisode: The arcs "Housepets Christmas", "It's A Wonderful Dog's Life", "Hope of the Pridelands", "A Holiday at the Zoo", "The Unbearable Lightness Of Being a Dog", "Yes Jessica, There Is An Opener Of Ways", and "Pageantate!".
* ChronicHeroSyndrome: Sabrina is compelled to save any wayward animal she finds.
** Fox also had shades of this. As a young pup, he was said to envision making his life a "summer action blockbuster". Later in life, he did this as a K-9 as a coping mechanism to deal with Fido's relationship with Sabrina.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Throwaway character [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/03/20/better-in-my-head/ Delusional Steve]].
** Also Sasha if [[http://d310a9hpolx59w.cloudfront.net/product_photos/4315256/merchbookmark_original.jpg her bookmark]] is any indication.
** Tiger and Karishad are probably the biggest examples of this yet.
* ClarkesThirdLaw: The unwitting time traveler Satau is marveled by the various "magical devices" of the future. When pointed out by Peanut that they actually run on electricity, Satau said out this doesn't seem much different from magic.
* ClusterFBomb: The audience [[NarrativeProfanityFilter doesn't see the words used]], but King's response to being included on a quest with Tarot and Grape includes [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2015/08/21/mad-max/ "a crescendo of creative profanities"]].
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Spo in WhamLine.
* ComicallySmallBribe: Max tries to bribe a pet store employee to sell him catnip (which pets aren't allowed to buy) with a quarter. [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/06/11/oldie-but-goodies/ It works in an ironic way.]]
* CommonTongue: Sabrina has to use a translator spell so they can communicate with Satau.
** {{Averted}} with Sofia the camel. She speaks Arabic, and Rick doesn't provide subtitles, leaving it to the fans to translate on the forum. Thomas seems to understand her, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2017/11/06/secret-collect/ though Sofia has doubts.]]
--->'''Sofia:''' هل تعلم اللغة العربية فعلا أم أنك تخمينت هذا الوقت؟ (Did you actually learn Arabic or have you been guessing this whole time?)
* CompletelyMissingThePoint: Peanut in particular happens to be prone to this, as shown in [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/02/02/going-down/ this strip]] where he asks about a trivial issue instead of about the fantastical world he and Sabrina are descending into.
* ConeOfShame: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/08/07/in-a-laundry-bag-with-a-dollar-sign/ Bino ends up in one]] after his shenanigans at the Milton mansion.
* ContrivedCoincidence: So, it just so happens that the moment Peanut and Grape's relationship might be heading somewhere interesting, another dog shows up [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/08/31/soul-scattering-will-do-that/ having been told by the spirits themselves]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/09/04/i-dare-you-to-do-otherwise/ that Peanut would need a companion.]]
** Three years later, we find out that [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/05/25/we-all-dream-for-sundering/ Tarot had been sent by Dragon]] as part of her gambit to prevent Pete from acquiring an avatar. In fact, it seems most of the coincidences and plot holes found throughout the series have been caused directly by the Great Game.
* CoolDownHug: Cerberus brought Pete down from a VillainousBreakdown [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/09/08/chaos-rains/ with a simple paw on his shoulder.]]
* CornerOfWoe: Grape plays this during the Imaginate play for ''Literature/AndThenThereWereNone''. Adds in ShowerOfAngst for showing rain clouds over her.
* CosmicChessGame: Or rather [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/07/07/the-truth-the-whole-truth/ Universes & Unrealities.]] King even says it word-for-word; it's the trope page quote.
-->'''Spirit Dragon:''' To compare the game to chess would be like comparing all of civilization to an amoeba!
* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: After Fido's fight with Jata, Ralph says (at least professionally) [[NotThatTheresAnythingWrongWithThat he had no issues with Fido being involved with Sabrina,]] and only wished he had known beforehand what Fido had planned, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/11/22/blue-lines-and-red-tape/ instead of dragging the K-9 force into a potential international incident.]]
-->'''Ralph:''' Who you decide to snuggle with after hours is none of the department's business nor concern.
* CPRCleanPrettyReliable:
** Played with [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/05/18/cool-clean-and-refreshing/ in this comic]], when a police dog, Sgt. Ralph, douses an apparently non-breathing Fox with water [[spoiler:to revive him after being smothered by Joel's boss]].
** In [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/11/18/wettest-fur-contest/ this comic]] it's [[AvertedTrope neither clean nor pretty]]: the moment Fido gives Sabrina a breath after her near-drowning, she barfs water in his face.
* CrazyCatLady: The owner of the Mr. Bigglesworth cat group.
* CrazyPrepared: Peanut brings a backup generator to the country to power his UsefulNotes/NintendoDS.
* CrossOver: Ponbon, a small yellow creature from another of Rick's works makes a number of appearances from time to time - [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/06/16/deliberations-over-ice-cream/ as a novelty ice cream pop]], [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/11/26/i-imagine-most-commercials-are-made-like-this/ as a Macy's balloon]], and in person [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/08/08/operators-are-standing-by/ in this arc.]]
* CurseCutShort
** Courtesy of Fido's HeadPet:
--->'''Spo''': [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/11/16/off-to-a-smooth-start/ IS FIDO GONNA HAVE TO CHOKE A-]]\\
'''Fido''': ''Not helping, Spo!''
** And again in [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/04/29/fetch/ this strip]], with Pete's curse interrupted by nearly getting a set of sharp teeth clamped onto his backside.
* CutASliceTakeTheRest: "Four Finger Discount" Jack does a variation [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/04/10/freshly-squeezed/ here]].
* CutenessProximity: Let's be honest. King and Zachary in the same room could be used as a weapon. The ferrets have their moments too. In Itsuki's case however, it's just one more annoyance as his fellow students insist on hugging the fluffy tanuki.
* CuteButCacophonic: Ace [[https://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2020/06/03/fun-dinosaur-facts/ plays this]] with the ''Film/JurassicPark'' Imaginate in the role of Tim. Olive [[LampshadeHanging puts a bucket labeled "Silence Bucket" over her head]].
* DancesAndBalls: The Yarn Ball, a new year's dance celebrated by cats.
* DeadpanSnarker: Pete has moments of this. Sofia has shades of this when her Arabic is translated.
* DealWithTheDevil: When [[spoiler:Keene]] ends up in hell and is trying to find a way to escape and rescue [[spoiler:Breel]], he realizes too late that he has accidentally made a deal with a devil when the cute demon he has just made an agreement with suddenly speaks in a less cute voice and says "THEN THE CONTRACT IS SEALED". The consequences of this have yet to be seen.
* DearJohnLetter: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/02/13/swapping-gift/ Uh oh, Bino...]]
%% * DenserAndWackier
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment:
** The theme park themed theme park.
** One of the arc is titled "Temple Crashers 2: Temple Crashers, part 2"
* {{Diary}}: Zach keeps one, chronicling such things as his lack of ability to fit in with "brothers" Marvin and Tiger. His diary was also used as a framing device for the [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/chapter/the-great-water-balloon-war/ "Great Water Balloon War"]] arc.
* DidntThinkThisThrough: When the newly-emancipated Sasha was pawned off on King, he immediately asks Kevin why ''he'', being her boyfriend, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2020/01/17/sleepover-enforcement/ didn't take her in himself]]
* DidTheyOrDidntThey: Dog Fido and cat Sabrina are heavily suggested to have done "something" [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2008/09/26/goodnight-everybody/ in this comic.]]
-->'''Grape''': [[LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain We never speak of this again.]]
* {{Dissimile}}: It ''is'' [[TheDitz Sasha]], [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/12/23/since-weve-no-place-to-go/ after all.]]
* DistractedByTheSexy: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/03/13/full-frontal-honesty/ Grape, when Mungo walks by.]]
* DistractedByTheShiny: Daisy, looking at King's collar rather than King [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/housepets_book3_cover_8_5x11.jpg on the cover of the Third ''Housepets!'' book.]]
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: In [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/04/15/things-fall-apart/ this]] strip, Bino responds with indignation to Fox's allegations that he has a small... neck. Keep in mind that the neck is the only area the pets seem to have any modesty about...
-->'''Fox''': *snrk* I was wondering, how does someone with such a big head get by with a neck so pencilly?\\
'''Bino''': ''It's comparable to the national average!''
** Maxwell squeezes the pillow between his legs when [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/03/20/make-like-your-name/ Peanut and Grape are offscreen showing off their 'chemistry']]
* DonutMessWithACop:
** Averted with Kevin [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/08/17/a-winner-is-you/ in this comic]] when he was told he needed to go on a diet of donuts and whole milk because his BMI was way too low; he had ''too much'' muscle, and almost no body fat.
--->'''Kevin''' (''crying while eating a donut'')''':''' This feels wrong.\\
'''Fido:''' My condolences.
** According to Sasha, Kevin took her to a donut shop for their first date. Unknown if Kevin ate any there.
** Fox and Mungo head to the donut shop [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2016/08/08/another-watchdog-joke-perhaps/ here]]. The AltText says "Be as active as us and you too will be grateful for readily available and digested sugar-carbs."
* DontFearTheReaper: Cerberus [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/03/18/hereafter-thereafter/ assumes the mantle]] of the Grim Reaper for the sake of working with children, greeting a puppy who was thrown off a bridge by his owner and drowned with a giant cookie.
* DracoInLeatherPants: InUniverse example for Peanut: the ''Pridelands'' character Saso.
-->'''Grape''': So you lifted the entire plot of the eighth chapter and wedged Spot into it, just so you could rescue an unimportant minor villain you particularly liked?
* DramaticIrony: Of a sort, when Bailey is griping about King's behavior at [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/12/07/tooth-truth/ one point]].
-->'''Bailey:''' Sometimes I suspect he's a miniature [[BalefulPolymorph human in a dog suit.]]
* DressedInLayers: Tiger does this with [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/10/28/it-has-layers/ a series of Halloween costumes.]]
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: Played with literally. They [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/10/31/printers-are-tools-of-the-living/ nearly dropped a boat on CSI dog Terrance.]]
* DrowningMySorrows: Keene Milton is prone to this. With orange soda.
* DrunkOnMilk: Orange soda. To pets at least. Lampshaded by Miles the first time a pet was depicted indoxicated by orange soda.
-->'''Miles:''' I must say, I did not expect intoxication was possible from a can of orange soda.
* DeusExMachina: [[spoiler: Tarot had somehow managed to get a hold of a special lantern, that hides the presence of those around it from Pete and the Spirit Dragon, allowing the plot to be resolved quite easily. It is implied she was directly given the lantern by the Great Kitsune himself as part of his Batman Gambit]].
* DynamicEntry: Rightly or wrongly, a number of readers were shocked that the FriendToAllLivingThings would pull the old [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/07/09/so-its-more-of-a-ceasefire/ Time Out-Time In]] gag on Bailey.
* EdibleThemeNaming: Earl Sandwich is clearly fond of this. It seems to be a common practice on his side of the family, but it's usually lost on his wife.
* EldritchAbomination: How Grape [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/01/23/sweet-memories/ sees the vet when she was young.]]
* EmbarrassingMiddleName: Grape's [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/01/21/havent-you-caused-enough-pain/ shelter name]], [[spoiler:Princess Periwinkle.]]
* EmbarrassingRelativeTeacher: When Miles [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2018/10/03/parent-teacher-association/ becomes a substitute teacher at his cubs' school.]]
-->'''Miles:''' Go get'em, Rockstar! Study hard!\\
'''Student:''' So is Mr. The Wolf, like, your dad?\\
'''Rockstar Hawk:''' [[BlatantLies No, total coincidence.]]
* EnforcedMethodActing: InUniverse: Peanut [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/08/29/avaunted-house/ playing the ghost of Banquo]] in their ''Theatre/MacBeth'' "Imgainate" play resulted in an unintended occurrence for Maxwell.
* EnhanceButton: Parodied [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/10/12/not-another-new-character/ here]], with a police dog calling for enhancing the actual scene of the crime.
* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: [[WordOfGod Quoted in the comments by Rick]] when people started implying that the term [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/07/10/probably-taking-this-too-far/ "slow motion pillow fight"]] meant something that went beyond the PG rating.
* ExpectingSomeoneTaller: Lois and Marion have this reaction to Kitsune. [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/12/06/my-eyes-have-seen-the-glory/ He obliges them.]]
* ExpressiveEars: Cats, particularly.
* EyepatchOfPower:
** One of Miles' cubs [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/07/06/da-boss/ dons one]] during the water balloon war when acting as the 'leader' of the dog soldiers. [[WordOfGod According to Rick]] this is somehow the same eyepatch worn by Delusional Steve, a one time character seen in a flashback to Grape and Peanut's first meeting. Unfortunately for Steve, any signs of Power seem to be averted in his case.
** EyepatchOfPower vs Hungry Cat - [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2008/10/03/stop-the-revolution-i-want-to-get-off/ Hungry Cat wins.]]
* TheFaceless: For the longest time, the humans have never been seen above the nose. Some non-parent humans, like Joel, do have faces exposed. More have had their faces shown as the comic progressed, until a full reveal in the [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/12/25/the-reason-for-the-season/ Christmas Day, 2015]] strip.
* FacePalm: Marion [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/09/27/stalling-for-time/ does one]] when he overhears other students at his school claiming that he is part of some sort of conspiracy theory.
* FalseStart: Peanut goes to tell Grape how he feels about her, but before he can, he overhears her making a date with Maxwell.
* FanDumb: An InUniverse example. Lester is practically [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/09/20/what-have-you-done-you-monsters/ the]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/09/22/shouting-in-a-movie-theater/ poster]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/09/24/the-end-result-of-being-cultured/ boy]] for several varieties of FanDumb. He even mentions the trope by name in his rant.
* FanFic: In-universe, Grape's ''Pridelands'' fanfic is a recurring theme. Complete with an AuthorInsert named "Gapre".
* FantasticRacism: African Prince Leopard Jata 'complements' Jeeves by saying "Thank you, pale human....you're a credit to your species."
* FantasyKeepsake: All the OrWasItADream scenarios use this, with decreasing subtlety.
* FantasyKitchenSink: According to Sabrina, "[[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/02/09/yggdrasil-root-beer-actually/ everything is a thing.]]" That would explain the presence of gryphons, dragons, Cerberus, and Norse frost giant Aurgelmir.
* FeatherFingers: While birds in this universe ( Tarot in the Pridelands simulation and Trinket for example ) can't use their wings for picking up or manipulating things, their wings do tend to take on a hand shape when pointing or gesturing.
* FemaleFelineMaleMutt: Grape and Peanut, Fido and Sabrina.
* FictionalDocument: The Prideland Series. Its popularity, particularly among pets, is equivalent to that of ''Literature/HarryPotter'' or ''Literature/{{Twilight}}''.
* FlexingThoseNonBiceps: Max, after doing half a rep in weightlifting. Fortunately for him, Grape finds it {{adorkable}}.
* FootPopping:
** In [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/12/25/is-you/ this]] strip, it's [[spoiler:King's]] foot that rises when going for the kiss with [[spoiler:Bailey]], instead of the usual gender roles for the trope.
** In [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/03/06/dancing-in-the-dark/ this]] strip, Sasha's foot rises as she kisses [[spoiler:Fox's]] cheek, wishing him goodnight.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Back when we first [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/07/09/and-nothing-but/ found out about the Cosmic Game]], you can see the name of Pete's avatar has been scribbled out and replaced with King's. All you can see are the letters "GRA," but we later find out that [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/05/25/we-all-dream-for-sundering/ Grape had been Pete's first choice for his avatar]]. Incidentally, this was set up way back in [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2008/11/19/sylvan-glen/ the first six months of the comic's run]].
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/11/26/no-time-for-playing/ "Introduce me to your sweetheart sometime."]][[note]]Said by Keene to Zach, regarding Jessica, a few strips before they became a couple.[[/note]]
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2017/05/08/run-away-from-the-pain/ At the beginning of "Temple Crashers",]] Res says the expectations for what he was planning to be the last book for ''Pridelands'' were crushing him. At the climax of the arc, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2018/04/04/rocks-fall-everyone/ he is literally crushed under the collapsing temple.]]
* FormallyNamedPet: At least ten cats called Mr Bigglesworth, due to their owner being a CrazyCatLady. They all look the same, though most are not related and some are female. They occasionally mess with other pets who don't know there's more than one.
* FourFingeredHands: The entire bipedal non-human cast fits this.
** Lampshaded when [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/09/02/high-four/ King uses "hold up five fingers" as a test]] to confirm Marion the squirrel used to be a human.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Joey and his nerd friends:
** Joey is Melancholic as he's the artistic perfectionist of the group.
** Lester is Choleric as he's usually the most irritable and aggressive of the bunch.
** Dallas is Sanguine as he seems more cheerful and playful than the others.
** Squeak is Phlegmatic as she's the most laid-back of the nerds.
* FreeRangeChildren: The housepets, who even as adults usually have a childlike demeanor, are allowed to roam Babylon Gardens for the most part unattended. When they go somewhere such as the mall or the zoo they sometimes are required to wear leashes, however are allowed to wander about freely if they hold on to their own leash.
* FromBadToWorse: King's choice of turning back into a human. At first if he turned back into a human he'd have to deal with being an escaped convict, but now if he turns back into a human he's more or less told that he is literally going to hell, and the only way he can have a pass is to stay a dog as they are judged less harshly by heaven than humans.
* FullBodyDisguise: Fox and Karishad dyed their fur to appear as the other, in [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/10/31/halloween-interlude/ a halloween strip.]]
-->'''Fox''' (as Karishad): This was his idea.\\
'''Karishad''' (as Fox): Oh no you don't, this was '''MY''' idea!
* FunnyBackgroundEvent: Some readers would like a reverse comic telling what exactly is happening [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/03/07/witches-of-the-sand/ here]].
* FurryComic: Gee, really?
* FurryConfusion: Subverted, for now.
* FurryReminder: Every once in a while. According to Rick: “I do this partly because people want to see them act like animals for some reason." Taken to an extreme in a [[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B48ukpoCIAAC2CK.jpg:large Saturday bonus pic]] that shows kangaroos Bruce and Roosevelt being shipped home from Australia in pet carriers after the ferrets inadvertently canceled their plane tickets home.
* GameShowAppearance: Great Kitsune as a typical GameShow Host stereotype [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/09/10/consultation-prize/ here.]]
* GenderBender: When Marion and Lois fell under the the influence of the curse and became animals, it also changed their gender:
** Marion was turned into a female squirrel, and didn't realize until Lois pointed it out.
--->'''Lois:''' If this is seriously your senior prank, you're gonna have to explain why you're a female squirrel.
** Lois ended up turned into a male bobcat. Though Lois takes it more in stride because, compared with everything else, a sex change is pretty minor.
--->'''Lois:''' Listen, for all the adjustments I may have to make to my life, this is the ''most lateral''. Consider: I no longer have to plan around "that time of the month".\\
'''Marion:''' Oh, ''thanks'' for reminding me I have ''that'' to look forward to.
* GenderBlenderName: The bear that Bino is supposed to challenge as part of becoming an honorary wolf is named Bruno, but has [[NonMammalMammaries certain feminine characteristics]] that show the bear isn't male.
** This has led some fans to claim her name is short for "Brunhilde".
* GenderFlip:
** The 2018 Halloween comic arc had Grape and Peanut trick-or-treating as the main protagonists from ''{{WesternAnimation/Zootopia}}'', but with Grape dressed as Nick Wilde and Peanut as Judy Hopps.
** In the ''Film/JurassicPark'' Imaginate, Olive plays Dr. Grant, Rook plays Dr. Sattler, and Grape plays John Hammond. Grape later lampshades the casting decisions in [[https://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2020/07/17/gender-is-gun/ this strip]].
--->'''Grape:''' ...You know I didn't realize the implications of gender-swapping three quarters of the cast until this moment.
* GiantFootOfStomping: One of these is used to demonstrate [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/07/05/stamp-of-approval/ what Squeak sees in the 'Big Noses']].
* GiftOfTheMagiPlot: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2015/12/28/gift-of-the-gag-i/ Cruelly parodied.]] Bino shaves his fur to buy Duchess a cover for her iPhone. [[UngratefulBastard Duchess gets him a ten dollar gift voucher, then complains that the cover doesn't fit her phone.]]
* GilliganCut: "Discount" Jack is operating a ferris wheel at one point, and when he's questioned about his ability to do so, he points out that even if he has only one arm, the controls are simple [[WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong and "What could possibly come from that?"]] Next panel, we cut to a news anchor cheerfully reporting civilians running from a runaway ferris-wheel, which seems to be going 60 MPH in the video.
* GlassesPull: Used [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/09/11/canine-scene-investigation/ here]] to punctuate an IncrediblyLamePun. [-([[Series/CSIMiami YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAH]])-]
* GoshDangItToHeck:
** Literally in one strip that Rick edited after initially posting, turning the word 'crap' to carp'.
** He typically uses [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/02/03/see-ya-later/ "carp" in place of "crap"]], [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/02/15/snow-time-for-arguing/ "Dog" in place of "God"]], and [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/03/11/tossing-and-turning-and-rinsing/ "howl" in place of "hell"]].
** While [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/03/07/good-clean-wholesome-fun/ "snuggle"]] is what Duchess said, the pink whip and handcuffs she's holding suggest something rather less wholesome than a snuggle, without breaking the author's self-imposed PG rating.
** And a couple bowdlerized [[PrecisionFStrike Precision F-Strikes]]:
*** "[[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/03/24/the-morning-exposition-hour/ Who the dook is 'The Opener of Ways'?]]"
*** "[[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/04/28/chain-of-memories/ ...so I'm calling your bluff,]] '''''MOTHER PHEASANT.'''''"
** "[[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2015/09/04/select-the-tourist-class/ TUNA FISH ON A CRACKER!]]"
** And Cerbers refers to {{Hell}} as "the bad place".
* GratuitousJapanese: Lampshaded [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/09/21/the-staples/ here]] with Itsuki, a {{tanuki}} hired by the auto shop near Babylon Gardens.
** It extends to culture at times. In "The Hot Springs Episode", Itsuki spends his time alone in one of the "snuggle baths" because he doesn't want to risk being seen in the onsen, which was made unisex.
* GrossUpCloseup: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/11/08/tastes-like-glue/ A bone chewtoy]] of Peanut's is given a close-up shot of the gnarled, chewed-up end.
* GrowlingGut: Truck manages to ''play music'' on his growling stomach on [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/01/07/stuff-em-in-yer-craw/ one strip]].
* HalfDressedCartoonAnimal:
** The ferrets.
** The police dogs, when on duty, wear a vest onto which their badges are pinned.
** Fox has been known to sometimes wear a leather bomber jacket, such as when he first meets King.
** Itsuki, possibly to retain the PG rating given certain tanuki anatomy characteristics.
** When preparing food, Lucretia wears a "Sniff the Cook" apron.
** Played with and lampshaded in [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/10/16/more-human-than-human/ this strip]] as well.
--->'''Miles:''' [after modeling several outfits to help him blend into human society] Is there any reason none of these configurations contain pants?
** Averted when [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/09/13/times-makes-fools-of-us-all/ Marion puts his school clothing ensemble together]].
--->'''Marion:''' I am used to wearing pants, thanks.
** Grape may need a [[Franchise/{{Peanuts}} security blanket]] after the trauma she suffers in [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/02/11/love-in-the-stitches/ this strip]].
* HalloweenEpisode: The arcs "Scardey Cats", "All Hallow's Ween", "All Hallow's Ween: Resurrection", and "Directed To Video". "The Case of the Aztec Gold" doesn't mention Halloween, but was released in October and features a ghost.
* HappilyMarried: More than a few of the regular cast.
** Miles and Lucretia, although not married (as they're wolves), are official mates and are known to behave like a happy husband/wife. At one point Miles acted pretty enthusiastic at the prospect of making it official in the eyes of human law.
** Mr. Earl Sandwich and Mrs. Sandwich are the only known human family in the series so far to be officially married, and by all available evidence it's a happy marriage.
** Another pair of wolves, Rodney (Miles' cousin) and Snow, are mates as well, without any signs of it being an unpleasant pairing.
** [[spoiler:King and Bailey]]. They do have to [[EarnYourHappyEnding fight for their life together]], but other than the problems outside their marriage [[spoiler:(namely Pete)]], they are happy together. [[spoiler:King just has a few things to learn about being a father to puppies, that's all.]]
* HelpHelpTrappedInTitleFactory [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/01/18/pool-of-tantalus/ When Simon goes on a talk show]], the {{Crawl}} reads "trapped in editing room send help".
* HerbivoresAreFriendly: Parodied in the ''Film/JurassicPark'' Imaginate's [[https://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2020/07/06/the-tree-of-knowledge/ take on the Brachiosaurus scene.]]
-->'''Olive!Grant:''' Remember kids, herbivores are ''not dangerous'' under ''any'' circumstances! [[SpoofAesop Ask your local zoo to place Hippopotamases in the petting area!]]
* HeroicBSOD: Peanut is prone to these. So far it has happened when [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/07/08/paralysis-of-the-mouth/ three cute barn cats ask him to have a slow-motion pillow fight with them]], [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/07/10/probably-taking-this-too-far/ when Grape herself is invited for it]], and once more when [[spoiler:[[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/04/26/i-thought-you-knew/ Grape tells him she knows about his crush on her.]]]]
** And then [[spoiler:[[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2015/06/01/end-of-year-seven/ when King finds out Bailey is pregnant.]]]]
* HeroicSacrifice: Parodied by Max in the arc "The Great Water Balloon War", specifically in [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/06/27/the-big-one/ this strip]] where he throws himself onto a water balloon to shield others.
* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler:Daisy. [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2016/09/26/give-me-your-answer-do/ And how!]]]]
-->'''Fox:''' Next... name please.\\
'''[[spoiler:Daisy:]]''' [[RunningGag Hi, I'm]] [[spoiler:Daisy!]]\\
'''Fox:''' Last name?\\
'''[[spoiler:Daisy:]]''' Hi, I'm--\\
'''Fox:''' Look, whatever--when was the last time you saw or had contact with Sasha Hartford? This is serious.\\
'''[[spoiler:Daisy:''' *[[OOCIsSeriousBusiness drops her smile]]* I spoke with her a few weeks ago, she was ruminating on the expectation of obeisance from all dogs, especially by her owner, and was having trouble reconciling the systemic reinforcement of her projected behavior.]]\\
'''Fox''' and '''Mongo''': *StunnedSilence*\\
'''[[spoiler:Daisy:]]''' [[FlatWhat What?]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2016/09/29/over-the-river-and-through-the-woods/ Sometimes it's easier to put on a happy face, you know?]]
** Same can be said of Kevin, who is actually pretty good at serious police work, and is currently working on a case to get Sasha emancipated from her abusive owner.
* HilarityInZoos: Most storylines involving the Zoo end up in this territory, from otters getting frozen in their lake, to various shenanigans involving Bruce and Roosevelt. [[CloudCuckoolander Karishad]] leaving to be employed by Keene did not relieve the hilarity.
* HotSpringsEpisode: "The Hot Springs Episode", natch. Though it actually happens in a portable spa.
* HugeGuyTinyGirl:
** Joey (dog) and Squeak (mouse) are an extreme example. Fido and Sabrina are closer in size, though Sabrina's ex Jata is a leopard. Peanut and Tarot also probably count.
** Now includes Lois and Marion following their respective transformations; Lois is now a male bobcat and significantly larger than Marion who became a female squirrel who can now perch on his arm like a parrot.
* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: While the majority of humans shown are actually quite nice, when there is the need for a villain (who isn't Pete) it's normally a human being. This also bleeds into the comic's depiction of heaven, where its spelt out that humans have to work extra hard to be permitted into the pearly gates, whereas the sentient animals generally get a free pass.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Joel's boss to Fox.
* HypocriticalHumor: Frequently! The best example comes from [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/09/05/and-again-i-say-fie/ the Macbeth Imaginate]] during the scene involving Lady Macbeth's SanitySlippage.
-->'''Peanut''' (as a doctor)''':''' We might have a case of acute craziness.\\
'''Grape''' (as Lady Macbeth)''':''' (''holds a placard referring to herself as a screwball'')\\
'''Peanut:''' The washing of hands while sleepwalking indicates profound guilt. Not surprising, considering [[ActorAllusion how much embarrassing fanfiction she tends to write]].\\
'''Grape:''' (''throws her placard at Peanut'') OUT, D-WORDED [[ShowWithinAShow SPOT]]!
* IAteWhat: Whatever Max fed Grape, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/03/07/witches-of-the-sand/ it's certainly wasn't salad.]]
* ICantBelieveItsNotHeroin:
** To pets, orange soda acts like alcohol. The AltText to [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/09/18/meet-and-greet/ one strip]] warns a {{Baleful Polymorph}}ed human not to drink orange soda because "it does different things to animals for no discernable reason".
** And to cats, catnip acts like cannabis, to the point where Rick chose to abort an arc - an example being when one character proclaimed another "blew through his stash like kibbles!"
* IdeaBulb: {{Averted}} and {{lampshaded}} by Peanut [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/09/16/but-wasnt-that-shazam/ in one of his Spot comics.]] He tries to use an asterisk instead, but his explanation is enormously unwieldy.
* IgnoreTheDisability: Peanut puts his foot firmly in his mouth when accidentally using a bunch of cliche phrases about hands and arms [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/04/03/disarming-situation/ when talking with "Four Finger Discount" Jack, who is missing an arm.]] Jack looks angrily at Peanut over it but then lets up in the last panel, saying he was just messing with Peanut.
* IHaveNoSon: The rare occasion it's PlayedForLaughs, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/09/13/times-makes-fools-of-us-all/ when Marion is reunited with their mother]] after being recovered by the K-9's. ([[GenderBender Though it's still true...from a certain point of view]])
-->'''Marion's mother:''' I can't... I can't believe I've lost my son!\\
'''Marion:''' I'm still your '''son''', I'm just a squirrel now!\\
'''Marion's mother:''' I didn't give birth to a squirrel!\\
'''Marion:''' You also didn't give birth to a fully-grown seventeen-year-old boy, but you were okay with that two days ago.\\
'''Marion's mother:''' Don't talk back to your mother.
* IHaveThisFriend:
** In [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/03/08/too-late-to-think/ this strip]] Fox asks his cousin Bailey about a hypothetical dog with a romance problem, but she in turn cuts straight to the chase and tells him to just go ahead and hook up with the object of his newly discovered affections.
** Bailey seems to get a lot of this kind of thing. In [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/11/24/a-way-with-the-ladies/ this strip]] King attempted something similar, and Bailey was similarly direct in her response.
* IncrediblyLamePun: When King asks Fox what good a watch [[spoiler:representing Joel's fate]] is for a dog, Fox replies that King could be a watch dog. [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/05/04/whats-in-a-name/ King was not amused.]]
* InfiniteCanvas: In a comic, Spot (Professor) explains [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/06/04/defenestrating-comics/ Infinite Canvas]] thusly:
-->'''Spot (Professor):''' Not only does it take advantage of UNLIMITED page space, but it's also impossible to anthologize! (''[[WhatHaveIBecome Next frame shows Spot looking sad]]'')
* InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/07/05/this-is-my-tsk-tsk-face/ Great Dragon's reveal]] would be awesome, according to King, if he hadn't wet himself in fear.
* InterruptedIntimacy:
** While looking for a quiet place for himself and Bailey at a Christmas party, [[https://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/12/19/ive-got-to-go-away/ King walks in on Fido and Sabrina]] making out in a closet.
--->'''Fido:''' '''''[[GetOut GET OUT]]'''''\\
'''King:''' Yessir!
** [[https://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2020/10/12/barging-into-the-broom/ Sasha walks in on Marion and Lois]] making out. But in a reversal, she takes a broom to Lois, thinking they're trying to ''eat'' Marion.
* InterspeciesRomance:
** A sensitive issue; within the context of the comic, interspecies relationships are considered [[FantasticRacism taboo]]. Fido and Sabrina (a dog and a cat, respectively) are [[SecretRelationship romantically involved]]; Peanut thought his crush on Grape was a secret, but she [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/04/26/i-thought-you-knew/ knew it all along]] and it eventually develops into a real romance between the two over the years. Joey (a dog) is involved with Squeak (a mouse).
** Peanut's character Spot dates a "dog"[[note]]possibly a disguised cat[[/note]] named Stripe. A possible early precursor can be found [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/2008-07-21-sorry-no-comic.png here.]] Yes, that's why Bino gives Peanut trouble about being a cat-lover.
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/09/17/a-little-bit-of-class/ Apparently]] there's at least one coyote in the other Daryl's family tree.
** And now we have [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/12/03/up-all-night-to-get-lucky/ Zach (rabbit) and Jessica (opossum)]]
** [[spoiler: Arguably King and Bailey if you consider the fact that King used to be a human. {{Downplayed}} after King won the right to permanently be a dog.]]
** In Heaven, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2016/06/01/going-down-2/ Keene's owner, Henry Milton, who has taken the form of a ferret, is attracted to Keene's biological mother.]]
--->'''Keene:''' [[ParentalSexualitySquick Dad, don't hit on Mom, that's weird]].
** The moment Thomas was turned into a camel, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2017/11/10/equal-and-opposite-reaction/ Sofia instantly became attracted to him.]]
** Also in Heaven, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/02/27/love-across-space-and-time/ Rufus is dating a familiar sabre-toothed cat.]]
** [[https://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2020/10/12/barging-into-the-broom/ Marion and Lois]] turned into this by default [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/10/25/presto-chango/ once Lois was changed into a lynx,]] as Marion had already been turned into a squirrel.
** And now, [[https://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2020/08/19/a-boys-best-friend/ puppy Olive has a crush on cougar cub Pueblo]]. See PrecociousCrush.
* IntimidatingRevenueService: Cerberus [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/09/24/home-again-home-again/ threatens the Milton ferrets with an audit]] if Rock doesn't take Tarot, Sabrina and Bailey home from Australia with them.
* InterfaceSpoiler: The tags give out the official names of the characters ''before'' they have been formally introduced as such. Also, if the character's explicitly named within the tags, either they're recurring characters or [[ChekhovsGunman will star in a major role later in the comic]]. Nowadays, you have to scroll down to see what the tags are, so perhaps this is less of a problem than it was before.
* ItsAWonderfulPlot: The arc "It's a Wonderful Dog's Life", where Joel is turned into King. [[GenreSavvy Joel]] even {{invok|ed}}es it [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/12/02/an-undigested-bit-of-beef/ at the very beginning.]] In this arc, it proves to be a DeconstructedTrope: King's initial experiences (outside befriending Fox and Sasha) do not invoke any sort of epiphany, and Pete never intended to change King back into a human. He also [[DiscussedTrope explained to King that]] [[RealityEnsues real life]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/12/25/so-this-is-christmas/ doesn't work that way.]]
** Arc #100, "The 4 Animals You Meet In Heaven", had shades of this, as Keene roams Heaven after apparently dying. In the end, it turns out to be a NearDeathExperience. And as the later arc "Temple Crashers 2" insinuates, he may not have learned his lesson.
** The more than year-long "Temple Crashers 2", another climax to the Celestial Nerds storyline where Keene and Tarot race to get to Pete's mana pool in the temple that Henry Milton imported. This also brings to a close several plot threads, such as Herman Steward's apparent chicanery, and Thomas Milton's quest for his uncle Henry's untold riches.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy:
** Peanut helps Grape get ready for her date with Maxwell, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/08/14/paper-faces-on-parade/ even though Peanut is in love with Grape.]]
** This is why Bailey took King's place as Pete's avatar. Which is strongly inferred to be Pete's intention ever since King proposed to her.
* {{Jerkass}}: Several, and not only just pets or just humans. Max gets explicitly called on it by Grape, with which he agrees readily.
* JerkassGods: Pete, definitely Pete. With all he's done to torment Joel/King in order to get a game piece. And Spirit Dragon's avatars have [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/08/29/asking-nicely/ a few complaints too]].
** King also worries that Kitsune is one, to the point that he won't [[spoiler:let Bailey ask him to look after their three children while the couple have a night out to themselves]]. He won't even let [[spoiler:Bailey say his name]]. You can't really blame King for being paranoid, but [[spoiler:it's odd he would consider Kitsune the same kind of god as Pete, since while Kitsune did let Pete toy with him he did eventually step in to bail King out altogether once Pete had taken it too far, and was really only doing what was best for King all along]].
* JustFriends: Peanut and Grape. Subverted, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/04/30/just-friends/ here.]]
* KidsAreCruel: The dogs in general towards Tiger's name.
* KissOfLife: After giving mouth-to-mouth to Sabrina after she fell into a pool and nearly drowned, Fido gets water barfed into his face.
-->'''Fido:''' That wasn't very romantic.\\
'''Sabrina:''' Sorry to '''ruin it''' for you, hon. Now get me to the Vet before I die of pneumonia.
* KnightsAndKnaves: One of the [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2017/10/25/two-heads-are-better-than-three/ puzzles]] in the temple has three idols, one tells the truth, another lies, the third is random and you need to figure out which one that is. But, they only speak an obscure language and say "bo" or "lal" instead of "yes" or "no", you only get two questions and then everything scrambles, and there might be some spiked walls.
--> '''Peanut:''' Would you answer ''bo'' to the question "will you answer ''lal'' to this question?"\\
'''[[LogicBomb BOOM!]]'''
* LampshadeHanging:
** To the point that the characters are beginning to show MediumAwareness.
** Rick has freely acknowledged that the characters of Housepets aren't really that much like actual housepets most of the time.
** The AltText for the comic [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2015/09/21/desert-jewel/ Desert Jewel]] lampshades Grape lampshading them not "inoculating against ancient diseases", directly naming this trope in the process.
** This is the entire point of "Let's Imaginate ''Film/JurassicPark''", as they throw lampshades on everything in the film, from the water ripple scene to Maxwell ChewingTheScenery channeling Creator/JeffGoldblum.
* LastSupperSteal: Breel has a meal with all the ferrets, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2017/10/06/lets-get-down-to-business/ and the first frame of the two comics]] looks exactly lke ''The Last Supper''. Interestingly enough, Keene is in the Judas position.
* LawyerFriendlyCameo:
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/chapter/taking-cover/ Alan, Simone, and Teddy D]], HP! stand-ins for Franchise/AlvinAndTheChipmunks.
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/05/05/professor-spot-and-the-incredibly-geeky-joke/ Prof. Killbody.]]
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall:
** Rex mentions the "computer issues" that thwarted ''The Arc Specifically About Being Naked'', which was supposed to be the first Bino-centered arc.
** Peanut is literally leaning against the back wall as he talks about not seeing CrossOver character Ponbon again in [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/08/10/extra-long-distance/ this comic.]]
** Peanut does so [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/02/04/most-dangerous-variety/ here]] regarding a common fan reaction to the type of plot that was being lead into.
** Joey looks out at us as Peanut says he is glad there's no one out there watching the ''Literature/TenLittleIndians'' Imaginate.
** During "Temple Crashers 2", [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2017/09/06/new-kid/ Kitsune says he's usually "just off-panel"]] when he's casing Joey's LARP group in the temple.
* LetsJustSeeWhatWOULDHaveHappened: In [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/07/02/locate-planet-bomb/ this strip]] Great Kitsune may or may not have let the Earth explode ( restoring it afterward ) in order to show Dragon what would happen if she were to modify an infinite-range detection spell to cause damage. (This is actually a call back to a [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/02/18/this-is-a-real-3rd-edition-gamebreaker/ much earlier strip]] in which one of the players in Fido's owner's D&D game tried the same thing.)
* LetUsNeverSpeakOfThisAgain: Grape's reaction when she and Peanut see [[spoiler:Sabrina and Fido kissing]].
* LikeBrotherAndSister: Grape and Peanut in most cases.
* LiteralCliffHanger: Zach in [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/11/12/watch-out-for-that-step/ this strip]] is left dangling from a branch over a chasm.
* LiteralTransformativeExperience: The Celestial Pete transforms PETA member Joel into a Corgi named King. While this trope is played with at first, with Pete invoking it for his own ends, King does undergo a lot of Character Development over the course of the comic.
* LittleMissBadass: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/02/06/ten-gallons-of-tailwhipping-in-a-five-gallon-can/ Grape as a kitten]] shows a fully grown alligator who's who and what's what, [[BroomstickQuarterstaff with just a broom]].
%% * LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters
* LockedInARoom: Zach and Jessica get trapped in a relocation cage during "Rabbit's Foot".
* LockingMacGyverInTheStoreCupboard: In the story arc "Show Business", King finds himself trapped in a tool shed when being chased by Duchess. [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/03/19/the-optimal-solution/ This strip]] even mentions [=MacGyver=] by name. The ultimate solution to his dilemma is, however, somewhat more directly violent than most of [=MacGyver's=] solutions.
* LoopholeAbuse: Laws require that housepets be on a leash when out in public places, but it doesn't specify anything about who's holding the other end of the leash, which the pets exploit by going out holding their own leashes.
* ListOfTransgressions: In [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/08/29/asking-nicely/ this]] strip, Spirit Dragon asks of both her mortal realm representatives what she had done to harm them. The first one replies in a way suggesting that there's a LongList of harm done, and the second has a list of harmful acts that's apparently so long that it's been compiled into a rather thick notebook labeled "Grievances".
* LoveAtFirstSight: King for Bailey, to the point that it drives him to question whether he would want to remain a dog or become human again. Possibly reciprocated, since the first thing she does when he, in his own way, confesses his feelings to her, is drag him off for "snuggling".
* LoveHurts
** Particularly in play for Peanut in ''n-Ple Date'', who helps Grape get ready for a date with Maxwell despite him having a crush on her himself.
** Also in play in ''Love & War'', with Fox falling for Sasha. But a delay in telling her how he feels leads to her going out with Kevin first.
* LoveIsInTheAir: King is especially smitten with Bailey after she jumped into a pond to save his MacGuffin stopwatch.
-->'''King''': Why does she smell even better now? [[note]] Hint - wet dog[[/note]]\\
'''[[ShipperOnDeck Fox]]''': I '''''think''''' that's in your head, lover boy.
* LoveTranscendsSpacetime: When he dies, Rufus ends up dating Sabercat, the female sabre-toothed cat that received the BlindingCameraFlash from Peanut in "Housepets 5000 BC".
* LoveTriangle: Or rather, Love ''Quadrangle''. Peanut, Grape, Tarot, and Maxwell. [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/03/20/make-like-your-name/ And nowhere it is more explicit]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/03/22/nants-ingonyama-bagithi-baba/ than in the arc "Hearts and Minds".]] While it's clear that Grape and Maxwell love each other, and Peanut and Tarot have a thing, the elephant in the room is the feelings Grape and Peanut share for each other and the obvious chemistry between them.
** In the first of those links, at one point, Max is blushing furiously and holding a pillow over his lap at an off-frame scene of "mushiness" between Peanut and Grape.
--->'''Tarot:''' See, you have chemistry! Why can't ''I'' have that!
** Then again, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/09/04/i-dare-you-to-do-otherwise/ it was pretty clear from the beginning of their respective relationships]] [[DramaticIrony that this is where they were going to end up]].
* LuminescentBlush: Apparently, in the ''Housepets!'' universe facial fur can change colors, given that blushes show on the faces of several characters when they're embarrassed.
** Peanut [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/04/28/also-stripe-i-mean-seriously/ gets a full-face blush]] when Grape reveals more evidence of his crush on her.
** Zach [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/12/03/up-all-night-to-get-lucky/ gets a rather intense blush]] when Jessica first kisses him.
** Oh lord, do we get a good one when [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2015/07/31/can-you-keep-a-secret/ Grape lets slip her admiration for a canine.]][[note]]It was Satau, a very hunky jackal who appeared from the past.[[/note]]
** And then there's Fox [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2018/12/14/alone-time/ when Kevin walks in on him and Sasha smooching]] in Keene's portable onsen.
* MacGuffin: Joel's "fate" took the form of a stopwatch that dropped in on King from Heaven when Pete tried to steal and meddle with it. It evolved into a...
* MagneticPlotDevice: In the "Heaven's Not Enough" mega-story, the stopwatch ran out of power, and King became Joel. After his visit with Bahamut in Part 2, he was able to remain King back on Earth in Part 3 so long as he had possession of the stopwatch. At the end, Kitsune gave him a choice of whether to live as Joel or King. Those lives were represented by Tarot's lantern, and the stopwatch, respectively. He chose the stopwatch, and permanently became King.
-->'''Joel Robinson:''' You do a nice job making a simple choice complicated.[[note]][[FamousLastWords These are his last words as Joel]].[[/note]]\\
'''Great Kitsune:''' Sorry, that's kind of my thing~
* MamaBear: This exchange between Bailey and Gale:
-->'''Bailey:''' (having grabbed Gale by the throat) Touch my pups and you'll be wearing your digestive tract like a Mardis Gras necklace!\\
'''Gale:''' [-Noted-]
* MarshmallowDream: {{Inverted}} [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/06/07/stale-jokes-for-stale-mallows/ by Tiger]]:
-->'''Tiger:''' Okay so funny story, I had a dream I was eating my pillow
* TheMatchmaker: If Pete is to be believed, Dragon [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/05/25/we-all-dream-for-sundering/ is responsible for]] Grape/Maxwell, Peanut/Tarot, and Fido/Sabrina. [[PlayedWith Here's the thing]]. She only hooked them up as part of her gambit to screw over Pete in their game of Universes and Unrealities, though all three couples don't seem any less happy for it.
* MeaningfulName: Brown dog and purple cat? Peanut Butter and Grape Jelly.
** The mouse, often known to [[{{Squick}} squick]] people out, is named Squeak.
* MilkingTheGiantCow: Although it's happened at least once before [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/04/18/things-come-together/ with Bino]], it's coming up a lot more frequently with the late-2012 art shift. [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/03/15/butt-of-this-joke/ Fox]], [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/09/16/letting-bygones-be/ Fido]] and [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/09/25/show-some-respect/ Maxwell]] have all done it thus far.
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/09/29/time-zone-out/ Fido does it again.]]
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2017/01/02/not-for-the-characters/ Now he's got Bruce doing it.]]
* MiserableMassage: During "The Four Animals you Meet in Heaven" arc, Keene visits a weasel massage parlor where they cartoonishly stretch him out, twist him up and release, then flatten him with a rolling pin. [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2016/04/20/the-crunchatorium-2/ Oddly he seems to enjoy it.]]
* MistakenForPregnant:
** Bailey expressing a desire for a cherry and pickle milkshake prompts a brief freakout from King, it turns out to be something she acquired a taste for as a pup though.
** King suggests Grape is pregnant after Max points out that Grape ate alot of ice cream during a play. Max, after trying to assure King that he would know if she was - asks anyway. He gets floored shortly afterwards, to his relief.
* MoodWhiplash: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/10/27/house-of-a-thousand-nightmares/ For one comic Rick decides to be not funny.]]
* MouseWorld: Mentioned by name in the alt-text of [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2015/04/27/paint-the-town/ this comic]].
* MST3KMantra: Invoked [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/12/04/a-taste-of-heaven/ when Marion asks about Kitsune]] during the investigation of the transformation matter:
-->'''Breel:''' So good to see you! You should really come over more often!\\
'''Great Kitsune:''' Oh I would, but you know how things are, when you have an infinite amount of time, the office expects an infinite amount of work put in\\
'''Marion:''' But if you have ''infinite'' time--\\
'''Keene:''' Don't, it's easier to just pretend it makes sense.
* MundaneFantastic: Talking animals and telepathic dolphins. It also doesn't take much for people to believe in other PsychicPowers. Lampshaded within a guest comic in which Peanut decided to drew a comic starring them, only to dismiss the idea as being "too mundane" after saying the hijinks they've been through out loud.
* MundaneMadeAwesome: The comic "[[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/06/21/sweet-deal/ Sweet Deal]]" advertises ordinary sugar as if it's a new fad, the joke being that the sugar rush one gets from eating it too much is "super awesome".
* MusicalEpisode:
** Fiddler and Keys' [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/09/01/to-the-tune-of-the-irish-washerwoman-or-whatever/ specialty!]]
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/06/10/sailing-songs/ And again.]]
* MyBiologicalClockIsTicking: Played strictly for laughs when female characters act out toward crushes:
** Sasha begs to have Fido's puppies [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2008/09/01/a-breed-apart/ when he returns]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2008/09/08/shes-not-the-best-one-to-ask/ from K-9 school.]]
** Grape writes a fan letter to one of the actors who played in an adaptation of ''[[FictionalDocument Pridelands]]'', and [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/09/25/dear-tabby/ begs to have his kittens.]]
** When Jata arrives in Babylon Gardens, all the female cats mob him, initially believing him to be an actor from ''Pridelands''. At least one instance in the resulting WallOfText is "I WANT YOUR", but cuts off on the edge of the panel. Probably not difficult to guess where that's going.
** PlayedWith in the arc "Be Mine", with an [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2020/01/29/hes-all-wet/ awkward misunderstanding]] between King and Sasha.
--->'''King:''' Okay, Sasha, for anything else we need to find a comfortable middle. You know I'm a married dog!\\
'''Sasha:''' Of course, Silly!\\
'''King:''' Good! Keeping that in mind, what else can I do for you?\\
'''Sasha:''' I want your puppies!\\
'''King:''' ''([[LuminescentBlush face turns red]])'' [[BigWhat WHAT?!]] ''(faints)''\\
'''Sasha:''' ''(picking up [[PreciousPuppy Rook]])'' [[BaitAndSwitch Your puppies are so cute]]! [[CutenessProximity I could just take them with me]]! [[{{Squee}} EEEE]]!
* MyGirlIsASlut: Sasha has always been laissez-faire with relationships, throwing herself on other dogs frequently. Especially Fido when she was Bino's girlfriend. But at least Kevin seems aware of her promiscuous nature, and doesn't mind as long as the other guy doesn't get any ideas of something more. That seems to be how Sasha approaches it as well: snuggling with others is okay, but ''Kevin'' is her boyfriend. Perfect example: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2018/12/19/trapped-in-the-shower/ they seemed perfectly okay with Sasha smooching Fox]] until Fox revealed he had a crush on her:
-->'''Fox:''' Okay, you know what? It's been really hard not to just say something, and I'm tired of bottling it up! I wanna date Sasha and I have for eons!\\
'''Kevin:''' Woah, hey, wait, I thought you were just kissing her.\\
'''Sasha:''' Yeah, me too! '''That''' sounds like commitment!
* NakedPeopleAreFunny:
** Averted within the strips themselves. While housepets are naked all the time, the fact is only occasionally pointed out, such as when Grape couldn't believe that Peanut didn't know she's a girl, or "The Arc Specifically About Being Naked" (aka losing one's collar).
** Played straight within the AltText in which the mention of the animals technically being naked (save for their collars) is a RunningGag.
** Invoked [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/01/02/neck-id/ when Great Kitsune visits the Gardens]] during Keene's spa day:
--->'''King:''' You don’t have to draw attention to the naked part\\
'''Great Kitsune:''' Oh, this place is so silly. You’re walking around naked all the time and suddenly it gets a little awkward just cause someone can see your neck
* NarrativeProfanityFilter: In [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2015/08/21/mad-max/ this]] strip, Tarot is asked why King wasn't along for their adventure in the ''Housepets 5000 BC'' storyline. She replies with a comment that his emphatically negative response to being invited to join the adventuring group ended with "[[ClusterFBomb a crescendo of creative profanities]]."
* NearDeathExperience: [[spoiler: In "The Four Animals you Meet in Heaven" Keene finds himself in Heaven with no explanation given. Then just when he's accepted being dead he wakes up half-drowned.]]
* NeverSayDie: Parodied [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/07/03/pushing-up-daisies/ here]] by the dog on Uncle Reuben's farm, using all sorts of euphemisms for dying in their literal, non-euphemism sense.
** Another LampshadeHanging [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2017/06/05/not-keene-on-this/ when Heavenly denizen Breel shows up to visit Keene on Earth]].
--->'''Keene:''' Aren't you... you know...\\
'''Breel:''' Dead. You can say dead.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Grape fears she may have pulled this herself [[spoiler: after accusing the "author" of the Pridelands series of exploiting the work of her cat (the actual author of the series).]] She didn't.
** Keene breaking Breel's heart in Temple Crashers 2. Breel's tears in the mana pool [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2017/12/15/double-hockey/ opened a portal]] to what Cerberus would later refer to as "[[{{Hell}} the bad place]]".
--->'''Tarot:''' For the record, I called it.
* NobodyCallsMeChicken: The character amply named "what chicken" [[AllThereInTheManual within the tags]] exist only to act as a VisualPun when someone uses the word "chicken" in a figurative sense.
* NoLongerWithUs: Rufus single-handedly made this a DeadHorseTrope[[note]][[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer Seriously]]. [[DontExplainTheJoke The horse, Made of Win, was not amused]]. It's the trope page image.[[/note]] when he [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/07/03/pushing-up-daisies/ kept joking about the previous owner of Uncle Rueben's farm]] who happened to be his previous owner. It got so bad that, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2017/06/16/actually-pushing-up-daisies/ when he showed up dead]] much later, Grape kept thinking he was still joking with the death puns.
** Kix [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/01/04/trickster-father-figure/ uses a less-jokey analogy of this variety]] at one point:
--->'''Kix:''' I was a pet fox for half my life before my owner bought the farm! A fur farm, to be specific.
* NonMammalMammaries: The comic started with female animals being given only a few TertiarySexualCharacteristics to distinguish them from males, but years after the comic started Mr. Griffin started giving his female animals an upper torso with curves suggestive of human-style breasts, though they're still drawn with BarbieDollAnatomy given the comic's self-imposed rating.
* NonSequiturThud: "[[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/06/23/king-knock-the-phone-over/ After King takes a tumble down the stairs,]] he greets Fox with:
-->'''King:''' Oh, hello Mr. Elephant, let's take a walk down to the gumdrop lake
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2018/04/02/rubble-rubble/ When Camel!Thomas is pulled from the rubble of the collapsed temple]] by Sofia:
--->'''Camel!Thomas:''' Mommy look, I'm a Bactrian elephant
* NoOSHACompliance: The way to Heaven is apparently a giant golden staircase without any railings. Luckily there's an equally giant three headed dog-god standing by to catch you in her paw if you trip and fall.
* NoodleIncident: Mentioned by Peanut, about a previous, off-screen session using Tarot's psychic powers to make their imaginations tangible that resulted in an embarrassing moment for Grape.
** Also, the birth of Miles and Lucretia's cubs, as mentioned by Jack and Elaine referring specifically to Lucretia's mother being the midwife.
--->'''"Four Finger Discount" Jack:''' Funny, you'd think the woman would get '''weaker''' in her old age.\\
'''Elaine:''' At least that moss patch was fortuitous.
** And then there's the bet between [=Joel/King=]'s parents...
* NotBloodSiblings: While Peanut and Grape treat each other as siblings, they aren't related; they're not even the same ''species''.
* ObfuscatingStupidity: [[spoiler:Daisy, with her limited vocabulary consisting solely of her introducing herself by name every time she speaks. She finally drops the charade when Fox and Mungo come around to ask the members of the Good Ol' Dogs Club what they know about Sasha.]]
* OcularGushers: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/03/01/eyes-like-faucets/ Sasha]] after a series of intentionally bad dates as a ploy by [[JerkAss Bino]] to get back into Sasha's good graces [[spoiler:after she dumped him on Valentine's Day.]]
* OhCrap:
** Although somewhat more subtle than many OhCrap faces, Sgt Ralph and Kevin [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/06/29/the-bigger-one/ get them when they see a stupendously large water balloon falling towards them]] in a water balloon war with the neighborhood cats.
** King gets one when Pete finds out he went to the party against Pete's orders.
** Fox does some SpontaneousChoreography [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/03/06/dancing-in-the-dark/ after a kiss from Sasha]], but his singing fits in with the song "Maria". When he realizes that...
--->'''Fox''': And I'm subconsciously projecting myself onto the lead of ''Theatre/WestSideStory'' for a reason, aren't I?\\
[[spoiler:'''Alt-text of that comic''': Tony / I'll end up in a ditch just like Tony]]
** Jata in this [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/11/13/hand-to-hand/ comic]]. Also something of a BrickJoke after Jata dismissively regarded [[spoiler: Uncle Deadeye]] earlier.
** Then there's Steward and Thomas [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2018/04/11/pack-animals/ when Keene reveals he knew]] (a) about Steward's chicanery, and (b) about the curse [[BalefulPolymorph that turned Thomas into a camel]].
* OhMyGods:
** Jessica occasionally does this to Zach, even though he disagrees (like her) in the "Opener of Ways" stuff.
--->'''King:''' ...did you call me "shorty"?\\
'''Zach:''' She, uhh, heard it in a rap song.\\
'''Jessica:''' What in '''your name''' is a rap song?
** Spirit Dragon [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2015/11/16/kevin-would-be-proud/ also did this in the past.]]
* OlderThanTheyLook: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/10/23/ages-ago/ It's been hinted at that Sabrina is older than the other pet characters in the strip.]] Potentially ''much'' older. This could make her relationship with Fido a StacysMom situation.
-->'''Grape:''' ...wait, how old ''are'' you?\\
'''Sabrina:''' Not as old as you're ''going'' to feel when you're left eating wet Citty Cibble through ''a straw''.
* OnlySixFaces: This was particularly bad during the comic's first year, but has gotten better following the [[ArtEvolution style revision]]. It's not perfect, though; apart from a [[PaletteSwap color shift]] and some differences in clothing, Peanut is a dead ringer for Fido.
** In [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/10/31/halloween-interlude/ the 2013 Halloween strip]] you need to look at Fox and Karishad's tails to get the joke.
** There's a reason Rick doesn't often show humans from the neck-up in this comic; most of them tend to look very similar in his drawing style, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/12/25/the-reason-for-the-season/ best illustrated here]].
* OneSteveLimit:
** Lampshaded and outright named in the comments [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/12/02/an-undigested-bit-of-beef/ here]]. For context King was accidentally called "Duke" within the tags at one stage.[[note]]The mistake's since been corrected.[[/note]]
** Subverted with [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/12/07/home-for-christmas/ Grape's list of all the Petes in town]].
** Averted with the Biggleworths.
** Averted in that Miles apparently has two brothers named Daryl.
* OrWasItADream:
** Lampshaded, but Grape is still [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2008/11/26/maybe-there-was-an-emu/ surprised.]]
** [[spoiler: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/07/14/never-believe-its-not-so/ Great Kitsune]]]] has his fun with this as well
** And again, only by Dragon[=/=]Tarot, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/02/16/like-wheelchairs-at-hospitals/ here.]] More of a parody than anything as the supernatural beings in question don't even try to be subtle.
* {{Otaku}}: Joey has some signs of it. Of his group of friends, he may be the ''most'' normal.
* OverprotectiveDad: From the moment [[spoiler:Bailey told him she was pregnant]], King has been getting very concerned about [[spoiler:her and their puppies. Most fans think it shows he'll be a great dad.]]
* OurAngelsAreDifferent: When Breel shows up with a halo he [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2017/06/07/that-a-ghost/ says]] he's like an angel, but that term's a little overused now. And the AltText references [[EldritchAbomination the Old Testament's angels]].
* PaperThinDisguise:
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/01/14/identity-theft/ Where's Truck?]]
** Grape pretends to be Sabrina's boyfriend wearing a beard that some readers didn't even notice until it was pointed out to them.
* {{Pet Heir}}s: The six, now incredibly wealthy, ferrets inherited their fortune from the late Henry Milton.
* PlanetOfSteves: There lives on the block a woman who owns [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/06/03/yes-all-of-them/ at least eleven Siamese cats named Mr. Bigglesworth]] (yes, even the girls). They're not InexplicablyIdenticalIndividuals, but even the Bigglesworths [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/08/19/increasingly-bizarre-implications/ can't always tell one another apart, or tell each other's genders.]]
* PlayingPossum: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/11/26/no-time-for-playing/ Jessica actually does this once.]]
-->'''Zach:''' Nice one, Jess! Who's the dead weight now?!
* PowerOutagePlot: This comic has two separate arcs where a blizzard knocks out the neighborhood's power: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/chapter/were-snowed-in/ Snowed In]] and [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/chapter/the-hot-springs-episode/ The Hot Springs Episode]] (so named because [[PetHeir Keene]] ordered a portable onsen and invited all the neighborhood pets)
* PowerPerversionPotential: Played with [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/09/12/exeunt/ here]], with an added LuminescentBlush about Tarot's "imagination made real" ability combined with a suggestion of indecent exposure for Grape. [[NoodleIncident It's never clarified what actually happened.]]
* ThePollyanna: Sasha. No matter how badly her owner treats her, she still loves him and still has a permanently happy disposition (possibly verging on CloudCuckoolander at times).
* PrecisionFStrike: A censored version, during the [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/12/21/your-heart-is-full-of-unwashed-socks/ 2009 Christmas arc]]. Then a [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/06/23/king-knock-the-phone-over/ second one]]. [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/05/09/how-low-can-you-go/ And a third]]. So far, King seems to be the only character allowed to swear on-screen.
** An off-screen one [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2016/06/17/more-washing/ is alluded to as well,]] the result of [[AgonyOfTheFeet stepping on a Lego]].
--->'''Bailey:''' And where did you learn such language!?
* PrecociousCrush: After the ''Jurassic Park'' Imaginate, [[https://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2020/08/19/a-boys-best-friend/ Olive developed a crush on Pueblo]].
-->'''Olive:''' Everybody, Pueblo is now my official boyfriend!\\
'''Pueblo:''' (''distressed'') Mom help!
* PrinceAndPauper: No Pauper involved, but Millionaire Ferret Keene Milton does four months as a ferret exhibit at the Zoo while everyone thought he was vacationing in Florida.
* PsychoShowerMurderParody: We get one in "Be Mine", with [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2020/02/12/sleep-tight/ King taking a shower]] trying to get away from Sasha, followed by her [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2020/02/14/a-terrifying-scene/ "attacking" him with a scrub brush]]
-->'''King:''' [[LampshadeHanging Do I hear]] [[PsychoStrings violin strings]]?
* PunnyName: Grape pretended to be Sabrina's boyfriend Concord.[[note]]A concord is a type of grape.[[/note]]
** Also works for Uncle Rueben's horses: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/07/06/playing-with-your-food/ Action Replay, Money for Nothing, and Made of Win.]]
* PuppyDogEyes: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/11/15/double-bubble-trouble/ Sabrina knows how to get what she wants]].
* QuirkyTown: Babylon Gardens is owned by ferrets (through a human estate trust), and has among other "oddball" characters two housepets who are servants of celestial beings playing a ''[[TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons Universes and Unrealities]]'' with the subdivision.
* RailRoading: How Pete "convinces" Joel to be a part of the Game, making it sound as if there was no other option for Joel.
* RageBreakingPoint: Tarot hits one when they end up several millenia back in the past and Max asks (again) about just telling Spirit Dragon about what happens. Losing her ability to "think in four dimensions" and being unable to solve the problem at-hand really stressed her out. Maxwell was just the final straw.
* ReadyForLovemaking: When King went to his room after a dog pageant, Duchess appeared on his bed, laying in a suggestive pose with a whip and a set of pink cuffs, asking for King to snuggle with her.
* RealAfterAll: Where did that big feather come from?
* RealityEnsues: [[spoiler:How the "True Stories of the [=K9PD=]" arc wraps up. If Fox had just let things take their obvious course he would have worked out that Sasha's innocence was pretty obvious to everyone in his department, but automatically assumed he had to go on the run - did he really think the police he worked for were ''that'' corrupt? More likely, he just didn't think it through and wanted to be a badass action hero - a [[RunningGag recurring joke]] that crops up every now & then throughout the series.]]
** When Kevin realizes Fox's crush on Sasha, he explains the ''true'' nature of his relationship with Sasha, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2018/12/24/last-exit/ which involves him building a case against her abusive owner]] to get her emancipated.
*** On a much more depressing note, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2020/01/24/brave-new-world/ Sasha tearfully notes that she misses her previous owner]]. TruthInTelevision, as many abuse victims can attest to still loving their abusers even after being separated from them.
** While trying to determine ''why'' he transformed into a squirrel, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/05/20/power-up/ Marion cracked open an energy drink.]] The caffeine did not treat him well, as his mother found him curled up on the computer desk with a serious case of the jitters.
--->'''Marion:''' I have nothing and my heart's about to explooooode...
* RealityIsUnrealistic: Quoted by Rick in the comments section when someone complained that the feline fangs were too far forward in the new art style, and he responded with a Wikipedia link.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: {{Invoked}}. After [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/03/21/naked-came-i/ the first comic in what looked to be an amusing plot arc]], the author's computer broke, triggering a two-week stretch of guest strips... after which [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/04/06/raiders-of-the-lost-arc/ the]] ''[[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/04/06/raiders-of-the-lost-arc/ last]]'' [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/04/06/raiders-of-the-lost-arc/ comic in said plot arc appeared]] (as if the action had continued in the absence of the author). Except the characters [[BreakingTheFourthWall acknowledged that no one had actually seen any of it happen]] and determined to recreate it for their benefit (well, Bino did). [[WhatCouldHaveBeen If the author's computer hadn't broken, presumably the arc would have taken a very different course.]]
* RealityWarper: Tarot in the [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/03/01/threes-a-crowd/ Pridelands pretend arc.]]
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Bailey gets them when Bino makes the mistake of interrupting an argument between her and King: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/12/10/something-off/ Though he doesn't have time to 'take warning'...]]
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2018/08/31/maybe-well-skip-this-one/ Gale certainly does though.]] She knows better than to mess with Bailey now.
* RedScare: When Duchess first went after King, she had Boris, a large Russian-sounding dog, approach him, asking for his purebred papers. King, who was originally a human born during the tail end of the Cold War, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/02/15/snow-time-for-arguing/ thought he meant something else]].
* {{Reincarnation}}: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2016/04/18/weasel-words/ Mentioned]] as an option for the deceased to return to Earth, presumably Breel was allowed to skip some of the normal steps as part of his reward. While Pete and Spirit Dragon were forced to be born as mortals when they both lost their bet [[spoiler: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2018/05/28/alternative-methods/ possibly]] as fox kits named Craig and Draig.]]
** The last part is [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/01/04/trickster-father-figure/ confirmed]] later, when a mortal version of GK reveals he is helping Craig and Draig's mother, Kix, raise them.
--->'''Craig:''' I'll have my revenge on you yet, Kitsune.\\
'''Great Kitsune:''' Please, kits, call me "daddy".\\
'''Craig:''' STOP BEING SO WEIRD!\\
'''Great Kitsune:''' Stop being so weird, "daddy"
* ReincarnationIdentifyingTrait: Implied. The fox kits Craig and Draig have the same eye colors as [[spoiler:ex-demigods Pete and Spirit Dragon, currently sentenced to spend a lifetime as mortals]].
* RelationshipUpgrade:
** Only after Grape reveals she's a girl.
** Again later when Grape says Peanut has earned the right to be "mushy" with her and it sticks.
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/12/24/all-i-want-for-christmas/ Nobody saw what happened]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/12/25/is-you/ with King and Bailey coming.]]
** Recently [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/08/28/giving-an-earful/ teased with Peanut and Tarot]] in an odd fashion (which makes sense considering [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/06/03/year-five-epilogue/ what else recently happened]]):
--->'''Tarot:''' Guess who's sleeping in the doghouse for that "normal" jab, honey?\\
'''Peanut:''' We don't even live together!\\
'''Tarot:''' ''We'll see about that!''
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/12/03/up-all-night-to-get-lucky/ "See you around, dummy."]]
* RelativeError: It turns out [[spoiler:Pete and Spirit Dragon]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/10/03/meanwhile-in-heaven/ are siblings.]] Apparently quite a few readers thought they were exes or something.
* RetGone: Threatened.
-->'''Sabrina:''' ''Fido'', if you don't go in there and stop this ''right now'', I am going to make you never born.\\
'''Fido:''' D...don't you mean "Wish I was--"\\
'''Sabrina:''' ''No''.
* TheReveal:
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/05/21/that-one-scene/ That one scene....]].
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2015/03/25/bino-on-the-run/ Fox being revealed as a police dog in training]] after he tackles Bino, who was caught trying to steal things from a baby.
--->'''Fox:''' ...well '''no wonder''' that was so easy, you're like a magnet for this!
** And finding out Dragon and Pete, now resurrected, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2018/05/28/alternative-methods/ are the fox kits Draig and Craig,]] respectively. We meet them at the ruins of Pete's temple.
--->'''Draig:''' [[YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle What about my temple in Egypt]]?\\
'''Craig:''' Sure! Let me just pull out my mortal superpowers to fly us there ''OH WAIT''...
** Peanut and Grape [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/03/20/make-like-your-name/ are]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/03/22/nants-ingonyama-bagithi-baba/ lovers]].
** After always being shown from behind or with her ears over her eyes, [[https://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2020/08/24/jeepers-creepers/ Ace's eyes were finally shown]] at the end of the ''Jurassic Park'' Imaginate.
* RunningGag:
** Peanut waking Grape from one of her naps when he needs her help on something.
** Also Bino getting thrashed when his {{jerkass}}ery goes too far.
--->'''Fox''': By the way, Bino, have you ever wondered why injuring you is not grounds for expulsion?
** "Right, I'm an idiot."
** It Was AllJustADream. [[OrWasItADream Or was it?]]
** Bailey's pickle-and-cherry milkshake, which started out as a WackyCravings joke.
* SadisticChoice: Given to King by [[JerkassGods Pete]]. He must either become Pete's [[CosmicChessGame avatar]] or return to life as a human. The sadistic part comes from the day he chose to give this ultimatum: [[spoiler: King's wedding day.]]
* SamusIsAGirl: People often mistake Grape for a boy; she is, in fact, a girl. In fact, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2008/12/12/so-thats-a-no/ other]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/08/19/increasingly-bizarre-implications/ cats]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/09/27/tabled-discussion/ sometimes]] have problems telling. Even Peanut, Grape's best friend, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2008/08/04/curveball-outta-nowhere/ couldn't tell]].
* SapientSteed: Horses are on the list of sentient talking animals, so they become [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/07/03/pushing-up-daisies/ this.]] Camels later turn out to be as well.
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: The Milton ferrets tend to take this view, buying whatever catches their fancy even if the law or rules don't allow it:
** Having a swimming pool filled entirely with grape gelatin (or alternatively chocolate mousse).
** Keene has contemplated getting a waterfall installed in their mansion.
** [[spoiler:Keene also plunged the entire neighborhood into an extremely grandiose water balloon war just to test out a new line of water guns.]]
** And of course, taken to its logical conclusion with Keene: [[spoiler:paying off the International Court of Justice to ensure Sabrina married Jata.]]
* SecretRelationship: Fido and Sabrina. Fido had to reveal it on live television to prevent an ArrangedMarriage from ending it. Fallout still ongoing...
* SequelHook: At the end of Temple Crashers 2, we find out there's another mana source in the form of Dragon's temple, which is still in Egypt. And Badger!Steward still has that one cursed coin.
* SelfDeprecation: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/02/04/most-dangerous-variety/ Rick takes a swing at himself]] over the occasional swings between SliceOfLife {{Romantic Comed|y}}ies and fantasy that the comic sometimes takes.
* SelfInsertFic:
** Grape writes one of these and is incredibly embarrassed when Peanut reads it.
** Peanut also lifted a chapter of ''Pridelands'' for his Spot (superdog) comic because he liked a particular minor character.
** Then things go a step further when Tarot uses her imagination...
* ShapeshiftingSquick: All the King [[ShipperOnDeck shippers]] seem to forget and/or ignore that he was originally a human.
* SharedFamilyQuirks: Fido, is dating a cat named Sabrina. His youngest brother Joey is in a relationship with Squeak... the mouse. Associating with mice is another thing the Byrons seem to have in common. Fido has grown rather attached to Spo, a mouse he was volunteered to care after, by none other than Sabrina. And we've come full circle.
* SheIsNotMyGirlfriend: When Keene happens upon a trapped Zach and Jessica, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/11/26/no-time-for-playing/ he assumes Jessica is Zach's girlfriend.]] Of course, they officially become a couple a few strips later, but in this case Zach's attempt at a denial is interrupted by an irate opossum.
-->'''Keene:''' Got lost, Zach? Introduce me to your sweetheart some time.\\
'''Zach:''' She's not--\\
'''Jessica:''' If it isn't Mr. Moneybags--Aren't you afraid you'll break a nail out here?\\
'''Keene:''' [[InsultMisfire Hardly]].
** Keene caught them [[IntimateHealing snuggling for warmth]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/11/24/up-to-your-knees-out-there/ in the previous strip:]]
--->'''Keene:''' Am I interrupting your private time?
* ShipperOnDeck: Fox actively encourages King to get with his cousin Bailey.
* ShipSinking: Anyone who was shipping [[spoiler:Pete]] with [[spoiler:Dragon]] will be distressed to learn they're [[spoiler:[[RelativeError brother and sister]]]].
* ShipTease: Peanut And Grape are teased constantly over the years until they are more upfront with Maxwell about it.
** At the end of ''Temple Crashers 2'', [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2018/05/21/dont-read-into-it/ Rufus kissed Maxwell on the cheek.]] This led to the forums [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2018/05/23/i-said-dont-read-into-it/ and Grape]] wondering about their past. It turned out to be entirely platonic and even fatherly in nature, as it was revealed that [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/01/23/seeing-a-flock-of-seagulls/ Rufus had saved him]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/02/06/my-name-is-mud/ twice as a kitten]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/02/18/how-much-is-that-kitten-in-the-grungy-cardboard-box/ and helped him find a home.]]
* ShoutOut: Now has [[ShoutOut/{{Housepets}} its own page]].
* ShovelStrike:
** King finds himself [[LockingMacgyverInTheStoreCupboard trapped in a toolshed]] by Duchess, and uses a shovel found in the shed to knock her out, in [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/03/19/the-optimal-solution/ this strip.]]
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/01/23/seeing-a-flock-of-seagulls/ this strip]] has a coyote getting a face full of this trope from Rufus when chasing Maxwell during a flashback.
* ShowWithinAShow: ''Pridelands'', a fictional work of which Grape is fond. Also "The Adventures of Spot (Superdog)", which uses the following tropes exclusively.
** BigNo: Spot (Superdog) does this when things don't go his way.
** ClarkKenting: The only difference between Spot (Superdog) and his secret identity as Spot (Professor) is a cape and a pair of glasses. Even the name's the same!
** GetAHoldOfYourselfMan: Attempted by [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/02/28/the-dark-age-of-spot/ Stripe.]]
** IntercontinuityCrossover: InUniverse, Peanut is fond of crossing the ''Pridelands'' books with his SuperHero, Spot (Superdog).
** LargeHam: Spot (Superdog) has his moments.
** NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/11/30/picked-the-wrong-spot/ This comic]] and [[LampshadeHanging Spot's]] [[StatusQuoIsGod last line.]]
** TerribleArtist: Peanut's drawings are about on par with those of a stereotypical five year old.
** WhenThingsSpinScienceHappens: Touched on [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/02/28/the-dark-age-of-spot/ here.]]
** WhyDontYaJustShootHim: Played with in [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/09/14/the-uncanny-adventures-of-spot/ this comic.]]
* ShyFingerTwiddling: Peanut is prone to doing this.
* SleepCute: More than one snuggle scene in this comic.
* SliceOfLife: A lot of the non-arc content, and even many of the early arcs, can be chalked up to this. It's even {{lampshaded}} at one point.
* SlidingScaleOfAnimalCommunication: Almost all animals can talk with one another and with humans, with no real issues with understanding one another (besides geographical language barriers, such as Thomas and Sofia, as well as Satau initially). There is some confusion among livestock, though, as the horses imply that some (like cows) do not. This is {{discussed}} at one point [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/07/06/playing-with-your-food/ among Uncle Reuben's horses]] and Peanut.
-->'''Action Replay:''' Hey City Dog, how come you didn't want to come riding with yer cat friend?\\
'''Peanut:''' Uh, that's complicated. I guess I didn't expect domesticated ungulates to be so...expressive?\\
'''Action Replay:''' We get that a lot from city pets\\
'''Money for Nothing:''' They come down and expect ''all'' hoofed animals to be blithering idiots, don't know why they lump us ''horses'' into that\\
'''Made of Win:''' I blame the media--they keep portraying us as [[SapientSteed four-legged bicycles]].
* SlidingScaleOfAnthropomorphism: Of the CivilizedAnimal school.
* SmartPeopleWearGlasses: Miles (who somehow managed to get a pair of reading glasses while in the wild), and Marvin (while calculating Tiger's nutrition rates in [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2015/05/22/neither-funnel-nor-cake/ this strip]].
* SoapPunishment: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2016/06/17/more-washing/ Bailey gives King this once.]]
* SomethingElseAlsoRises: [[spoiler:Zach's]] ears and tail when [[spoiler:Jessica]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/12/03/up-all-night-to-get-lucky/ kisses him.]]
* SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay:
** Subverted when Marion, who has been transformed into a female squirrel, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/08/07/moment-of-truth/ tells his girlfriend Lois a deeply embarrassing story from his past]] in an effort to prove this squirrel is really him…but the idea that such a transformation could take place is simply ''so'' ridiculous that she jumps to a more logical conclusion instead.
---> '''Lois:''' …Marion told you about that?
** Marion gets his revenge later on, [[spoiler:by [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/11/04/repetition/ popping this same question]] when Lois has been transformed into a bobcat herself, right before Marion's eyes.]]
---> [[spoiler:'''Lois:''' I swear I will eat you.]]
* SomethingWeForgot: King gets this feeling when the group sails from Australia back home. That's because [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/10/08/shipping-at-sea/ they forgot Bruce and Roosevelt.]]
** Totally averted, but played seriously by Peanut. He can't remember how many puppies he had to babysit for King and Bailey, but since he can't get a straight answer he continues to worry endlessly until the poor guy is left shaking out of needless worry until King and Bailey come home.
* SpiderSense: When a hunky [[FunnyAnimal cheetah]] steps out of a taxi cab that brought him to Babylon Gardens, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/09/09/kitty-in-the-city-suburbs/ Grape comments]] that her "hunk sense" is tingling, to which Peanut replies "That's Franchise/SpiderMan's power, actually."
* SpitTake:
** Grape's reaction after finding out that Peanut had [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/02/18/back-to-reality/ e-mailed her Pridelands fanfic to Res.]]
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/10/30/le-gasp/ Max spews a sip of fruit juice]] when, on TV, Fido announces his true feelings [[spoiler:for Sabrina]].
* SpontaneousChoreography: Somewhat [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/06/08/no-excuses/ here]] (Neither one knows who "Uncle Reuben" is, yet they're dancing about going to see him.)
* {{Squee}}:
** Emitted by Max and Grape during the ''Imaginate Too!'' [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/03/22/getting-your-drama-face-on/ story arc.]]
** Rick himself squeed to [[http://chochi.deviantart.com/art/Housepets-sketch-177490776 this fan art drawing of Peanut and Grape.]]
** Jata gets a full panel "Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" from the female cats in the neighborhood, in [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/09/11/cats-out-of-the-bag/ this strip.]]
* StableTimeLoop:
** Peanut had unwittingly set up a stable time loop during the [=PsyCon2: PsyConner=] arc by telling his past self he visited the Gate of Mystery after he, himself, traveled through it due to his future self telling him he went through it.
** It's implied that Dragon's crush on Peanut is the result of him failing to hide himself in time behind the lantern that's supposed to hide his presence (as he isn't supposed to be within the time period he was accidentally sent to alongside the rest of his friends).
* StacysMom: When caught in a trap set up by Poncho and North Star, who are essentially adolescents with no experience in the outside world, Gale starts flattering them to distract them while her son Pueblo cuts her free. Both fall for it hook, line, and sinker.
* StalkerShrine: Natalie, a wolf who acts like a sullen teen, is shown to have one for [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2015/08/03/even-more-secrets/ Fido]], which she quickly changes to Satau after running into him.
* StarvingStudent: Implied in [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/09/21/the-staples/ this strip]] as the reason Itsuki invites the Sandwich family to his apartment. He also {{invoke|d}}s the trope [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2015/06/24/kabuki-shout/ during a hot dog eating contest.]]
* StealthPun:
** The "father" of the Sandwich household is named "Earl". His full name has never been said in-comic.
** There's also an Uncle Reuben.
** The main two characters, also in the Sandwich family, are ingredients for a sandwich.
** And then there's the "mother", Jill.[[note]]Enough people aren't ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' fans that they didn't get that joke. Which is okay, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/01/13/poetry-in-the-raw/ since in the comic, neither does Jill.]][[/note]]
* StockAnimalName: The Messrs. and Misses Mr. Bigglesworth, a group of identical Siamese cats.
* StockAnimalDiet: Invoked on occasion with the mice. Squeak has to tell her boyfriend Joey that the "mice like cheese" thing is a stereotype. And when Fido first gets Spo some oats instead of that, he states that he can't stand cheese.
* StopBeingStereotypical: Kangaroos Bruce and Roosevelt are expected by the zoo staff to speak in [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2008/10/20/kangaroos-loose-in-the-top-paddock/ incredibly cringeworthy Australian lingo]] when patrons are in earshot. They despise every second of it.
-->'''Grape:''' Guys, it's okay! We're regulars.\\
'''Bruce: Oh thank goodness!''' Every single word feels like throwing up!\\
'''Roosevelt:''' "Shrimp on the barbie?" We're '''herbivores!'''
* StraightGay: Bruce and Roosevelt, the kangaroos that work at the zoo, cuddle while watching manly sports together. [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/06/15/zoo-boo/ In case]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/12/29/not-over-yet/ you're wondering]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/02/04/nachos-and-thou/ how we know]] [[http://i.gyazo.com/84702a64eeee3780b42baca7691cca9c.png they're a couple.]]
** An addendum to the above. [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2017/01/09/not-over-until-its-over/ Now with more couple-yness.]]
* SunkCostFallacy: {{Invoked}} [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/11/13/hold-me-close-dont-ever-let-me-go/ by Lois]] after she and Marion have been turned into animals.
* SurpriseCreepy: If it were ever possible in text form, then [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2018/02/23/give-the-devil-his-due/ the little demon that befriended Keene]] in "Temple Crashers 2" pulled it off when it agreed to help Keene and Breel escape "[[{{Hell}} the bad place]]":
-->'''Demon:''' I found Breel! He's chained!\\
'''Keene:''' That's nice, but I can't ''do'' anything about it unless I had my cap...\\
'''Demon:''' I can get cap for you! Just take me to Earth!\\
'''Keene:''' Fine! Whatever! Just be quiet about--\\
'''Demon:''' '''THEN THE CONTRACT IS SEALED'''\\
'''Keene:''' (''[[WideEyesAndShrunkenIrises widens eyes]]'')
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial: Peanut certainly did [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/03/11/delayed-reaction/ not see]] [[JerkAss Bino's]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/03/09/bzzt/ shock collar remote.]]
* TakeThat: Any page that has Tiger or Marvin "Arbelt" is almost certainly a parody of ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}.
-->'''The cast page for Tiger''': I hate Thursdays. I like pizza. I hate cockroaches. I like my teddy bear Poom. That’s characterization, right?
** Several of Peanut's Spot(Superdog) comic strips are pretty much Rick taking jabs at storylines or plot elements of questionable quality from superhero comics. [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/06/02/not-that-kind-of-grounded/ This storyline]] is a Take That towards Superman: Grounded, for instance.
** The ShoutOut to ''Franchise/{{Ghostbusters}}'' is followed immediately by a take-that to ''Film/StarTrekVTheFinalFrontier''.
--->'''Keene:''' Excellent use of a ''Ghostbusters'' reference.\\
'''Res:''' It was either that or a ''[[Film/StarTrekVTheFinalFrontier Star Trek V]]'' allusion.\\
'''Keene:''' You made the right call.
* TarotTroubles: {{Discussed}} in [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/01/06/the-real-culprit/ this strip,]] where Tarot explains to Peanut the real meaning of the "Death" card, and adds that "The Tower" is the card that really signifies actual death.
* TemptingFate: While looking out the window to his office, Keene claims in [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/07/29/i-can-has-hubris/ this strip]] that the water war he started couldn't be stopped with all the water in the neighborhood. [[spoiler:The sky then opens up in a torrential downpour.]]
* TerribleIntervieweesMontage: When King is looking for a babysitter for his pups.
* TertiarySexualCharacteristics:
** {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/08/12/dear-you-just-look-fabulous/ this comic.]]
** It wasn't until ''two months'' after the comic started that Peanut (and 96% of the audience) even realized Grape was a girl.
* ThatWasNotADream: Standard celestial policy - after a mortal has a run-in with one of the Cosmic Nerds they are told to "wake up" and immediately do so in their bed. However an item is always left which tells the mortal it was not a dream.
* ThiefBag: The Milton Ferrets award the contest prize [[spoiler:to Daisy]] in a traditional white sack with a dollar sign on it, which is lampshaded by Rick in the comic's title.
* ThinkingTic: Happens a few times. Of note is [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/03/25/to-make-you-happy/ Tarot's]] when thing of how to emulate his chemistry with Grape. You can practically hear the cogs turning.
* TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/02/04/most-dangerous-variety/ Listen, learn, avoid being eaten by an eleven-headed grognak, and be polite.]]
* ThirdPersonPerson: Spot (Superdog) in [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/07/18/spot-is-in-a-spot/ this comic]]
* ThisIsMyHuman: Many of the animals treat their owners more like parents, although this isn't universal.
* ThoseTwoGuys: Tiger and Marvin, who spend most of their time either in one-off hijink comics or as crowd extras. They're virtually always seen together, though. Tiger got his own arc in mid-2014 that at least gives him (and presumably Marvin by extension) a bit more character and roundness.
* ThroughAFaceFullOfFur: This ''is'' a FurryWebcomic, after all. In one comic, Peanut's ''entire face'' turned red from embarrassment.
* TimeSkip: [[spoiler:Towards the end of the "Real Stories of the [=K9PD=]" arc after the central conflict has been resolved]], the comic skips ahead six months to Christmastime since it began in July 2016 and ran until December 21 even though the story itself took no more than a full day to happen. Lampshaded in the title of [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2016/12/23/time-skip/ the strip that takes place six months later]].
* TinyGuyHugeGirl: King and Bailey, a Corgi and Husky couple.
* TongueTrauma: When Kevin walks in on Fox and Sasha smooching, Fox bites Sasha's tongue.
* TotallyRadical: Gale sarcastically pulls one on her cub Pablo, which would be weird enough but at that point she basically has [[ItMakesSenseInContext North Star's lovestruck body entwined with hers]], essentially seducing two wolves when she's really just playing on how gullible she said they were in the previous strip.
-->'''Pueblo:''' Hey Mom, I think you broke [Poncho's] brain.\\
'''Gale:''' [holding North Star] Nah, that's how young adults be sometimes.\\
'''Pueblo:''' Eww, '''''MOM!''''' Stop being so weird!
* TooIncompetentToOperateABlanket: Parodied in [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/07/16/return-of-the-television/ this strip,]] the ad selling a product aimed at people supposedly too stupid to operate a regular drinking glass.
* TooMuchInformation: Apparently, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/03/25/and-now-you-can-never-unsee-it/ All]] of Joey's personal life elicits this kind of reaction.
* TrialByCombat: Jata invokes this trope to the T twice for Sabrina. Not hard for him, seeing how built and well-trained he is.
* TrueMeaningOfChristmas: The pets sometimes try to debunk the idea behind Santa.
* TVNeverLies: The occasional one-off strip involves unusually truthful TV commercials.
* UncannyValley: Referenced in this strip with the [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/01/01/electric-word-life-it-means-forever/ CGI Dick Clark]].[[invoked]]
* UnflinchingWalk: Played with in [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/08/01/the-only-way-to-end/ this]] strip with the characters doing this away from a massive water balloon explosion, in the story arc "The Great Water Balloon War", complete with CoolShades for extra coolness points.
* UniversalTranslator: The justification for how Satau, one of the Spirit Dragon's past avatars who accidentally got himself trapped into the future, managed to suddenly learn modern day English. This is a spell cast by Sabrina, in case you're wondering.
* UnsettlingGenderReveal: Happens with Grape, both to Peanut and Maxwell.
* UnsoundEffect:
** Played with [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2008/06/11/it-gets-worse/ here]] in the first "Imaginate!" story, with Grape and Peanut using a sign reading "[[AC:Explosion!]]".
** '''[[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/02/11/thing-of-the-titans/ PAUNCH]]'''
** The "explosion" of the big water balloon towards the end of the "The Great Water Balloon War" story arc uses [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/08/01/the-only-way-to-end/ "EXPLOOSHION!"]] as Peanut, Grape, and Zach emerge with an UnflinchingWalk.
** '''[[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/01/25/red-red-wine/ SUPLEX]]'''
** '''[[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/12/10/something-off/ FACE]]'''
** Poor Max gets '''[[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/07/26/to-the-market-to-the-market/ BOOT]]''' not once but [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/08/07/the-other-one-drops/ twice!]]
* UnwantedFalseFaith: The woodland critters following Zach as the "Opener of Ways".
* ValentinesDayEpisode: Every Valentine's Day brings a set of four paper valentines featuring characters from the strip. They're mostly meant as jokes, but they're also provided in a large printable format so you can give them out.
* VocalDissonance: After nearly a decade, the comic implies that [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/04/08/unwarranted-2/ the ferrets have stereotypically small voices.]] This was previously PlayedForLaughs with [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/08/01/sing-for-your-supper/ Alan and the Ground Squirrels]] but only recently confirmed with the ferrets.
-->'''Keene:''' Hey, at least you don't say literally everything in a small, squeaky voice.
* VomitDiscretionShot: In [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2015/05/20/grass-stains/ this strip]] King loses his lunch after a stomach-upsetting trip on an amusement park ride, with the resultant spew out of view of the audience.
-->'''King:''' The spirit is willing, but the flesh is a leaky chemical quagmire.
** Happened to Itsuki [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2015/06/24/kabuki-shout/ in the same arc]]. Apparently, it was his first time eating hot dogs.
--->'''Itsuki:''' [[GratuitousJapanese YABA-I!]] IS THAT WHAT HOT DOGS TASTE LIKE?!
* VomitIndiscretionShot: We don't see the act, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2017/01/16/babies-are-gross/ but we do see the vomit.]]
* WackyCravings: [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/03/10/bedtime-snack/ Way to freak out your husband, Bailey.]][[note]]She claims a "pickle and cherry milkshake" is something her mother made for her when she was a pup.[[/note]]
** [[spoiler:Later, when it's [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2015/06/01/end-of-year-seven/ for real...]]]] [[note]]Large strawberry shake, blooming onion, nachos, and four pickles fried like corn dogs. She claims it's the fried foods that are the real pregnancy craving.[[/note]]
* WallOfText: In [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/09/16/letting-bygones-be/ this strip]] Sabrina's explanation of her past produces a wall of text separating the second and third panels; {{lampshaded}} by the AltText.
-->'''Alt Text:''' Yes, it is literally a wall of text between panels 2 and 3. Get your tl;drs ready
* WaterGunsAndBalloons: ''Housepets'' had an entire story arc based on a water balloon war, "The Great Water Balloon War", between the titular creatures that was used to parody military and wartime tropes, starting [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2011/06/20/rabbit-duck-season/ here.]]
* WaxingLyrical: When [[https://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2020/09/18/watch-me-now/ Spo tries to romance Squeak after returing from his alleged trip]].
-->'''Spo''': I'm never leaving you again! You mean more to me than all the cheap flings of Europe! [[Music/JohnDenver There's so many times I've let you down, so many times I've played around, I tell you now, they don't mean a thing]]!\\
'''Squeak''': [[DeadpanSnarker That, I don't doubt]].
* WebcomicTime: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/02/25/especially-who-who/ here]][[note]][[DontExplainTheJoke It was the end of February. Fox hadn't appeared since Christmas.]][[/note]]
--> '''Fido''': --'''FOX!''' Er, when did you get back from Kansas?\\
'''Fox''': Uh, like the first week of January? I don't ask to be the center of your attention but '''come on'''
* WeddingEpisode: "The King and I", which sees the marriage of [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/05/27/here-come-da-bride/ King]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/05/29/what-bwings-us-togefah-today/ and]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/05/31/end-of-year-five/ Bailey]]. [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/06/03/year-five-epilogue/ Plus a]] BouquetToss caught by [[spoiler:Tarot]].
-->'''[[spoiler:Grape]]''' (to [[spoiler:Maxwell]]): [[WhamLine Maybe we could get married sometime]].
* WhamEpisode: This series has several of them, each of them changing the comic forever, as more and more of the plot is revealed:
** The first is [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2008/08/04/curveball-outta-nowhere/ very early]], setting up the possibility for romance between Grape and Peanut, the two original protagonists of the comic. That entire arc sets up Peanut's "cat lover" status, as well as displaying the prejudices of the pet world.
** The second is [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/chapter/a-sinister-shadow/ A Sinister Shadow]], the first real darkness in the comic, where the status of pets as people is first seriously questioned, as well as showing the first human face in the form of Joel. While not obvious at the time, this arc kicked off the second major conflict of the comic, the status of pets in the human world.
** The third became evident with [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/11/18/everyones-new-favorite/ this comic]] from Oops I Arced. [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2008/11/26/maybe-there-was-an-emu/ A dream]] that had occurred earlier in the comic had Grape meeting a gryphon named Pete, and when she woke up, she had a gigantic feather from it despite it being (supposedly) a dream sequence. This was later followed up by [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/09/02/staying-in-the-closet/ the appearance of Tarot]], who confirmed that magic existed in-universe, but the girl seemed a bit crazy. However, the existence of Pete was confirmed by the aforementioned comic from Oops I Arced, setting off another central conflict to the comic as Pete is unleashed, and then turns Joel (from the A Sinister Shadow arc) into a dog and gives him the name of King. Rather than being an odd one-off event, King becomes the third major protagonist of the comic, with many arcs following his struggle of fitting into the world of pets as an ex-human.
** King's arc gained special significance a few arcs later, with [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/chapter/dog-days-of-summer/ dog days of summer]] revealing that Tarot is actually the avatar of a higher order being, a Dragon who is Pete's counterpart. She seems much more benevolent than Pete, but, along with the Great Kitsune, ultimately it is revealed that all three of the higher order beings - the gryphon, the dragon, and the kitsune - are ultimately playing games with the lives of mortals, and not only is King caught in the middle of it, but Tarot is shown to be not just a silly creature, but actually the avatar of a being of immense power. King rejects his role as a mere piece in a game run by bored demigods, and as such is set off on his own, stuck as a dog until the game is over, but given the promise of a reward at the end of the game, as all avatars receive. It is also implied that the dragon has an interest in Peanut beyond Tarot's interest, with the demigod herself wanting to be his girlfriend.
** The next lies in [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/04/26/i-thought-you-knew/ Imaginate, Too!]], when Grape reveals that she knew that Peanut had a crush on her all along, and the pair are forced to attempt to articulate what their relationship means to each of them. When Peanut eventually fesses up to the fact that he wants to be her boyfriend, Grape challenges him as to what more he could want - and declares that he is her best friend in the world, before [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/04/30/just-friends/ kissing him.]] This adds a great deal of ambiguity to their relationship, as from there on the pair are seen snuggling periodically, calling into question both of their extant relationships as well as the exclusivity of it. While it is obvious that Grape and Peanut are taking their boyfriend and girlfriend considerably more casually than humans do, other relationships in the comic range from being of similar seriousness (Bino and Sasha) to being much more serious (Fido and Sabrina), and it is not really clear that Maxwell understands the depth of their relationship - though Tarot said from the very beginning that Grape could take him if she was willing to reject Maxwell, something she didn't want to do.
** More than twenty arcs later, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/chapter/the-trial-in-heaven/ the Trial in Heaven]] reveals that not all is what it seems with the game of the gods. While Pete had been shown time and again to be a jerk, self-concerned, conceited, and ultimately appearing to care little for mortals, this is all turned on its ear as it is revealed that not only [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/05/21/you-could-wait-a-lifetime/ does Pete care]], or at least has cared about mortals in the past, but it is revealed that [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/05/25/we-all-dream-for-sundering/ the Dragon]] is not the kind-hearted creature that she seems - it is heavily implied that not only has she been meddling in the affairs of mortals, but in their love lives, with two of her followers dating two creatures that Pete was interested in, and the ex-boyfriend of one of said followers dating a third - all conveniently ruining Pete's own plans, but implying that all of their relationships may be, to some extent, a sham set up by the Dragon to prevent Pete from winning. Worse still, it is implied that the goal of the game that Pete and the Dragon had disagreed upon hinged upon the equivalence of humans and the other animals which inhabit the world - and Pete, not the Dragon, was on the side of the equivocation of human and animalkind, with the Dragon opposed to it. Thus, rather than the black and white conflict as it had appeared before, both sides were painted in gray - Pete is a jerk, but the comic is meant to lead the readers to sympathize with the pets, and King's arc in particular shows the difficulty of the transisition between human to animal - as well as the fundamental difference between the mindset of many animals and many humans, though the wolves had also worked to blur that line in the other direction by living as people, and far more responsible people than the ferrets, their benefactors, do. It also sets up for Pete having some sort of backup plan, but because of the UnspokenPlanGuarantee, we still don't know whether it has come to fruition.
** Who can forget about [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/09/09/kitty-in-the-city-suburbs/ Jungle Fever?]] This Arc focuses on Fido who [[spoiler: finally confess his love of the cat name Sabrina in front of everyone in Babylon Gardens.]] Some are shocked while [[TheUnReveal some already knew that.]]
** The big storyline of 2014, [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2014/04/28/chain-of-memories/ Heaven's Not Enough]]. King has finally figured out that Pete still has an ace up his sleeve, which in a condensed form means that Pete is not forfeiting the cosmic game he's playing. Furthermore, he doesn't actually need him to fight as his avatar. However, it doesn't stop Pete from continuing on with his contract to King, just to torture him some more. [[spoiler: Except, in a completely unexpected twist, Bailey takes the fall for King and signs Pete's contract, becoming his avatar. Now she has been whisked away to who-knows-where to duel against Spirit Dragon, where it is expected that she will be gone for a very long time from reality's point of view. Then Fox finds out who his best friend really is...]]
*** The arc takes on three parts. [[spoiler: In Part 2, King and Fox head to Heaven so King can sort things out with the higher-ups. While King has a cryptic meet-and-greet with the big boss, Bahamut, Fox has a dalliance with two female husky angels. Part 3 has King disrupting the Cosmic Game and bringing it to its conclusion, leading to both Dragon and Pete losing their wager, and King winning permanent status as a dog.]]
** In 2016, Arc 100 is [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2016/04/11/the-other-side-of-the-river/ The 4 Animals You Meet in Heaven]], where Keene suddenly finds himself dead. Those four animals: a marten masseuse named Breel; the previously-known Cerberus; his mother; and his owner, Henry Milton, who has decided in Heaven to become a ferret himself. [[spoiler:In the end, Cerberus discovers that Keene met his end prematurely, and sends him back to a moment shortly before his death, when his limousine was pushed into a reservoir, allowing him to escape alive.]]
** Then the grand year-and-a-half-long "Temple Crashers 2" arc, where Keene tries to invade the temple to get to its mana and fulfill Henry Milton's dream of human and animal equality, and only opens up several cans of worms as he gets the pets of Babylon Gardens and the denizens of Heaven involved.
* WhamLine:
** '''Joel''': [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2009/05/27/im-never-going-to-understand-humans/ "I was kidnapped by my own pets once."]] Made more dramatic by the fact that this page is the first time that an entire human face is shown.
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2010/06/28/that-would-be-weird/ Later on]] [[spoiler: Joel's alter ego]] King gets one when Tarot tells him "[[spoiler: Sorry, I don't date humans.]]"
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2013/10/30/le-gasp/ Jungle Fever]] has this: "[[spoiler: READ MY LIPS YOU TACKY FUTURE TAXIDERMY! I AM IN LOVE WITH SABRINA D'ANGELO!]]"
** "Heaven's Not Enough" has THREE Wham Lines:
*** "[[spoiler: O Pete who art in Heaven... I Have a great burden on my mind, and I cannot bear it any longer... ...So I'm calling your bluff, MOTHER PHEASANT.]]"
*** '''Bailey''': [[spoiler:"TAKE ME INSTEAD!" (Pete's original Cosmic-DnD gamepiece was going to be King, until Bailey took the fall for him.)]]
*** [[spoiler: Upon Fox finding out his best friend is Joel: "...King?"]]
** "Well don't worry. Wherever we end up, [[spoiler:your big sister]] will take care of you."
--->'''[[spoiler:Pete]]''': That only dredges up emotions '''worse''' than fear.\\
'''[[spoiler:Dragon]]''': Yeah, I know.
** Then at the [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2015/06/01/end-of-year-seven/ End of Year Seven]], [[spoiler: we learn that Bailey is pregnant with a litter of THREE puppies!]]
--->'''[[spoiler: Bailey]]''': [[spoiler: I usually don't go for fried food, but I ''am'' eating for four now!]]\\
'''King''': *HeroicBSOD*\\
'''[[spoiler: Bailey]]''': Did I forget to mention that?
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2016/08/15/blast-from-the-past/ "Isn't that Kevin's girlfriend?"]][[note]]Sasha was seen in surveillance footage of Keene's limo being pushed into a reservoir. It turned out she was BrainwashedAndCrazy, and had been hypnotized to take the fall for someone else.[[/note]]
** [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2018/04/11/pack-animals/ "Oh, hey Thomas. Enjoying the curse I conveniently forgot to tell Steward about?"]]
** Part 1 of "Save the Date" ends on a line that quickly turns out to be [[SubvertedTrope a subversion]] when it turns out the real conflict is that [[spoiler:Peanut mistakenly thinks King and Bailey had ''[[NotSoDire four]]'' puppies, not three.]]
--->'''Peanut''': Hey, Grape? [[spoiler:How many pups did we start with?]]
** Maxwell didn't know Peanut and Grape were lovers. Grape then has to assure him with this line:
---> '''Grape''': Maxie, I told you about my feelings for Peanut '''ages''' ago and you said it was "super cute"\\
'''Maxwell''': Well '''it is''', but '''this''' is a bit explicit!
** My Life as a Teenage Squirrel, Part 4, ends with [[spoiler:Lois, the human girlfriend of the formerly-human squirrel Marion suddenly transforming into an anthropomorphic bobcat, due to Pete's curse.]]
--> '''Lois''': Marion?... [[spoiler: My head feels kinda... fuzzy...]]
* WhatAreRecords:
** In the [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2018/10/17/still-in-shrinkwrap/ 2018 Halloween arc]] Grape displays ignorance of both physical video rental stores and VHS.
** Grape is later on the other end of this when [[https://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2020/05/15/i-can-show-you-the-jurassic-world/ Olive asks her what a Laserdisc is.]]
--->'''Sabrina:''' So you don't know what a VHS is but you ''do'' know what a Laserdisc is?
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: What a number of readers were asking after [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2012/07/11/wise-and-dolls/ this scene]] in the Imaginate version of ''Theatre/GuysAndDolls''.
* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: Someone coughs over the name of the state during [[spoiler: King and Bailey's]] wedding ceremony.
* WhoWantsToLiveForever: At the end of "Temple Crashers 2", Breel wants to stay on Earth and be with Keene.
-->'''Cerberus (Left Head):''' Oh dear, I think going to [[{{Hell}} the bad place]] might have given him some serious trauma.\\
'''Cerberus (Center Head):''' I'm gonna have a word with Kitsune about screwing up the souls I let him borrow.
* WholeEpisodeFlashback: The arcs "Housepets Babies!" and "The Maxwell Thing".
* WideEyesAndShrunkenIrises: Happens to Peanut with his SanitySlippage since he forgot how many pups King and Bailey had.
* WimpFight: What Maxwell and Bino's 'fight' resulted in.
-->'''Rick''': Ok i'll be honest, I pretty much drew this just for panel three.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: When trying to prevent Peanut from answering the door before her, she hoisted him up and away in a German Suplex.
* WritersBlock: PlayedForLaughs [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2019/04/24/genius-at-work/ when Peanut gets it]] in a one-off:
-->'''Grape:''' Hey Peanut, what're you--\\
'''Peanut:''' ''NOTHING! I HAVE NOTHING! I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO THINK OF A SINGLE NEW OR ORIGINAL THING FOR THE LAST 12 HOURS! I'VE DRIED UP! THE MUSE IS GONE! I'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO WRITE ANYTHING EVER AGAIN, FOREVER!'' (''runs off screaming'')
* JustForFun/XMeetsY: In universe, it seems that the Pridelands series is ''Franchise/TheLionKing'' meets ''Literature/WarriorCats''.
* YourFavorite: In one of his intros to an early strip, Rick mentions that Bino's favorite food is pizza.
* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: While the CosmicChessGame is over, and subsequently Pete's temple (the one Henry Milton bought) [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2018/04/02/rubble-rubble/ was destroyed,]] [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2018/05/28/alternative-methods/ it's been established that Dragon also has a castle]] somewhere out there. Chances are good it'll eventually come into play.
* YourTelevisionHatesYou: Some inconvenient scheduling affects a snowed-in Bruce and Roosevelt in [[http://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2016/12/28/snowed-in-part-two/ "Snowed In, Part Two"]]:
-->'''Bruce''': Sure the power's out, but we got food, we got blankets, we got each other, and it's not like we have any place to be! What's got you riled up?\\
'''Roosevelt''': What was the marathon we just watched? ''[[Film/TheThing1982 The Thing]]'', ''Film/TheShining'', ''Series/StormOfTheCentury'', ''Film/ThirtyDaysOfNight'', ''Literature/{{Misery}}''--\\
'''Bruce''': You could have changed the channel at any time!

--->'''Fido:''' '''''[[GetOut GET OUT]].'''''\\

** Cory the skunk, who in his first appearance flirts with Zach, although that could just be is patter as part of TheCon.

** Cory the skunk, who in his first appearance flirts with Zach.

-->'''Spo''': I'm never leaving you again! You mean more to me than all the cheap flings of Europe![[Music/JohnDenver There's so many times I've let you down, so many times I've played around, I tell you now, they don't mean a thing]]!\\

* AffectionateParody: Pretty much whole point of the Imaginate arcs.

* {{Adorkable}}: Several characters qualify, most notably [[TheCutie Peanut]], [[UsefulNotes/FurryFandom Joey]], [[CloudCuckoolander Tiger]], [[GenkiGirl Sasha]], [[FatComicRelief Truck]] and [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold King]].

* MistakenForPregnant: King suggests Grape is pregnant after Max points out that Grape ate alot of ice cream during a play. Max, after trying to assure King that he would know if she was - asks anyway. He gets floored shortly afterwards, to his relief.

** Grape eats voraciously during the ''Jurassic Park'' Imaginate. So King broaches the possibility to Max that she might be "eating for two". He scoffs at it...then asks Grape if she is. She bodyslams him.

** And now, [[https://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2020/08/19/a-boys-best-friend/ puppy Olive has a crush on cougar cub Pueblo]]. See ToyShip.

* ToyShip: After the ''Jurassic Park'' Imaginate, [[https://www.housepetscomic.com/comic/2020/08/19/a-boys-best-friend/ Olive developed a crush on Pueblo]].
-->'''Olive:''' Everybody, Pueblo is now my official boyfriend!\\
'''Pueblo:''' (''distressed'') Mom help!