Heartwarming / 101 Dalmatian Street: Animal Control

And just like that, the Dalmatian family got bigger.

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• The whole Dalmatian family explodes into panic when they realize Hunter is outside their door, all except Dolly. She even calls out Dylan for refusing to trust him.
  • It gets even sweeter when they peek through the letterbox to find Dawkins' beloved Princess Positron (whom Cruella had destroyed in the season finale), all patched up and waiting for him. And who fixed her? Hunter. Even Dylan is moved to tears by this.
    • The cherry on top? Dawkins thanks Hunter for fixing her and is one of the first pups eager to trust him. It comes full circle.
• Dolly helping Dylan making the pups comfortable and calm in general and even going as far as to do the housework for him, which says a lot considering how rambunctious and reluctant to help she normally is in the series.
• After Deepak manages to calm down the pups after another fear-induced panic, Dylan instantly rushes upstairs to check on Da Vinci, despite Dolly's concerns for him after witnessing his Heroic BSoD.
• Dylan's reaction when Big Fee and Sid explain to him and Dolly that Fergus has been captured by Alfred: He slams on a helmet complete with flashlight, determined to break him out. Doubles as a moment of Awesome.
• The following page right after Alfred catches Dylan during their rescue mission. Dolly uses the cabinet she was hiding behind to temporarily cripple Alfred to stop him from hurting her brother.
  • Shortly after this, Dolly gently reassuring Dylan that everything will work out for them and their family.
• When Alfred asks Delilah how many of the pups are "biologically" hers, Delilah refuses to answer the question. Instead, she simply tells him that they're all hers, and sticks to it when Alfre asks her again.
• Later in the comic, the Dalmatian family are left wondering how to get Delgado back without a human owner. All hope seems lost for Delilah and the others... until Dolly suggests to have Hunter help them (much to Delilah's horror). Dawkins instantly agrees with the idea.
  • When they do find Hunter and explain the situation, he agrees to help without hesitation.
• Dylan finally warming up to Hunter and the two greeting each other for real. Hunter's expression in the second to last panel is absolutely adorable.]]
• Hunter finally meeting Da Vinci, whom doesn't react with fear or wariness at all, immediately expressing concern for him when he falls over and revealing that what Hunter had told her and her siblings never once left her mind before giving him a heartfelt thanks for turning against Cruella for her family's safety before teaching him to paint.
  • Her talk with Hunter during this is very sweet. When he angrily paints over a drawing of himself, she gently assures him that he's not a bad person.
    Da Vinci: I see sadness, regrets, frustration and fear.
    Hunter: It's a mess!
    Da Vinci: Emotions often are.
    Hunter: All I did was ruin your drawing.
    Da Vinci: No. He's still there. (Wipes away some of the paint to reveal Hunter's smiling face.) See? He's not ruined. He's a work in progress. With time, patience and support, I think he'll turn out just fine.
  • When Doug, Dawkins, Dylan, and a few of the other Dalmatian clan checks in on Da Vinci because they left her alone with Hunter, they see that they were having a good time together. Then Doug sees the green and yellow on Da Vinci's paws and lifts her up in the air, happy to see her getting back to her normal self after painting in nothing but red and black for a couple weeks.
  • The overall fact that Dizzy, Dee Dee and even Dolly and Da Vinci hold no grudges against Hunter at all.
• A short but very sweet moment: When Hunter arrives at the Dalmatian household to help them rescue Delgado, Dizzy and Dee Dee instantly rush outside through the door flap to him, begging him to pick them up.
• The aftermath of Hunter's talk with Delilah, whom after finally realizing just how much of a victim Hunter was to Cruella's abuse and how much he regrets what he did to her family, instantly hugs him in a very motherly manner
  • Made even sweeter in the following page which has Doug, Dylan and Dolly join in the hug. The last two panels (shown in the page's image) show Hunter's mouth form a smile, complete with tears of joy. Awwwwwww...
• Alfred trying to reassure Delgado that all the lethal and cruel stuff he does to animals is all fake and just used for a scare tactic, only to find him asleep and suffering a nightmare. After managing to wake him up, he doesn't hesitate to ask Delgado what happened, the latter rejects his concern however, accusing him of pretending to care. Alfred at that moment finally realizes he took things too far before giving Delgado back his wheels and reassuring him that Delilah will come to collect him, just to cheer him up.
  • Hell, Alfred slowly warming up to Delgado is this.
  • There is even one moment where Delgado notices Alfred acting strangely (He had been hearing the voice of what was possibly his former dog) and points it out. And the pup doesn't do so out of spite, he seems to ask him about it out of genuine concern.
• The entirety of the side-cast banding together with the Dalmatian family, (even Pearl) to rescue Delgado.
• When Hunter comes in to Alfred's office to retrieve Delgado, Alfred is initially skeptical whether or not Hunter is actually related to Dodie Smith and threatens to take him to the authorities. The boy immediately starts sniffling, saying that Dodie will be upset with him. Cue Delilah giving Alfred a Death Glare as the latter is quick to feel ashamed for intimidating Hunter.
• Alfred makes the mistake of intimidating Hunter again, this time triggering his dog-like behavior. He gets over the initial scare to try and snap Hunter out of it. Whilst it did appear that Alfred was trying to scare him, the last words he says to him, accompanied by his expression heavily implies he's actually concerned for Hunter as he does not want him to suffer through whatever it was Alfred went through.
  Alfred: "STOP! YOU! ARE! NOT! A! DOG! What if they saw you?! What if they catch you?! Do you not know where they take people like you?! LOOK AT ME, BOY! LOOK AT ME! DO YOU WANNA END UP LIKE ME?!!"
  • All the while, Delilah tries to calm Hunter down and protect him, acting more like a surrogate mother than a protective dog.
• After cornering the Dalmatian family, Alfred agrees to never bother them again as long as they let him take Hunter away. Doug doesn't approve of this deal.
• When the Dalmatian clan witness Alfred suffering a mental breakdown, they immediately react with shock once they notice him on the verge of passing out. As soon as Alfred comes to, the next we see of him is on a couch with a blanket around him.
  • Made just a little sweeter when Delilah comes in when Alfred comes to with this exchange:
  Alfred: And who are you, my doctor?
  Delilah: No, but for the past three hours, your nurse!
  • Alfred later takes Delilah's advice about taking some rest by calling Lillith and telling her he's taking a leave of absence.
• When Hunter lays bear the truth about his past, he defends the Dalmatian clan, saying they are better than him by letting him stay with them and how they forgave him for his sins.
• The Dalmatian pups all going to bed after the seige had ended is heartwarming enough, but Hunter is surrounded by Dizzy and Dee Dee, both of whom loved him the most.
  • When Hunter is dealing with intrusive thoughts, Deepak sits above him and talks with him, telling him that everyone has forgiven him.
• The Dalmatian family tries to make Hunter breakfast. The intent is very heartwarming.
• Before he gets the rundown, Alfred tries to reassure Hunter that he's not hurting anyone at the current moment in time.
  • Then once Hunter finally finishes his story and starts to worry that he can never be truly forgiven for his crimes, only for Alfred to immediately intervene and tell Hunter exactly what needs to be said:
  Alfred: You stood against her, in defense of the defenseless, for those you barely knew.
  Hunter: I was scared...
  Alfred: Of course you were scared! But what did you do? You didn't run, you didn't capitulate! You turned and faced everything that you knew, your whole world, your chance for happiness... And you threw it all away! Because you're nothing like her!
  Hunter: But it was me who—
  Alfred: She would have used someone else, Hunter, and if it was not you there, I shudder to think what could've been...
  • After this talk, Alfred gives Hunter a pat on the head.
  Alfred: You're a very good apple, Hunter. To a fault, almost.
• When Alfred is having his Villainous BSoD and is thinking of himself as trash, Lilith has this to say:
  Lilith: Well, you'd better get up then! Come now. That's not the Alfred I know. The director I know, would never have accepted defeat! You press on, even when everyone around you is against you! I've seen you wrangle in pet smuggling rings! Topple illegal delivery pigeon syndicates! Granted, your methods were often... blunt and pugnacious! But you kept your heart in the right place, despite it all.
• Dolly and Hunter playing airplane with the puppies. Not only is it adorable, but it also shows how much Hunter has become part of the family.
  • During this, the family start to notice that Dylan has become far too pre-occupied with cleaning to have any fun anymore. Dolly herself is so concerned for him that she hosts a family meeting to figure out a way to get him to snap out of it.
• The flashback montage of Alfred and Dorothy having fun and growing up together which in turn is how the former gained the ability to speak with animals.
  Alfred: She was like my big sister, as she grew up faster than me, that's why. Dorothy always had this sense when I was upset, she always knew what to say.

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