Even a comic strip featuring a cast of adorable animals is not enough to hide the sad realities that is often discussed.
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General
- The Running Gag of Earl howling for his Ozzie, despite it being played for laughs.
- Many of the holiday strips, especially the Mother's Day ones, can come off as this.
- Woofie is an energetic dog that all the other animals, including Mooch, run away from and seem to dislike because of his "wuv". Even worse, Woofie doesn't seem to recognize all of this.
- Guard Dog is arguably a big example. While his exact origins remain unknown, it's very clear that his unseen owner wants nothing to do with him. He's tethered 24/7 (okay, he gets out briefly to join the cast), forbidden from going inside the house, regularly shows aggressive behavior and the list goes on and on. At night he attempts to impress the moon by howling, not just because he's lonely, but because he longs to be accepted as a "good" dog by his owner as he has yet to accept him as part of his family. He does gets his happy ending though (see example below).
- Shtinky Puddin' (Jules), representing animal rights activists, tries all he can to inform humans that their activities are slowly killing endangered species and the world around them, but because he's a cat and therefore cannot be understood, he's often tempted to give up and hides under the blanket in despair and fear.
- Sid. He's a depressed goldfish who's only loved by his main caretaker, Frank, and his housemate, Mooch, but never Millie. He is notable for appearing in an early strip in which he hears Millie laugh, "It's a small world!" on the phone, which deeply saddens him. To make matters worse, he is taken care of very poorly because his owners literally forget about him.
Strips
- In this Sunday strip
, Butchie has a crush on his girlfriend, who happens to be one of his most frequent customers outside of Earl and Mooch. However, when the woman says her order is for "Ralph", Butchie interprets it as something else and as she says goodbye to him, he stares longingly at her, clearly heartbroken and devastated. It turns out that the "Ralph" in question is actually the lady's dog and she does return her feelings for Butchie later on, but still...Butchie: Why is it the 'good' ones are always taken?Frank: Dat's life, Butch. - For Farm Animal Awareness Week, Chippy the chipmunk sings his rendition of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" to Earl and Mooch before abruptly stopping mid-song when a bird gives him a letter.Chippy: Friends, I've just been informed that Mr. MacDonald has sold his business to a factory farm where the chickens will be crammed into tight cages and will never see the light of day.(Beat.)Chippy: E-I-E-I-O.
- Almost the entire "Guard Dog Story". It starts off with Guard Dog wishing to be free from his chain and the day after Doozy pays him a visit before leaving for the week, he sees a moving truck parked in front of his house. Guard Dog quickly realizes that his owners are moving out without them and continues screaming as they continue to intentionally ignore him.Guard Dog: The moving truck is going!!! My owner's leaving!?! What about the dog!?! You forgot the dog!!! STAY! STAY!
