History Literature / ThePlagueDogs

A 1977 novel by Creator/RichardAdams about two dogs named [[BigFriendlyDog Rowf]] and [[MisterMuffykins Snitter]]. The two narrowly escape from an animal testing lab and roam the English countryside with the help of a fox known only as "[[NoNameGiven the tod]]" (a dialect word for "fox"). The facility, [[FunWithAcronyms Animal Research, Scientific and Experimental]], attempts to reclaim the dogs and spreads a rumour that the two harbour a dangerous bioweapon to assist in their capture, hence the title. It was [[AnimatedAdaptation made into an animated feature-length film]] in 1982, a few years after Adams' other book, ''Literature/WatershipDown''.

%%* AnimalTesting
%%* AnimalTalk

* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Rowf is afraid of water because of the drowning experiments he went through. At the end, he has to scape by swimming into the sea.

* DiabolusExMachina: Ephraim, the hunter who wants to adopt Snitter.

* AndThereWasMuchRejoicing: The dogs have a song about another dog from their lab. It ends with "His name was Kiff, he was black and white/He was burned to cinders--serve him right." [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]], since Rowf and Snitter actually seem to miss Kiff and often mention him.

Known for being DarkerAndGrittier than the previous work, it is set in the [[GrimUpNorth gray and wintry fells]] of England's [[OopNorth Lake District]]. The animated adaptation is an [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids infamous]] [[TearJerker/WesternAnimation Tear Jerker]] as well (to the point that many call it "a British version of ''Anime/GraveOfTheFireflies'' with dogs"); the original print of the film was censored for wide release and is [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes considered rare]].

* AluminiumChristmasTrees: Experiments depicted in the book are based on experiments that happened in real life. [[NightmareFuel All of them.]]

* [[spoiler:DownerEnding: The DeusExMachina is not present in the film version and it's strongly implied that the two protagonists die by drowning.]]

Should not be confused with the ''Series/{{Revolution}}'' episode "[[Recap/RevolutionS1E4ThePlagueDogs The Plague Dogs]]", even though the episode title almost certainly refers to this book and/or film adaptation.

* AnimalTesting
* AnimalTalk

** TheCuckoolanderWasRight: Occasionally.

* CrapsackWorld: For Rowf and Snitter.
* CunningLikeAFox: The tod is a literal example.

* HeroWithBadPublicity: Thanks to Digby Driver.

* IntellectualAnimal

* NoNameGiven: The tod. When Snitter asks his name he gives a tangential answer: he doesn't even understand the question.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/plaguedogs_3003.jpg]]

* AmbiguouslyJewish: Ephraim. He doesn't eat pork, is described as darkly-complexioned, strongly implied to be a survivor of UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust, and when trying to calm Snitter speaks German to him.
** Later dialogue between Phyllis and Vera confirms that at least they ''think'' he's Jewish, as he is described as "that poor Jewish gentleman."

* TheAtoner: [[IntrepidReporter Digby Driver]]. A lot of what goes wrong for the dogs is his fault, but he later makes up for it by [[spoiler:finding Snitter's owner and helping save the two dogs]].

* BriefAccentImitation: Rowf after their encounter with the sheepdogs. Snitter tells him it's not funny.

** SanitySlippageSong‎

* {{Foreshadowing}}: The ''[[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer first shot of the movie]]'' gives away how it ends by showing [[spoiler:one of the dogs in a vat of water, failing to stay afloat and beginning to drown]].

* IntrepidReporter: Digby Driver. He's a negative example, as he doesn't care about finding out the truth; he only wants to stir up trouble so he could sell his newspaper.

* EveryoneHasStandards: Driver Digby is generally a selfish, amoral bastard. However, he's disgusted and angered [[spoiler:when he finds out that Snitter's owner didn't die, and his sister still sold Snitter to A.R.S.E. Digby's anger over this surprises even himself.]]

* AmbiguouslyJewish: Ephraim. He doesn't eat pork, is described as darkly-complected, strongly implied to be a survivor of UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust, and when trying to calm Snitter speaks German to him.

* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: Played with. The "[[ManInWhite White]] [[MadScientist coats]]" certainly qualify here, even to the point of being [[HumansAreCthulhu Cthulhu-esque]], but most of the humans are three dimensional and are only after Rowf and Snitter because they killed sheep and eventually [[spoiler: a man]]. Completely averted in the case of Snitter's idea of "Masters," [[UndyingLoyalty whom he almost deifies]].

* ThoseWackyNazis: Alluded to in Ephraim's backstory about UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust, and present in the form of Dr. Goodner. It turns out his real name is [[HerrDokter Dr. Geutner]] and he was a researcher at Buchenwald during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.

** Stephen Powell barely appears, and former [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi]] scientist [[HerrDokter Dr. Goodner]] is only [[TheGhost mentioned]].

* EyeScream: Ephraim pointed his rifle at just the right angle, although we see nothing more than him clutching his face with blood everywhere.
* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: Oh so very many. [[spoiler: The tod]] is killed by hunters, both dogs are strongly implied to have drowned, a man is shot in the face with blood splattering everywhere, and a hunter is killed by a long fall and his corpse is eaten.

* EyeScream: The hunter pointed his rifle at just the right angle, although we see nothing more than him clutching his face with blood everywhere.

** There's also Stephen Powell, one of the scientists at the lab. [[spoiler:He eventually grows uncomfortably with the work being done there and quits, taking one of the lab monkeys with him.]]

* DiabolusExMachina: The hunter who wants to adopt Snitter.