History Main / DiabolicalDogCatcher

Not a very popular trope among modern day dog catchers (more properly referred to as animal control officers), who are more concerned about taking good care of stray animals and finding them a good home. This may have been more TruthInTelevision in the past, however, due to ValuesDissonance on animal welfare. This trope goes hand in hand with PoundsAreAnimalPrisons, another relic of the bad old days. Contrast with RightHandAttackDog and AngryGuardDog, when the dog is actually the pet of the antagonist in its own right.

* ''WesternAnimation/44Cats'': The Cat-Catchers are quite open with the fact that they hate cats, and enjoy locking them up.

** The dogcatcher featured in the [[WesternAnimation/LadyAndTheTrampIIScampsAdventure sequel]] is far more mean-spirited. He places the puppy Scamp in the same cell as a particularly vicious dog, not caring a bit for the possible consequences. He also reacts with savage pleasure at encountering Tramp, seeing him as "the one who got away".

* In the 1986 Disney film ''Little Spies'', the city dog catchers get their hands on the stray that the KidHero protagonists befriended and gleefully refuse to sell it to them, telling them that they will gas the poor dog [[NiceJobFixingItVillain and the exact]] day and hour [[RaceAgainstTheClock in which it will happen]], making the kids decide to break into the pound and save the dog. The pound, by the way, is [[TheAlcatraz so heavily fortified]] that the kids have to go full G-rated ''Series/MissionImpossible'' to do it.

-->'''Ed Bighead''': [sweeping dog poop, [[AsideGlance looks into the camera]]] [[CatchPhrase I hate my life]].

* ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'': One episode has Ed Bighead running for the election of dog catcher with the very express resolution of becoming one of these and Rocko running as a contender to try to prevent it. Ed gets help from a professional PR manager who creates a campaign that allows him to win (and sells Rocko as one of history's greatest monsters), but [[PyrrhicVictory he doesn't gets]] [[LaserGuidedKarma to enjoy it at all]] because the very same election had people vote for a new law for a very highly liberal treatment of animals (including building them a specialized amusement park) that reduced Ed's role to that of a glorified poop-scooper.

* Downplayed for the dogcatcher in ''Film/{{Annie}}''. He wants to take Sandy to the pound, but there's no implication that he wanted to hurt Sandy or put him to sleep. However, he is a bit snarky (he says, "He's no more your dog than I am your father!") and Annie seems scared at the prospect of Sandy being taken to the pound, suggesting that ''she'' believes this trope is in play.

* ''WesternAnimation/Madagascar3EuropesMostWanted'' features a Monaco-based animal control agent named Chantel [=DuBois=]. [=DuBois=] goes way beyond her jurisdiction hunting down the main characters, not so she can lock them up, but so she can mount Alex's head on her wall (The wall itself is covered in all kinds of animal heads, suggesting she does this with all her targets). Her dialogue even suggests that she's been killing animals and making trophies out of them ''since she was a child''.

* Walden MacNair from ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePrisonerOfAzkaban'' is a fantasy example. He works for the Ministry of Magic's Department for the Regulation and Control of Dangerous Creatures, making him essentially the magical equivalent of an animal control officer. He clearly loves killing, and is disappointed that he doesn't get to execute Buckbeak the hippogriff. In [[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire the following book]], it's revealed that he's actually a Death Eater.

A ForgottenTrope, this trope describes animal control agents who enjoy their job a little ''too'' much. They get a sick thrill out of capturing stray dogs, imprisoning them and even putting the poor things down. A tag won't matter to these people, and they are likely to get rid of it so they can get the satisfaction their prisoners are not going to good homes and loving families.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'':
** The exterminator seen in "Along Came a Sister" takes great joy in his work, even taking a moment to gas two harmless ladybugs on the Louds' front lawn.
** "Pets Peeved" features two animal control agents Corinne and Schmitty. Though of the two of them, Corrinne is the more diabolical one, while Schmitty seems more like a PunchClockVillain.

* Downplayed for the dogcatcher in ''Film/{{Annie}}''. He wants to take Sandy to the pound, but there's no implication that he wanted to hurt Sandy or put him to sleep. However, he is a bit snarky (he says, "He's no more your dog than I am your father!") and Annie seems scared at the prospect of Sandy being taken to the pound.

* Most of the animal control officers in ''Literature/ADogsWayHome'' are genuinely nice people who want the best for dogs. Chuck is one of the exceptions. Even his co-workers dislike him. Chuck has a hatred for pit bulls and has strong feelings towards the city's pit bull ban. Unfortunately, he has a habit of dubbing any dog with a passing resemblance to a pit bull one, which means many dogs are euthanized. Bella is likely a mongrel and is described as looking more like a mastiff or Rottweiler, but Chuck thinks she's a pit bull so she's a pit bull (even when his co-workers disagree). Bella's owner is given a lot of trouble after he's reported to Animal Control, with the only option being Bella leaves Denver or she gets put down. This is, unfortunately, TruthInTelevision, as many dogs that look like pits in real life are also often labeled as them even if they're a different breed, only deepening the stigma against them.

* In ''Film/SantaBuddies'', this is subverted for Mr. Grooge. The stray dogs all run from him and he comes off as intimidating, but he turns out to be nice and adopts Tiny out.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' episode "Pets Peeved" features two animal control agents Corinne and Schmitty. Though of the two of them, Corrinne is the more diabolical one, while Schmitty seems more like a PunchClockVillain.

* WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts: WesternAnimation/{{Pete}} plays a cackling, evil dogcatcher roaming around to kidnap people's pets, stuff them in his wagon and take them to the pound in several shorts, such as ''The Mad Dog'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheWormTurns'', in which [[WesternAnimation/PlutoThePup Pluto]] winds up captured (or is threatened with capture) by Pete, who flat-out tries to ''murder'' the dog with a shotgun when he resists! Needless to say, such scenes are censored from modern-day showings of these cartoons.

* ''WesternAnimation/RudeDogAndTheDweebs'': Rude Dog has to contend with evil dog catchers. The show even has an evil dog sidekick who thought nothing of selling out his fellow mutts.

A ForgottenTrope, this trope describes animal control agents who enjoy their job a little ''too'' much. He/she gets a sick thrill out of capturing stray dogs, imprisoning them and even putting the poor things down. A tag won't matter to these people, and they are likely to get rid of it so they can get the satisfaction their prisoners are not going to good homes and loving families.

%%* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfSuperMarioBros3'': The dog catcher from "Life's Ruff".

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' episode "Pets Peeved" features two animal control agents Corinne and Schmitty. Though of the two of them, Corrinne is the more diobolical one, while Schmitty seems more like a PunchClockVillain.

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* Zigzagged in ''WesternAnimation/LadyAndTheTramp''. The dogcatchers seem more like a metaphor, moving stray dogs and other 'undesirables' out of the nice part of town, but on the other hand the Tramp ''is'' a mischief maker and is caught in the [[HelpMistakenForAttack apparent act of attacking a baby]]. While guards in the PoundsAreAnimalPrisons sequence lead a dog off to euthanasia as if taking a human to execution, they're also gentle with Lady and quickly contact her owners.

* ''[[Film/OneHundredAndOneDalmatians1996 101 Dalmatians]]'' opens with an in-universe case as Roger, who's a video game developer, is working on a game where you play as a dog and are running from one of these. The tiredness of the trope is [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] as the other devs Roger works with really hate the idea. (Putting in CruellaToAnimals works though.)

[[folder: Web Original]]
* Zigzagged with the Neopian Pound in ''Website/{{Neopets}}'':

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'' episode "Pets Peeved" features two animal control agents Corinne and Schmitty who are very stubborn about catching animals, and are [[{{JerkAss}} jerkasses]] to boot.

Not a very popular trope among modern day dog catchers (more properly referred to as animal control officers), who are more concerned about taking good care of stray animals and finding them a good home. This may have been more TruthInTelevision in the past, however, due to ValuesDissonance on animal welfare. This trope goes hand in hand with PoundsAreAnimalPrisons, another relic of the bad old days.

Modern villains on the other hand are more inclined to own [[AngryGuardDog villainous]] [[RightHandAttackDog dogs]] to further their {{Evil Plan}}s, especially {{Hellhound}}s. Such savage dogs are perfect {{Canine Companion}}s for a CardCarryingVillain nowadays.