History Main / HeroicPet

A HeroicPet show is a show that stars a non-anthorpomorphic animal that regularly engages in heroic acts. Such animals are almost always pets or companion animals, however a few examples are about animals have no permanent owner but still choose to help people. Such animals are always physically normal, and in live action shows are potrayed by real animals. They also do not talk or otherwise display sapience, nor do they have supernatural powers.

They do, however, tend to be shown as being somewhat smarter and more aware that most real life animals, and generaly demonstrate a remarkable ability to follow specific instructions, usually along the lines of "Go get help, Tropey" or "Take the rope to TropeTan, Tropey!" They will also often take the initiative to do whatever needs to be done to rescue a person. This phenomenon is known as TimmyInAWell.

Most HeroicPet shows center on a family that owns the pet. In these shows, the daily lives of the human characters will play an important role. However, it is the animal that will always get the title billing, and the animal will perform some act of heroism at least once an episode. Such stories will often feature ABoyAndHisX, in that there will be a child who has the most interaction with the animal. The child is often the character who ends up needing to be saved, but this is not always the case.

Other works depart from the family centered model. They may, for example, mix CopShow with HeroicPet show by having the lead animal be a police dog.

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!!Examples:

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* ''AirBud'' is a cross between the HeroicPet show and the SportsStory. Instead of saving lives, the titular dog helps a basketball team win a game.
* The titular dog of ''{{Film/Beethoven}}'' saves Emily from drowning, Ryce from being raped, the family from being swindled, as well as other feats of heroism.
* The ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benji Benji series]]'' is a series of movies about a the titular fictional dog. The eponymous canine character is a small, lovable mixed-breed dog with an uncanny knack for being in the right place at the right time, usually to help someone overcome a problem. In the first movie, the dog helps free kidnapped children. Latter movies have similar acts of heroism.
* ''OldYeller'' has the titular HeroicDog save family members on several occasions.
* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Won_Ton_Ton,_the_Dog_Who_Saved_Hollywood Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood]]'' in an AffectionateParody of the HeroicPet genre.

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lad,_A_Dog Lad: A Dog]]'', by Albert Payson Terhune, was published in 1919. Lad, a heroic collie with “absurdly small white forepaws,” battles burglars, rescues children, and wins dog shows. This was also adopted as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lad,_A_Dog_(film) a film.]]

[[AC:{{Live-Action TV}}]]
* ''Series/{{Lassie}}'' is a long-running television series the featured the exploits of [[HeroicDog heroic collie dog]] Lassie.
* ''{{Flipper}}'' is about a HeroicDolphin who is adopted by the family of a Florida park ranger.
* ''SkippyTheBushKangaroo'' could be described as ''{{Flipper}}'' [[LandDownUnder Down Under]]. It features the exploits of a heroic kangaroo living with the family of a park ranger.
* ''TheLittlestHobo'' is a Canadian television series that chronicled the journeys of an unnamed heroic German Shepherd who travelled from town to town, helping people in need.
* ''HeresBoomer'' was an American series that followed the adventures of Boomer, a stray dog that traveled around helping people in trouble.
* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Rin_Tin_Tin The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin]]'' was a [[TheWestern Western series]] about a oprhaned boy and his [[HeroicDog heroic german shepherd]] living in TheWildWest.
* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katts_and_Dog Rin Tin Tin: K-9 Cop]]'' is a Canadian series about Canine Officer Hank Katts and his canine partner. It combines the HeroicPet and BuddyCopShow genres.
* ''InspectorRex'' is an Austrian series about a cop-canine partnership that combines the the HeroicPet and BuddyCopShow genres.
* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentle_Ben Gentle Ben]]'' a is about young boy and his adventures with a lovable 650-pound American black bear named Ben


[[AC:{{Western Animation}}]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' has the "Buttons and Mindy" shorts, which are a parody of ''Series/{{Lassie}}''. In these stories, Buttons goes through great pains to keep the infant child Mindy safe, only to have his exploits go completely unnoticed by Mindy's mother, who always finds a reason to scold Buttons for being a bad dog at the end of the story.
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* ''{{Lassie}}'' is a long-running television series the featured the exploits of [[HeroicDog heroic collie dog]] Lassie.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' has the "Buttons and Mindy" shorts, which are a parody of ''{{Lassie}}''. In these stories, Buttons goes through great pains to keep the infant child Mindy safe, only to have his exploits go completely unnoticed by Mindy's mother, who always finds a reason to scold Buttons for being a bad dog at the end of the story.
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<<|ShowGenres|>>
<<|AnimalTropes|>>

* The ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benji Benji series]] is a series of movies about a the titular fictional dog. The eponymous canine character is a small, lovable mixed-breed dog with an uncanny knack for being in the right place at the right time, usually to help someone overcome a problem. In the first movie, the dog helps free kidnapped children. Latter movies have similar acts of heroism.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' has the "Buttons and Mindy" shorts, which are a parody of ''{{Lassie}}''. In these stories, Buttons goes to great lengths to save the infant child Mindy from various threats, suffering great pain in the process, only to have his exploits go completely unnoticed by Mindy's mother, who always finds a reason to scold Buttons for being a bad dog at the end of the story.

* ''[[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Won_Ton_Ton,_the_Dog_Who_Saved_Hollywood Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood]]'' in an AffectionateParody of the HeroicPet genre.

* ''Won Ton Ton'Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood' in an AffectionateParody of the HeroicPet genre.

A HeroicPet show is a show that stars a non-anthorpomorphic animal that regularly engages in heroic acts. Such animals are almost always pets or companion animals, however a few examples are about animals have no permanent owner but still choose to help people. Such animals are always physically normal, and in live action shows are potrayed by real animals. They also do not talk or otherwise display sapience, nor do they have supernatural powers.

* ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lad,_A_Dog Lad: A Dog]]'', by Albert Payson Terhune, was published in 1919. Lad, a heroic collie with “absurdly small white forepaws,” battles burglars, rescues children, and wins dog shows. This was also adopted as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lad,_A_Dog_(film) a film.]]

A HeroicPet show is a show that stars a non-anthorpomorphic pet or companion animal that regularly engages in heroic acts. Such animals are always physically normal, and in live action shows are potrayed by real animals. They also do not talk or otherwise display sapience, nor do they have supernatural powers.

They do, however, tend to be shown as being somewhat smarter and more aware that most real life animals, and generaly demonstrate a remarkable ability to follow specific instructions, usually along the lines of "Go get help, Tropey" or "Take the rope to TropeTan, Tropey!" They will also often take the initiative to do whatever needs to be done to rescue a person. This is phenomena is known as TimmyInAWell.

* ''WesternAnimation/Animaniacs'' has the "Buttons and Mindy" shorts, which are a parody of ''{{Lassie}}''. In these stories, Buttons goes to great lengths to save the infant child Mindy from various threats, suffering great pain in the process, only to have his exploits go completely unnoticed by Mindy's mother, who always finds a reason to scold Buttons for being a bad dog at the end of the story.

* ''{{Film/Beethoven}}''

* Gromit from ''{{Wallace and Gromit}}''

* ''AirBud''

* ''Benji''
* ''Disney/{{Bolt}}''
* ''OldYeller''
* ''Won Ton Ton'' in an AffectionateParody.

<<|AnimalTropes|>>

* ''Gentle Ben''

* ''{{Benji}}''

* ''Won Ton Ton'' in an AffectionateParody
* ''Disney/{{Bolt}}''

* ''InspectorRex''

* ''The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin''

* ''HeresBoomer''

* ''{{Flipper}}''

* ''{{Lassie}}''
* ''SkippyTheBushKangaroo''

* ''TheLittlestHobo''

Shows and/or movies with a (non-anthropomorphized/talking, although probably unusually intelligent) animal as the star.

NeedsABetterDescription

* Brain from ''InspectorGadget''
* Pluto from Disney productions

* ''{{Bolt}}''

* ''{{Beethoven}}''

* ''Skippy, The Bush Kangaroo''

* ''Benji''

* ''Beethoven''

* ''Bolt''

Examples:
* ''{{Lassie}}''
* ''Skippy, The Bush Kangaroo''
* Brain from ''InspectorGadget''
* ''InspectorRex''
* ''TheLittlestHobo''
* ''The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin''
* ''Gentle Ben''

* ''HeresBoomer''

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* ''The Littlest Hobo''

* ''{{Here's Boomer}}''

* ''Here's Boomer''