Basic Trope: A student claims a dog ate their homework to explain why they don't have it. Often, the teacher does not believe this excuse.
- Straight: Bob's dog Tropey ate his homework, but his teacher doesn't believe the story.
- Exaggerated:
- Tropey ate Bob's entire schoolbag and everything in it, along with several of Bob's other possessions.
- Tropey ate Bob while he was doing his homework.
- All of the dogs in the neighborhood have eaten their owners' homework.
- Downplayed:
- Tropey chews on Bob's homework and spits it out, leaving it in no condition to be turned in.
- Tropey ate half of Bob's homework, which means Bob gets an F for this assignment (but at least not a zero).
- Justified:
- Bob's homework was an edible assignment for cooking class, and he left it on the floor where Tropey could reach it.
- As a puppy in teething stage, Tropey chews on pretty much everything.
- Bob is a pathological liar and his teacher is justified in not believing him.
- Bob often forgets to feed Tropey, so the poor dog eats random objects for sustenance.
- Bob (or his mom) spilled bacon grease on the paper, and the dog gobbled it up for that reason.
- Inverted:
- Subverted:
- Bob's homework disappears and he assumes it was Tropey; however, Bob had just carelessly misplaced it.
- Or the teacher does believe him.
- Double Subverted:
- However, as soon as Bob finds his homework, Tropey snatches it out of his hand and eats it.
- The teacher thinks about Bob's story and concludes that it isn't the whole truth.
- Parodied:
- Bob is an anthropomorphic dog with a bad habit of eating his own homework.
- Tropey gets some bread and condiments and eats the homework in a sandwich.
- Zig-Zagged: Tropey has occasionally been known to eat important documents, but at other times is very well-behaved. On the occasions where he does chew up homework, the teacher will sometimes believe it and sometimes won't. Furthermore, Bob has been known to lie to his teachers, so when he doesn't have his homework, it may not be Tropey's fault at all.
- Averted:
- Tropey never eats Bob's homework, and Bob never has to make excuses.
- Bob doesn't have a dog and is therefore rarely (if ever) in a position to use this excuse.
- Enforced: "Hmm, Bob has a cute dog that doesn't really do anything. I know, let's have an episode where the dog causes some trouble for once!"
- Lampshaded: "'A dog ate my homework, sir.' Oh man, that's the oldest excuse in the book! My teacher will never believe me!"
- Invoked: Bob feeds his homework to Tropey on purpose.
- Exploited: Bob takes advantage of his gullible teacher and uses this excuse even when Tropey doesn't eat his homework.
- Defied: Bob keeps Tropey and his homework very well-separated.
- Discussed: "You ate my homework? Seriously? Out of all the things in here you could have eaten, you picked my assignment that's due tomorrow! BAD DOG, Tropey! BAD DOG!"
- Conversed: "Oh, look. Bob just left his dog alone in the same room as those important documents. Three guesses what happens next."
- Implied: Bob looks almost everywhere for his homework... except the corner of his room where Tropey got in the night before.
- Deconstructed:
- Bob is faced with the dilemma of what to do with a neurotic, out-of-control dog that compulsively eats everything in sight. He even considers taking Tropey to the pound.
- Tropey begins to suffer severe stomach trouble due to eating Bob's homework.
- Reconstructed:
- After the incident, Bob helps calm Tropey down and always keeps his homework out of reach thereafter.
- Bob gets Tropey to a vet in time. He gets better. Tropey remembers the incident and learns his lesson.
- Played for Laughs: Tropey doesn't just eat the homework, he actually puts it between two bread slices, adds up some condiments, and enjoys it as if it's a delicious sandwich!
- Played for Drama: That assignment was very important, possibly Bob's last chance to avoid repeating the grade he has been stuck in up to this point, and with it gone he has no hope of avoiding that fate. Bonus points (for tragedy) if he unleashes his frustration on Tropey, despite the poor animal not being aware of the consequences of what he has done.
Tropey! You bad dog! Did you eat the link back to A Dog Ate My Homework— oh no, wait, there it is... Sorry, boy.
