Basic Trope: The witness called to the stand is an animal or an inanimate object.
- Straight: Tropey the Wonder Dog is called to the witness stand to testify.
- Exaggerated:
- The witness in question is a goldfish in a bowl.
- The witness is a water cooler. When asked a question, a bubble comes up through the cooler.
- Downplayed:
- The witness in question is a talking parrot.
- A search dog was vital in the investigation, and a police officer presents the dog's findings.
- Tropey the Wonder Dog is specifically referred to as part of circumstantial evidence as showing a friendly demeanor but uncharacteristic anger towards the accused that the dog witnessed. Notably the prosecution has video showing the extensive measures they took to remove reasonable doubt by testing for other variables including volunteers with similar aspects of appearance, petting a cat before hand, cancer patients, and even actively antagonizing the dog in other ways couldn't produce similar anger.
- Justified:
- Tropey is a Talking Animal or Funny Animal and therefore can speak.
- Although Tropey cannot speak in a traditional sense, the trial takes place in a fantasy or sci-fi setting in which there are reliable methods for confirming his "testimony," making Tropey a potentially valuable source of information and therefore a valid witness.
- This is a Kangaroo Court, and the prosecutor "translates" Tropey's barks into an accusation of the defendant.
- This is a Kangaroo Court, and Tropey's testimony can be translated from Dog to Kangaroo.
- Inverted: A human being is called to testify in a court of animals.
- Subverted: When the next witness is called and comes to the stand, it is a man accompanied by a dog, presented in such a way as to make it seem like the dog is the witness and the man his handler - it's actually a blind man with a seeing-eye dog.
- Double Subverted: The seeing-eye dog ends up providing critical evidence or testimony.
- Parodied: The witness called to the stand is Mr. Stilton... A wedge of cheese.
- Zig Zagged: ???
- Averted:
- Nothing that isn't human is called up to testify.
- No trials appear in the work.
- Enforced: "We need to liven up this comedic series' courtroom episode with some Unconventional Courtroom Tactics!"
- Lampshaded: "What's wrong with an animal testifying? Half the people convicted already act like animals."
- Invoked: ???
- Exploited: "Tropey! Tell them I'm innocent, and I'll give you... a small piece of meat!" "DEAL!"
- Defied: Animals are specifically denied as valid testimony by the constitution of Troperia due to past abuses of tyrants, witch hunts, and other travesties.
- Discussed: "Did he just call the dog to testify?!"
- Conversed: "That wouldn't hold up in any court. Well, OK, maybe in Ruritania."
- Deconstructed: This wouldn't hold up in any Real Life courtroom, and is usually done when the lawyer is getting desperate.
- Reconstructed: The lawyer has done his homework, and only calls up material witnesses. Since Tropey is a material witness, and able to speak and reason, the lawyer is justified in calling him up to testify.
- Played For Drama: Bernie's client is losing the case badly, despite being innocent; calling up Tropey is a desperate last-ditch tactic to turn the trial around.
Back to Make the Dog Testify
