The eighth episode of the first season of The Looney Tunes Show.
Thanks to Pete Puma's bumbling, Taz the Tasmanian devil escapes from the zoo. He comes to Bugs' house, where Bugs mistakes him for a dog and tries to keep him as a pet.
This episode features the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote short, "Unsafe at Any Speed".
This episode provides examples of:
- Adaptational Heroism: Taz goes from the antagonist he was in the Looney Tunes shorts to Bugs Bunny's pet.
- Adaptational Nonsapience: In the original Looney Tunes-short, Taz was as antromorphic as the other characters (if way more stupid). Here, he is a "normal" animal (unlike Bugs and Co.) and is mistaken for a dog by Bugs.
- All Animals Are Dogs: In this episode, Bugs staunchly insists that Taz is a dog, whom he dubs Poochie. Speedy teaches him a dog-training trick, but cautions that it only works on dogs, and he's not convinced Taz is one.
- Alliterative Title: Devil Dog.
- Ash Face: In the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote short, "Unsafe at Any Speed", as Wile E. tries to walk across the rocket car he drives, he gets burned by its tailpipe.
- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Daffy comes across a wanted poster and finds out that Bugs' new pet is a vicious tasmanian devil. He runs off to warn Bugs, but then gets distracted by a poster for guitar lessons. After one lesson, Daffy gets back to warning Bugs, but when he gets to the Worstminster dog show, he gets distracted by a souvenir shop and buys a green hoodie. He rushes back to Bugs when Mac and Tosh announce Bugs is about to enter Taz into the dog show.
- Bad Liar: Daffy previously stole Halloween candy and ordered a lot of pay-per-view movies, both of which he blamed on aliens.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: While everyone and everything else reacts to Taz's introduction with well-justified terror, Bugs immediately assumes that he's a dog and dotes on him accordingly. As a result, Bugs is the only character Taz is automatically nice to—and one of the few he doesn’t try to murder.
- Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs: This line from Bugs when he finds his personal items destroyed by Taz:"AHH! My glamour shot! AHH! My tennis trophy! AHH! My glamour shot of my tennis trophy! NOOOO!"
- Cat Up a Tree: Daffy sees dozens of panicked cats in one tree to try to evade Taz.
- Chekhov's Gag: On his way to warn Bugs that Taz is a vicious tasmanian devil, Daffy gets distracted by a souvenir stand and buys a green hoodie. He later uses the hoodie to disguise Taz and get him safely past the S.W.A.T. team trying to capture him.
- Dumbass Has a Point: Daffy learns that what Bugs thinks is a dog is really a Tasmanian Devil. Bugs ironically doesn't buy it at first, probably because it's Daffy trying to warn him.
- Enemy Mine: Sylvester and Tweety work together to evade Taz when he runs loose in Granny's house and tries to hunt them down.
- Exit, Pursued by a Bear: The Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote short, "Unsafe at Any Speed" ends with Wile E., having gone back to prehistoric times, being chased by Road Runner's dinosaur ancestor.
- Friendship Moment: After narrowly escaping Taz, Daffy tries to keep Bugs from going back into the house. When Bugs refuses to listen, Daffy confesses to assorted bad things he did (not that Bugs didn't already know, given the quality of Daffy's lies).
- Furniture Blockade: As they try to evade Taz, Sylvester and Tweety hide in the dining room and use the table to block the door. Taz manages to push the door open and eat the table.
- Hellish Pupils: Taz had vertical slits for pupils prior to his domestication.
- Huge Rider, Tiny Mount: As they try to evade Taz, Sylvester clings onto Tweety, who flies through the air, carrying him. Tweety has little trouble carrying Sylvester despite the cat being several times his size.
- I Can't Hear You: Since Granny is a 90-year-old woman, she can't hear very well. As a result, this exchange occurs when Bugs and Daffy ask her if Taz belongs to her:Bugs: We're sorry to bother you, but did you lose a pet?
Granny: Lose a bet? Oh, I don't gamble. I mean, I'll buy a lottery ticket now and then.
Bugs: No, no, not a bet, a pet. We found this dog.
Granny: Oh, you found my clog! Oh, thank goodness! I've been looking everywhere for it!
(Granny pulls up her skirt, revealing her to be wearing only one clog)
Bugs: Oh, brother. Forget the clog. What she really needs is a hearing aid.
Granny: Cheering maid? What's a cheering maid?
Daffy: (as Sylvester and Tweety try to evade Taz) You know, a cheering maid. It's basically a cheerleader who cleans your house. Sometimes they'll get in pyramid formations. They wear cute little pleated skirts that can double as mops. Come on, lady! Cheering maids! They wax the floors with their ponytails, they chant the names of various cleaning products, they vacuum your floors while dating the captain of the football team! They do W-I-N-D-O-W-S! Windows! Wi-i-i-in-dows! They dry your laundry by waving it like a flag! You know, cute little girls with names like Cindy, Margie, Britney! There's always a Britney, with her toothy little smile and feather duster. What don't you understand? They're real energetic! They use pom-poms instead of sponges! Wait! Why are we still talking about cheering maids? Is this your dog or not?
Granny: Do I know the fox trot? Oh, why yes, of course! - Incorrect Animal Noise: Taz initially roars like a tiger. After he gets tamed, he goes back to making his usual yelling noises (which ironically sound more like a real Tasmanian Devil).
- Instantly Defeathered Bird: In the epilogue, Taz strips Daffy of his feathers after Daffy tries unsuccessfully to get him off of (what's left of) his recliner.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Daffy. When he finds out that Taz is a vicious Tasmanian Devil, he rushes off to the Worstminster Dog Show, concerned for Bugs' safety. When Bugs explains to him that Taz isn't vicious but is now in danger thanks to him, Daffy helps Bugs by giving him his hoodie to disguise Taz and get him safely past the S.W.A.T. team, then pretends to be Taz so the S.W.A.T. team will go after him instead. Daffy may be vain and selfish, but this episode proves that he does care for Bugs.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: After having to deal with Granny's hearing problems, Daffy heads home, saying he would rather keep Taz than prolong any of this nonsense.
- Pet Contest Episode: After Taz becomes Bugs' pet, Bugs finds out about the Worstminster Dog Show and decides to enter Taz in it.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: When Taz first appears, he has red eyes as an indication of his sinister motive. After Speedy tames him, Taz's eyes become yellow.
- Running on All Fours: In this incarnation, Taz runs on all fours like a real Tasmanian Devil.
- Shout-Out:
- The entire prologue is a huge one to the opening of Jurassic Park.
- Near the end of the episode, after Bugs returns Taz to Tasmania and begins to miss him, he sees Taz on the wing of the airplane he is on, a reference to the The Twilight Zone (1959) episode, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet".
- Daffy watches a movie very similar to Friday the 13th.
- Shown Their Work: Taz is often shown walking on all fours in contrast to his usual bipedal depiction. Real Tasmanian devils are quadrupeds.
- Sticky Shoes: In the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote short, "Unsafe at Any Speed", Wile E. uses magnetic boots to stick to the rocket car he drives in his attempt to catch Road Runner.
- Team Pet: Taz has been regulated to this role with Bugs as the owner, and by the end of this episode actually becomes a recurring pet.
- Tempting Fate: Getting the paper, Daffy remarks they're in store for another boring day. Then he sees a snarling Taz on the doorstep.
- Time Travel: At the end of the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote short, "Unsafe at Any Speed", Wile E.'s rocket car reaches 9000 MPH, which causes Wile E. to go back to prehistoric times, where he encounters Road Runner's dinosaur ancestor.
- Too Dumb to Live: Pete Puma. In this episode's prologue, Pete, who is working as a zookeeper, is given explicit instructions from the people who gave him Taz to never remove the lock to his cage, as Taz is a vicious animal who will destroy anything he gets near. After the people leave, Pete chases after them with the lock in his hand saying "Hey mister! you forgot your lock!" Later in the episode, Pete comes across Taz as he is hanging wanted posters all over the city, but fails to see that Bugs' new pet is the exact same dangerous animal he's looking for.
- Whateversaurus: The end of the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote short, "Unsafe at Any Speed", has Wile E. getting chased by a Roadrunnersaurus, a gigantic prehistoric counterpart of Road Runner with sharp teeth, a long tail, fins, and scaly skin in place of feathers.
