Rita

## Character information

### Personality

Kind, caring, funny, tough, proud, compassionate, reasonable, independent, thoughtful, aspiring, righteous, intellectual, truthful, and protective

### Description

Slender tan Saluki with both brown hair and ears, light tan underbelly, black nose, and blue eyelids

### Goal

To help Fagin make money, to help Oliver find a new home; later, to save Jenny from Sykes

### Friends

Oliver, Dodger, Tito, Einstein, Francis, Fagin, Jenny, Winston, and Georgette

### Fate

Returns home with her boss and buddies while singing.

### Quote

"Relax, kid."

**Rita** is one of Fagin's dogs in Disney's *Oliver & Company*. She was voiced by Sheryl Lee Ralph whereas Ruth Pointer provided her singing voice during the song, "Streets of Gold" only.

## Description

Rita is a slender tan Saluki with both brown hair and ears, light tan underbelly, black nose, and blue eyelids. She is the only female member of Fagin's dog-gang. Rita acts like a mother figure to Oliver sometimes as proven at some points when she takes care of him, teaches him while singing "Streets of Gold" as a way of educating him about the rough and tough streets of New York and about "how the best survive by keeping their dreams alive," protects him from danger, and happily says good-bye to him at the end. Of all the dogs in the gang, she appears to be the only one convinced that Oliver is happy in his new home after being adopted by a wealthy little girl named Jenny Foxworth.

It is also revealed that she has a crush on Dodger when she calls him "Dodgie baby" while asking him how he got the sausages for their dinner, compliments him when he is wearing his sunglasses as he watches a Baseball game on T.V., shows a sign of disgust when Roscoe tries flirting with her, and shows Dodger how worried she is when she notices him limping a little after his last encounter with Roscoe and DeSoto.

However, sometimes, she can show a minor sign of jealousy especially when it comes to Dodger and other female dogs as shown when she pulls him away from some female dogs he and Tito were checking out during the reprise of "Why Should I Worry."

She is shown to be kind, caring, funny, tough, proud, compassionate, reasonable, independent, thoughtful, aspiring, righteous, intellectual, truthful, and protective.

## Appearances

### *Oliver & Company*

In a barge, Rita is first seen along with Einstein sleeping in their own respective sleeping quarters while Francis is busy watching T.V. and Tito is listening to some music. Later, when she hears Francis and Tito arguing loudly, Rita suddenly wakes up and silences them. Then, she goes over to check up on a collection of "loot" in a box for her owner, Fagin; deducing that the latter is not going to be too happy about this when he returns. After asking Francis if he got the food, Rita and the others become more upset and disappointed when they learn that Francis had actually forgotten the fact that it was his turn to get the food today.

Luckily, their leader and Rita's love interest, Dodger arrives just in time to cheer them up with his own stolen stash of food for the day: hot dogs. While enjoying their dinner, they ask Dodger to tell them how he did it. At first, Dodger describes every event that occurred during the day until he begins to exaggerate when he mentions a "monster" in his story, which begins to frighten Rita and the others. But then, everyone becomes even more scared, panics, and each one tries to find a place to hide when something covered in cloth suddenly falls and crashes into their home right in front of them; thinking it's the "monster" from Dodger's story. Wondering what it is and after Tito naively thinks it's an "alien", then panics, and flees in terror when the latter accidentally scratches him on the nose, Rita points out to everyone that it's actually a cat named Oliver when she sees the result for herself.

Having learned half of the truth, the gang except Dodger surrounds and interrogates Oliver. Rita silences Tito with a kick when the latter naively thinks that Oliver is lying when he explains that he followed Dodger in response to Rita's question. However, after Oliver answers Francis and Einstein's questions and Tito, thinking that Oliver is a spy, insists that they eat him instead, Oliver further reveals the truth about his involvement in Dodger's sausage theft and with Dodger to respectfully back him up when he fully admits that the former did in fact, help him in his latest scheme, Rita and the others begin to develop respect for the kitten.

Then, Rita "compliments" Dodger on his "burning eyes" (a detail mentioned and described earlier about the "monster" by the latter) while the others proceed to mock and laugh at him about his "monster" story while watching the baseball game on T.V.. Then, a dogpile fight commences with the rest of the dogs after Tito annoyingly provokes Dodger with his constant persiflage. Although considering her friends as overgrown and immature, Rita finally joins in as well when Tito accidentally lands on her. Slightly frightened, Oliver hides inside the "loot" box during the fight.

Later, a voice is heard in the background, telling the dogs to stop the play-fight. It is revealed to be the dogs' owner, Fagin, having returned home with a box of dog biscuits, which he presumably either bought or stole earlier in the day for his pets. When the dogs cease the play-fight and notice the box, Fagin tries to remind them that his evil boss, Sykes will be here any minute for the money he owes him, which he unfortunately doesn't have, only to receive a warm welcome from his dogs instead to make him forget about his worries as they proceed to lick him affectionately despite his protests. However, their happiness is short-lived when they hear a honking noise outside, knowing this means that Sykes has arrived, so, he asks his dogs to bring him the "loot" box. Unfortunately, Fagin is disappointed by the junk his dogs brought for him as "loot" to pay back Sykes and before he can examine Oliver whom he discovers inside the box, Sykes' two Dobermans, Roscoe and DeSoto suddenly barge in and shoo him out to talk to their master while they taunt his dogs as Oliver hides from them.

While Fagin is out talking to Sykes and DeSoto sniffs around the place, Rita is initially repulsed by Roscoe trying in vain to flirt with her, only for the latter to be deliberately insulted by Francis later on; whom he angrily confronts in response, challenged to a fight by Tito halted by Einstein to avoid any real trouble, and insulted by Einstein; whom he angrily confronts in response until Dodger finally intervenes in order to calm him down. When Dodger asks him if he's lost his sense of humor, Roscoe replies otherwise and deliberately smashes the T.V. with a kick to prove his point, sadistically stating that he finds that funny as he lets out a cold, sinister chuckle. Later, when it's time for the Dobermans to leave after hearing their master call for them with his car horn, Oliver is unfortunately discovered by DeSoto and when Oliver scratches him on the nose for trying in vain to eat him rather than to heed his master's call, both Dobermans try to attack him, but not before Dodger and later, the rest of the gang intervene in order to protect their new cat friend from their enemies; making them hesitate when they realize they are outnumbered.

When their master calls for them again, Rita sarcastically drives mainly Roscoe out. So, Roscoe and DeSoto leave but not before swearing revenge on their enemies, starting with Oliver.

Then, after accidentally falling off a pier, Fagin walks in all wet and sad, lamenting over the three days he has been given by Sykes as his last chance to pay him back or suffer the consequences that may befall both him and his dogs. Feeling sorry for their master, Rita and the others do everything they can to cheer him up. Rita fetches a cover from her bed and, with Francis' help, covers him up while the others help him relax his feet, put on his slippers, and feed him a dog biscuit. Rejoiced, Fagin thanks his dogs; much to their joy. After meeting and accepting Oliver into the gang, it's time for bed but Einstein insists Fagin read them a bedtime story first. At first, Fagin is reluctant as he is too tired but after hearing Einstein's sad whining, he changes his mind and chooses to read only one chapter for tonight as Rita goes over to her bed, relaxes, and listens to his story. Later, once everyone is asleep, Rita is suddenly awakened when she hears and sees Oliver rushing over to sleep with Dodger. At first, Dodger is baffled but after noticing both Rita and Oliver smile with joy, he quickly understands that the kitten loves him. Deeply touched, both he and Rita go back to sleep; each with a smile on his/her face this time.

The next morning, the gang including Oliver is riding through the streets in Fagin's scooter. After crashing in an alley, Fagin instructs his pets to get out and search for food while he tries to find a way to earn or even steal money within the next two days before the deadline. Wanting to help their owner with his financial problems while searching for food at the same time, the dogs as well as Oliver agree on this plan and proceed to execute it, starting on Columbus Avenue. Then, the gang; especially Rita, teaches Oliver a lesson about how the best survive by keeping their dreams alive and working together through singing "Streets of Gold". During the song, the gang saves Oliver from a vicious alley dog by simply growling at him, which makes the alley dog cower and run away in fear. The gang is amused when they notice Oliver "barking" like a dog at his wannabe-attacker before carrying on with their objective.

Noticing a beige limousine in their path, Dodger comes up with a plan on how to steal the car's radio that Fagin can pawn off at a shop and earn money in exchange as minor payment for his debt to Sykes, using Einstein and mainly, Francis as distractions and Tito as the "electrician/electronics technician" with Oliver to help him out while Dodger and Rita handle the crowd. However, when the plan backfires due to Oliver accidentally slipping on the ignition, thus, causing the car to go haywire and sending a barbecued Tito literally flying out the window in a flash, Rita and the rest of the gang retreat somewhere in a nearby alley as the car, driven by Winston, drives away with Oliver still inside due to being caught in the wires.

Worried about Oliver, Rita asks Dodger what they're gonna do now. So, Dodger and Tito follow the car he was taken in while the others return to Fagin.

A few moments later, Dodger and Tito return to the rest of the gang at a pawn shop, thinking that their friend is in danger when in fact, he has been adopted by a young girl named Jenny Foxworth as his new owner. Stuck to choose between either "rescuing" Oliver or helping Fagin with his financial problems and after Dodger breaks up an argument between Francis and Tito, Dodger suggests that first, they'll "rescue" their little cat friend and then, they'll take care of the "old man". Then, Rita and the others gather around to listen to Dodger's plan for the following day.

The next morning, Dodger leads the "rescue mission". After Einstein and mainly, Francis distract Winston again and leave him locked outside while the dogs enter the mansion inconspicuously, Rita and the others begin to admire the place rather than focusing on "rescuing" Oliver until Dodger reminds them about their true objective.

After Dodger enters and meets Georgette, the family's spoiled pedigree pet poodle and dog show queen, in her room and is given an uninteresting introduction about herself, the rest of the gang enters as Tito begins to develop a sudden crush on the poodle; much to her disgust. After the gang inadvertently causes a mess in her room, Georgette begins to call and bark for Winston countless times, who managed to sneak back inside through an open window in the kitchen. However, when Georgette learns that Dodger and the others are in fact, the friends Oliver keeps talking about who have come to "rescue" him, she becomes more cooperative. But before cooperating, Winston comes in to check up on Georgette. Einstein and Francis hide under Georgette's bed cover with half of Georgette's body sticking out while Dodger and Rita pose as dog statue replicas and Tito hangs on a coat hanger of the door. Though puzzled, Winston leaves nonetheless. Then, Georgette takes the gang to Jenny's room. Noticing Oliver happily sleeping on his pillow, Rita, being the first one convinced that he's okay, proposes they forget the plan, but Georgette, jealous and eager to get rid of him since the day he came into Jenny’s life, convinces them that he's so "traumatized" and when Winston's voice is heard again, she quickly hands him to them in a pillow sack held by Einstein and Francis and allows them to flee through the fire escape.

Back at the barge, the gang brings Oliver in. Noticing a lost and confused expression on Oliver's face and in his voice, Rita wonders if he's okay as Tito backs her up by simply stating that Oliver is just glad to be back with his "Uncle Tito" and kissing him but then, the gang appears more confused when Oliver demands to know why they took him away. When Einstein tells him that they simply "rescued" and brought him back home, the gang learns that Oliver actually wanted to stay now that he's happy living in a new home with someone who loves him. Nevertheless, despite an unpleasant conversation between a devastated Oliver and an upset but otherwise, stubborn Dodger, Dodger grudgingly allows Oliver to leave without anyone stopping him. Looking at each other with great sadness and sorrow, Rita and the rest of the gang watch as Oliver leaves until a depressed Fagin returns and brings Oliver back inside. The gang watches as Fagin is about to lose faith and hope after how his previous attempts to earn or steal money have failed until he suddenly rejoices when he notices the address inscribed on Oliver's collar that reads: "5th Avenue", meaning that where he currently comes from, his new owners must be rich, therefore, inspiring Fagin to come up with a plan to hold Oliver for ransom while writing a ransom note to his owners, which just might help him pay his debt to Sykes at last.

Later, at night, after Fagin's unpleasant meeting with Sykes at his warehouse leading to Dodger getting slightly injured from a previous attack by the Dobermans as a slightly unexpected result, Rita and the others wait at the rendezvous spot between Fagin and Oliver's new owner before Dodger joins them. Rita appears worried when she notices Dodger limping, but Dodger calmly reassures her that Sykes' dogs never laid a paw on him in the first place. Oblivious to the fact that Sykes and his dogs are watching them from a distance in his car, when Fagin learns that Jenny is in fact, Oliver's new owner but with very little money in a piggy bank she brought as payment to get Oliver back, Jenny begins to cry and Fagin has a hard time deciding whether to give up the ransom and follow his good heart or not while feeling guilty as he watches Jenny and Georgette leave with great sadness in their eyes.

Finally, Fagin does the right thing, pretends to find Oliver in a box, and returns him to Jenny; much to both his and the latter’s joy. Unfortunately, their happiness is cut-short when Sykes, having seen the whole thing, drives straight towards Jenny to make his move, kidnaps her, and throws Oliver out the window. Before driving away, Sykes tells Fagin to keep his mouth shut and to consider their account closed. Appalled to see their little friend injured, Dodger and the gang including Georgette rush to Oliver's aid and at the same time, generously promise to "absitively" help him get Jenny back as well. Without further hesitation and without riding in Fagin's scooter this time despite the latter's orders, Oliver and the dogs dash straight to Sykes’ warehouse.

At the warehouse, after Tito and Francis have finished inspecting the place to see if they can find a way in, they inform Dodger that it’s all locked up. So, Dodger comes up with another plan on how to get inside. The plan is set with Tito as the "maestro" and Francis and Oliver (in a football helmet) as the "cannonballs". Then, Rita and the others call out to Francis to see if he's ready, which he is before launching Oliver on a made-up seesaw and through a window, which somehow alerts Sykes who sends his dogs to investigate. Once Oliver's inside and after avoiding detection from Roscoe and DeSoto, he opens a hatch from the inside, which allows everyone to enter easily. Later, while sneaking inside in silence, Georgette suddenly screams in pain after breaking a nail, which somehow alerts Roscoe and DeSoto more than ever. Then, everyone is detected by a security camera facing their direction.

After Tito takes care of the camera as suggested by Dodger, Oliver and the dogs proceed until they reach somewhere above Sykes' office where they find Jenny tied up to a chair but otherwise, okay while Sykes is on the phone with Winston, demanding him to get in touch with Jenny's parents in order to ask about a ransom concerning their daughter since they are away on a business trip around Europe. Then, Dodger comes up with another plan on how to distract Sykes and rescue Jenny at the same time. The plan is set with Tito, Francis, and Einstein posing as a pizza delivery guy to lure Sykes away from his office while the others sneak in to help Jenny. After taking care of their enemies momentarily, Tito and the others safely return and reunite with the rest of the friends back at Sykes’ office to save Jenny before locking the door behind them.

When Rita's efforts to chew the ropes off of Jenny prove futile and their enemies are about to return, Dodger, noticing a crane at the top that could help them out, asks Tito to hot-wire it. Confident, convinced otherwise, and less reluctant than before; thanks to Georgette's charm, Tito quickly makes it up to the top where the crane's controls are located in order to operate and send the crane down just as Sykes and his dogs return to find the door locked. Luckily, Rita and the others are carried up to safety once Tito manages to operate the crane to send it down then back up again just in time before Sykes and his dogs break through the locked door. All goes well as they are being carried away in another direction by the crane until Sykes takes out a fire axe and destroys the crane’s controls, which causes everyone to fall and land on a long slide, only to find themselves cornered by their enemies at the end of the slide unfortunately.

Luckily, when all hope seems lost as Sykes is about to snap his fingers so as to order his dogs to attack again, Fagin arrives in his scooter breaking through a window just in time to save and drive everyone out to safety until Sykes tries to catch up to them in his car. Thinking Sykes won't bother following them any further, Fagin drives everyone down into a subway station but Sykes, driving like a madman, pursues them nonetheless. Once they drive into a tunnel with Sykes still in hot pursuit, Rita and the other dogs are heard barking fiercely at their enemies until Sykes' car collides with Fagin's scooter, causing Jenny to fall and land on the hood of his car. Rita and the others watch as Oliver jumps in to save Jenny by biting Sykes' hand when the latter tries to pull Jenny back in, only to end up thrown in the backseat and cornered by Roscoe and DeSoto. Then, they watch Dodger jump in to rescue Oliver by fighting off and allowing Roscoe to fall to his death on the electric railway caused by the friction between Sykes' ruined car tires and the railway itself before Oliver comes to Dodger's rescue by scratching and allowing DeSoto to also fall to his death in the same manner when the latter tries to kill Dodger in vain as payback for Roscoe’s death. Then, Dodger saves Oliver again just in time before meeting the same fate as well.

On the Brooklyn Bridge, while Fagin comes to Jenny's aid with Einstein to help make sure he doesn't fall as the latter calls for help, Tito takes command of the scooter. Suddenly, a train is heard and seen heading their way. When it looks like Sykes has got the upper hand by grabbing Jenny's leg and pulling her back in, Oliver and Dodger arrive just in time to save her by jumping on and fighting Sykes off, thus, enabling Jenny to jump back into Fagin's scooter. Luckily, Tito manages to save everyone at the last minute by driving them up to safety on one of the bridge's cables while Oliver and Dodger stay behind to fight Sykes off. After Sykes throws Dodger and Oliver off, the train approaches and finally collides with Sykes still in his car, thus, killing him and sending both him and his car down the Hudson River. Then, Tito drives everyone safely back down before Jenny runs out to search for Oliver, only to find a sad Dodger approaching with a supposedly lifeless Oliver in his mouth. At first, everyone thinks he's dead but when Jenny hears a soft meow coming out of Oliver, everyone minus Georgette, still in shock from the chase, quickly rejoices when they see that their little cat friend is still alive. Then, Rita and the others begin to befriend Jenny.

The next day, back at Jenny's house, everyone including Fagin and his dogs is celebrating Jenny's 8th birthday. Once the gang has given Jenny birthday presents (garbage actually), to which she is kindly grateful to, it's time for them to go home as Jenny and Fagin bid each other a touching good-bye. While Tito stays behind with Georgette before quickly changing his mind later on when the latter proves to be too much for him, Rita and the others leave to join up with Fagin after bidding Oliver a fond farewell until the next time they meet.

Then, Rita joins up with the rest of her friends as they sing a reprise of "Why Should I Worry" altogether while jumping from car/truck to car/truck before joining up with Fagin in his scooter on their way home.

### *House of Mouse*

In *House of Mouse*, she can only be seen along with some of the dog-gang members and Oliver during the intro.

## Trivia

* Rita is often mistaken for an Afghan Hound. However, it has been confirmed that she is in fact, a Saluki.
* Unlike most members of the gang, Rita and Tito are the only ones seen with more hair on their heads though.
* Although she has no apparent attraction or relationship to Sykes, Rita is perhaps the closest counterpart to Nancy, the prostitute who befriends the titular hero in *Oliver Twist*, the Dickens novel that inspired the animated film. Unlike Nancy, however, Rita survives.
* Although Ruth Pointer provided her singing voice in "Streets of Gold", she didn't reprise the role during the "Why Should I Worry" reprise at the end of the movie.
* Despite Tito being the only dog to continuously call Francis; "Frank" or "Frankie," Rita and Einstein were first heard calling him Frankie once when they were disappointed to find out that he forgot it was his turn to get the food for them the day Dodger met Oliver.
* Whitney Houston was considered for the role of Rita.