Barnyard Dawg

**The Barnyard Dawg**, also known as **George P. Dog**, is a Looney Tunes character. He is Foghorn Leghorn's arch-

nemesis. Barnyard also vies with some other enemies in different cartoons, such as Henery Hawk, the Weasel, Daffy Duck, and Sylvester.

## Background

Barnyard's first appearance came in "Walky Talky Hawky" (1946), the same Henery Hawk cartoon in which Foghorn himself first appeared. Although, in that cartoon, Barnyard initiates hostilities with Foghorn by dropping a watermelon on his head (prompting Foghorn to grumble "Every day, it's the same thing!"), Barnyard is usually seen sleeping in his kennel at a cartoon's beginning, with Foghorn provoking him by slapping his hindquarters with a wooden fencepost and giving chase while still leashed, setting the stage for Barnyard to seek vengeance, often by manipulating Henery Hawk.

George was cast as pet to Porky Pig in 1947's "One Meat Brawl", where the pair pursue one-shot star Grover Groundhog, who gives the hunting dog a sob story ("Wife and 72 children!...No coal in the cellar...!") that has him weeping sympathetic tears, much to Porky's disgust. George uses this ploy himself in 1949's "Daffy Duck Hunt", where, still Porky's pet and hunting companion, he persuades Daffy Duck to play along at being captured so he can avoid punishment from Porky, promising to free the duck later. However, once Daffy is tucked into Porky's freezer, George goes back on the bargain, although Daffy has little trouble outwitting both him and Porky.

In 1958's "Don't Axe Me", George, now the pet of Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Fudd and renamed "Wover," again matches wits with Daffy after convincing Mrs. Fudd to designate the duck as Sunday dinner; surprisingly, Daffy is the loser in this cartoon, although he escapes doom when a guest requests a vegetarian meal instead. In 1958's "Gopher Broke", Barnyard is the subject of "psychological wearing down" by Mac and Tosh, who are trying to get their vegetables back. After the gophers initiate phase no. 4 of their plan, which leaves Dawg on top of a telephone pole, he flips out and flies off (literally) after a crow, causing a deadpan pig, who has been witnessing the aftermath of the gophers' abuse against Dawg, to also flip out. While the pig has gone to see an animal psychiatrist, the doctor sees Dawg fly by his window and also flips out enough to join the pig on the couch.

Henery mistakes Barnyard for a chicken in "The Foghorn Leghorn", because his father told him that chickens are great big monsters with real huge teeth who live in caves. Henery notices Dawg's mouth and presumes Dawg's doghouse is a kind of cave. Although Dawg is normally portrayed as the straight man for Foghorn's pranks, in "Mother Was a Rooster", he is portrayed in a very negative light, as he not only steals an ostrich egg (he justifies this by explaining that it's been kind of dull round the farm lately, giving reference to his four year peace between him and Foghorn between "Weasel While You Work" and "Mother Was a Rooster"), he mocks the hatched ostrich, which Foghorn has adopted, and cheats in a boxing match with the rooster.

Dawg also appeared in *Space Jam* as a member of the Tune Squad, and in *Looney Tunes: Back in Action* playing cards with other dogs in Yosemite Sam's casino. In *Baby Looney Tunes*, Dawg appears as a puppy who chases the cool roosters, until Foghorn Leghorn shows the cool roosters how to deal with dogs (through a game of fetch), and instead of joining them, just befriends Barnyard.