History Main / MakeTheDogTestify

* ''{{Hooperman}}'' used the variant where the defendant shouts at the dog, "I should have killed you!" or something similar -- thus proving his own guilt.

** And in ''StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'', Kirk used some tribbles to identify the Klingon infiltrator. Not, unless this troper's memory has failed completely, an example ''in'' a court, but it did lead to an (offscreen) trial after the end of the episode. Presumably, the tribbles in question would be called to repeat their earlier testimony...

* An apparently WrongGenreSavvy burglar killed a goldfish because [[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/14/teen-burglar-kills-goldfi_n_822845.html he didn't want to leave behind any witnesses.]]

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* GoodCharlotte have ''Lifestyles of the Rich and the Famous'' and its music video, which has this during the interlude.
-->Lawyer: Is it true that the defence, treated you ''like a dog?''

* The PerryMason episode "The Case of the Perjured Parrot" had a parrot that was found along with a body and kept saying one phrase over and over. Not only was the parrot called to the stand, but Perry was actually allowed to cross-examine the bird. Somewhat justified in that it was only an inquest rather than an actual criminal trial.

* ''TheWasps,'' by Aristophanes, Anticleon uses a mock trial involving his pet dogs as an allegory to prove a point about the Athenian judicial system. Then the dogs actually start testifying.

* In ''ArrestedDevelopment'' Michael calls his brother GOB's puppet Franklin on the stand, then reveals that inside the puppet is a tape recording he made of the prosecuting attorney offering him a deal, which results in a mistrial.

** Actually, the man doesn't go though with the surgical procedure on his dog, but instead researches (to a near ridiculous extent) another man who surgically altered his dog. Not wanting to go quite to this extreme, he looks into other methods to teach his dog to talk.

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* PhoenixWright has at one point called a parrot to the stand.
** And in fact, said parrot actually allowed him to turn the entire case around so fast everyone got dizzy. Despite the parrot being specifically trained by the BigBad not to talk about the most damning piece of evidence (In one night, no less).

* PhoenixWright has at one point called a [[spoiler:parrot]] to the stand.
** And in fact, said [[spoiler: parrot]] actually allowed him to turn the entire case around so fast everyone got dizzy. Despite the [[spoiler:parrot]] being specifically trained by the BigBad not to talk about the most damning piece of evidence (In one night, no less).

[[quoteright:350:[[AceAttorney http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Phoenix_Wright_Parrot_9096.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:The parrot's testimony is: "Hello, Hello *squawk*"]]

* Vetinari's dog Wuffles in ''Discworld/TheTruth''. There is also a reference to a parrot being in witness protection, living life as a large budgerigar.
** They had a werewolf translator.

* In ''RoadRovers'', this was the basis of an entire episode. Of course, they had phlebotinum that could make a dog into a sapient humanoid, SoYeah.

* On an episode of ''Columbo'' helped prove that the murderer had been to the victim's house by scratching hi car door. Fortunately the dog had left unique scratch marks because it was missing a claw.

* The PerryMason episode "The Case of the Perjured Parrot" had a parrot that was found along with a body and kept saying one phrase over and over. Not only was the parrot called to the stand, but Perry was actually allowed to cross-examine the bird. Somewhat justified in that it was only an inquest rather than an actual criminal trial.

* In French legend, Aubry de Montdidier, a knight of King Charles V, was murdered by [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Macaire Robert Macaire]]. The only witness was Montdidier's dog. In court the dog reacted violently to Macaire, leading the king to order a duel between Macaire and the dog. The dog won, and Macaire confessed to the murder and was hung. The murder was said to take place in 1371, making this (if true) OlderThanPrint.