A beagle's a boy's best friend... sometimes.
Linus: It's up to you [to fix Snoopy's behavior], Charlie Brown.
Charlie Brown: Why me?
Linus/Lucy/Schroder/Violet: Because, HE'S YOUR DOG, CHARLIE BROWN!!!
Charlie Brown: Why me?
Linus/Lucy/Schroder/Violet: Because, HE'S YOUR DOG, CHARLIE BROWN!!!
The fifth Peanuts TV special, He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown! originally aired on CBS on February 14, 1968. It was the last of the Peanuts specials to feature the majority of the child actors who had put their voices to the first special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, from 1965.
In this special, Snoopy's been up to a lot of mischief and has been terrorizing most of the children. Charlie Brown decides to have Snoopy taken back to the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm for a class in obedience. With it being a long way to the farm, Charlie Brown asks Peppermint Patty to look after Snoopy for a day. She agrees to have the dog over. But Snoopy instead uses this to not go to the obedience program and crash at Peppermint Patty's house, thinking the grass might be greener with a new master.
He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown! contains examples of:
- Actor Allusion: When Snoopy escapes from Peppermint Patty, he puts on a fake mustache similar to the one that was sported by his voice actor Bill Meléndez.
- Berserk Button: Snoopy's become the leash, so much that he rips it apart when Charlie Brown brings it with him to get Snoopy home.
- A Day in the Limelight: Snoopy first major role in a special. Also one for Peppermint Patty as well.
- Didn't Think This Through:
- Charlie Brown really should have been smarter to know his dog Snoopy would have not want to go to the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm and that sending him alone would be more trouble than taking him there himself.
- Snoopy decides to skip going to his obedience program and stay at Peppermint Patty's place, but doesn't think about the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm calling Charlie Brown to tell him of his absence (or Peppermint Patty growing sick of being his servant)
- Early-Installment Weirdness: Peppermint Patty mentions having a mother in this TV special, when in the strips and in more recent material, Peppermint Patty has a Missing Mom (or an implied deceased mother); It's worth noting the special's airdate of 1968 pre-dates later references to Peppermint Patty not having a mother.
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: Charlie Brown is hit by this when the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm calls him.Charlie: He didn't show up? But he left a week ago! I don't understand. He left, and was supposed to stop at Peppermint Patty's, then— (trails off, realizing exactly what happened, and immediately calls Peppermint Patty)
- Jerkass Ball: Nearly the entire cast holds this ball at one point or another in this special! Highlights include Snoopy actually physically attacking Charlie Brown and Linus, Peppermint Patty treating Snoopy as a slave (though this could be seen as her giving Snoopy karma for him treating her as a slave earlier on), even Charlie Brown himself at one point nearly strangling Snoopy with a leash!
- Lazy Bum: Snoopy for the first week when he's at Peppermint Patty's. Doing nothing but lounging by her pool while she serves him root beers and does the dishes (complete with rude finger-snapping. When he returns after Charlie Brown tries to get him however, Peppermint Patty forces Snoopy to do all of the household chores as payback for her cleaning up after him.
- Oh, Crap!: Snoopy has this when he finds out Charlie Brown's sending him to get a class in obedience.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: When Snoopy returns home, he puts on a fake mustache before revealing himself as a surprise. Charlie Brown sees him and doesn't recognize him until Snoopy takes off the mustache.
- Pin-Pulling Teeth: Snoopy, while getting away from Charlie Brown, uses a rock and pretends it's a grenade, complete with appropriate sound effects, and aims it at Linus' red wagon and runs away.Charlie Brown: What happened?
Linus: I think I was attacked by an escaping prisoner. - Recycled Animation: The WWI Flying Ace scene from It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown is reused at the beginning of the episode
- The Thing That Would Not Leave: Snoopy was only planning to stay at Peppermint Patty's house for the night, but it eventually turns into a whole week of him staying at her house. Eventually, Patty has enough of Snoopy's freeloading and starts making him "pull his own weight." This ultimately drives Snoopy to leave.
- Title Drop: The Peanuts gang all express disgust at Snoopy's antics and blame Charlie Brown for it, like so:Kids in unison: Well, Charlie Brown?!
Charlie Brown: Well what?
Violet: That dog is impossible!
Lucy: Charlie Brown, you've got to do something about that dog!
Linus: It's up to you, Charlie Brown.
Charlie Brown: Why me?
Kids: (shouting) Because, (titles appear) HE'S YOUR DOG, CHARLIE BROWN!!! - We Want Our Jerk Back!: Snoopy is sent away to the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm (at least, that was the plan) when his antics finally go too far in annoying the other kids. After Snoopy's departure, however, the kids realize just how much they miss Snoopy's antics and want him to come home later.
