Laugh Out Loud with 'Dog Eat Doug': A Hilarious Comic Strip that Will Leave You in Stitches!
Sometimes Sophie’s lectures don’t go over to well with her audience.
Sometimes Sophie’s lectures don’t go over to well with her audience.
My favorite running joke is the cats discussing quantum physics. And wait until you see what they get into in the upcoming graphic novels. They’ll be tackiling artificial intelligence and summoning the ancient one Cat-thulu.
Have you ever wondered why your furry friend occasionally munches on grass?
Sophie's grass-eating antics sparked my curiosity, leading me research numerous theories on why dogs engage in this peculiar behavior. Here are the two most common theories:
Theory #1 suggests that dogs eat grass to fulfill their nutritional needs. It's believed that grass contains essential nutrients like fiber, minerals, and vitamins that may be lacking in their regular diet. Dogs, being instinctual creatures, may seek out grass as a natural way to supplement their nutritional requirements. So the next time you catch your pup snacking on the backyard lawn, remember that they might just be instinctively seeking some extra nourishment.
On the other paw, Theory #2 proposes that dogs eat grass as a means of self-medication. When dogs experience an upset stomach or digestive discomfort, they may instinctively turn to grass as a way to induce vomiting. The grass blades tickle the throat and stomach lining, potentially aiding the expulsion of any irritants or indigestible substances. It's a canine form of self-help, allowing them to find relief and maintain their well-being.
While the true reason behind dogs' grass-eating habits may remain a mystery, these two theories provide plausible explanations. Whether it's for nutritional supplementation or self-medication, the comical portrayal of Sophie in the comic strip reminds me that our furry friends can always find a way to bring laughter into our lives, even when engaging in peculiar behaviors like grass consumption.
I always marveled at Sophie’s ability to come up with unique solutions for snagging food. Of course, I don’t think she ever implemented these psychological tricks in real life. Or maybe she did, and I never realized what was happening.
This is one of my favorite comics. It was inspired by a real run in with a turtle in Florida. While at the dog park, I saw a huge turtle trying to make his way to the water. Unfortunately there were three dog park fences between him and the pond.
I didn’t want to pick him up. He was a hefty boy and if he was alarmed enough, I was afraid he’d jerk out of my grip. I snagged a recycling bin and coerced him. Then it was a simple carry to freedom. Kind of like a blue bin Uber for turtles. His thank you was inspiring this comic strip.
Yup. Squirrels with jetpacks. Only a matter of time.
I try to avoid tropes in my comics, but this is one I go back to often. Doug and Sophie laying in the grass and pondering life.
This is honestly what I imagined was going through Sophie’s head when I was training her. She eneded up learning “stay” by playing hid eand go seek. She would “stay” while I hid one of her toys and then she’d go find it. But she knew if she didn’t stay put I couldn’t hide the toy and she couldn’t play the game. Then I thought I could teach more advanced commands if she liked playing Monopoly.
Every one that’s had kids still has a few songs laser printed into their brain. I’m thankful we missed the Baby Shark craze.
I love having fun with the dog chasing squirrel trope. I’ve never had a true squirrel chaser. Weezy gets a little excited when she sees one running along the fence but that’s about it. When I was a kid, I used to see squirrels chucking acorns at my dog, Toby. He never chased them, they were just really angry squirrels. Might be a New England thing.
These are pretty much the rules for the couch in our house. Although our son is old enough to sit on it by himself. The dogs can’t have chew toys on it and we also shrouded it in blankets. I’ve never been one to keep dogs off the couch or the bed. We like being surrounded by floofs.
What type of canine couch rules do you have for your home?
This one I would love to animate just for the sound effects. I think every parent goes through this stage and what a joy it is. Kids’ full time job is pushing boundaries. Consistency is the key, but remaining calm while consistent is the challenge.
Can you tell I love Spirited Away and Doughnuts? I never kept track of how many anime Easter eggs I’ve hidden in the strip, but I do know there are several from Spirited Away. And yes, I’ll be sneaking them into the graphic novels. In fact, I’m hoping to do a Spirited Away homage in one of the chapters. Haven’t gotten it worked out yet.
Probably one of my favorite comics I’ve drawn. I say drawn because I didn’t write it. Sophie did. This one started with dooles of her rolling around in the grass, which obviously most dogs love. Then I let Sophie take over and wrote down everything she was thinking.
That’s the fun magical bit about writing. You know you’re getting somewhere when you feel like you’re watching a movie and transcribing what you see and hear. Of course , it doesn’t solve the mystery as to why dogs eat grass.
I’m fairly certain if you could hear what babies and dogs say to each other it would be similar to having a conversation with ChatGPT.
Oddly enough, I’ve never used ChatGPT to generate a conversation with Doug and Sophie. I might give it a whirl and see what it comes up with. So far, I mostly use ChatGPT for research and more mechanical behind the scenes stuff like SEO and generating marketing ideas. I’m not too worried about AI replacing cartoonists just yet. Maybe in another ten years.
Not going to lie, watching a baby try and get shmegma off their face is a riot. Then of course, when you go to wipe it off, they act like you’re water boarding them. I never got it to work, but I always wanted to try and work a high chair / car wash gag into the strip. Might be something for the graphic novels.
For the record, I’d go on that walk with her. Of course I’m pretty sure doggy ice cream is universal and not just a labrador thing. But man, Sophie adored her ice cream. We’d have to watch her, because she’d lick away the entire cardboard container. And nothing interrupted her ice cream break.
And yes, that’s Gizmo in Doug’s arms.
Needless to say we had some storms over the weekend it looked like a herd of deer had stampeded through the house. This comic hit home. I also love when you’re mopping and you rdog follows behind making new tracks and wondering what in the heck you are doing.
Nothing better than lounging in the yard with the dogs in the shade.
I alway s love when Doug addresses his stuffed animals. Playing around with an idea for a chapter in the upcoming graphic novels to take this to another level.
In case you wondering what the difference will be between the comic strip and the upcoming graphic novels, think of it as an old school TV show versus a Marvel Movie. Not that I don’t like the comic strip, far from it. It’s just that the old newpaper format to limiting. The comic strip is a spring board for the graphic novels.
For example, take the foster dog strips. I loved writing them because they were funny and sad. With four panels you had to get to the point and strip away anything that was filler. Now, that’s not to say expanding into a graphic novel means you’re going to stuff the pages with superfulous gags and such. Far from it. I’m taking the streamlied essence of the strips, the heart of the story if you will, and exploring in a much larger world.
One of the themes of the foster dog strips is that every dog has a purpouse. I expanded on that theme in book one with an epic space adventure where the cats help the foster dog find a home by blasting him into space. All because Sophie didn’t specify which planet to find the home on. So I get to use the same theme excpet now, the foster dog gets to go on a longer journey to find that purpose. And I get to draw space ships and a cosmic muffin (wait and you’ll see).