NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Something is different on the comics pages this week. In the panels of 鈥淢utts,鈥� there's the long-delayed sight of freedom.
, the cartoonist who draws the popular strip, is freeing his character Guard Dog, liberating an animal who has become for decades a symbol of the cruelty of dog chaining.
鈥淚 think it just hit me that I can鈥檛 do it forever and that it has to happen,鈥� McDonnell told The Associated Press ahead of the publication of Thursday's panel showing Earl's owner kneeling beside the dog and announcing: 鈥淲e have to remove this chain.鈥� On Friday's strip, it will be gone.
鈥淚 had a vague idea what the story was going to be, but I finally took some time and said, 鈥榃ell, what is that story?鈥� And I was happy with what I came up with. So I said, 鈥楴ow鈥檚 the time to do it.鈥欌��
"Mutts" premiered in 1995 with two heroes 鈥� the small canine Earl and the feline Mooch, fond of saying 鈥淵esh.鈥� There's also Woolfie, Sid the fish, Crabby, Sourpuss and Butchie, the ever-vigilant owner of the Fatty Snax Deli.
Guard Dog was added about a year after launch as McDonnell explored the idea of having an antagonist for his heroes.
鈥淚 started in my sketchbooks drawing a tough dog,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 drew a big gruff dog and I put a studded collar on him. And then I drew a chain. And when I did that, it changed everything. I realized that it wasn鈥檛 a villain. It was a tragic character.鈥�
For years, Guard Dog sat in the unmowed grass of a neighborhood lawn or howled at the moon, alone and philosophical. In one strip he holds a piece of paper that reads 鈥淕uard Dog's To Do List" with only one item: 鈥淩emind people of man's inhumanities.鈥�
Doozy, a neighborhood girl, regularly visits the mutt on her way to and from school, bringing something to brighten his day: an umbrella, treats, a hug, a kind word and a reminder that he isn鈥檛 alone. One frigid night, he was shivering and she brought a blanket and a kiss.
Fans of Guard Dog would regularly plead with McDonnell to free the mutt but the artist was also lobbied by animal welfare groups to keep the dog chained as a way to increase the spotlight on the issue.
鈥淚 always felt like, 鈥橤eez, if I inspired even one family to bring the dog in the house, that it was worth doing. I know it was tough on the readers and it was tough on Guard Dog,鈥� he said.
鈥淵ou know, whenever I drew him in my sketchbooks or if I did a talk, I always drew Guard Dog free. So part of me felt like he was an actor playing a part.鈥�
In the lead-up to Guard Dog's freedom, McDonnell crafted a multi-comic seven-week storyline in which the owner of Guard Dog moves away, leaving the dog utterly alone. The other animals and kids rally to save him.
鈥淢om,鈥� says Doozy in one new strip. "They kept him on a chain and then they left him alone to suffer. I hate people." Her mother responds: 鈥淏ut what about those who devote their lives helping animals like Guard Dog?" Doozy, still in tears, reconsiders: 鈥淚 love people.鈥�
As of 2022, 23 states and the District of Columbia have laws on dog tethering or chaining, with variations on the length of time, the weather and what type of collar can be used, according to In addition, many cities and counties have implemented their own laws that restrict or regulate tethering and chaining.
The landing page for 鈥淢utts鈥� has resources on adoption, on animal welfare groups and how to advance anti-chaining legislation. McDonnell was a member of the board of the for 18 years and currently serves on the board of
鈥淚 can鈥檛 wait to draw a happy Guard Dog,鈥� he said. 鈥淗e still has this great dog heart 鈥� loving life and loving the characters who visit him. It鈥檒l be nice to see him in 鈥楳utts鈥� without the chain.鈥�
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Mark Kennedy is at
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
