Citizen Dog (comic Strip)

Citizen Dog (comic Strip)

Citizen Dog (May 15, 1995 – May 26, 2001) was a newspaper comic strip by Mark O'Hare, distributed by Universal Press Syndicate.

The strip is focused on the antics of a human male, Mel, and his male canine companion, Fergus. The lines between master and companion are extremely blurred: Fergus frequently asserts his rights as equal, or perhaps superior, partner in the friendship. In an early strip, Mel labors for three panels to install a pet door, only to have Fergus stroll in via the doorknob. Of course, this works both ways; several strips later, Mel flounders with his order at a fancy restaurant, only to be saved by Fergus, who orders for both of them in fluent French. All in all, Mel and Fergus's friendship is similar to that of the title characters in Calvin and Hobbes, sharing both adventures and frequent arguments about the silliest things.

Animals in Citizen Dog can talk, and most of them (particularly dogs and cats) walk upright, chatting with each other and their owners. Furthermore, many dogs look similar to their owners: a slender, bookish man may find his eyewear paralleled on his dachshund. Almost all characters feature O'Hare's distinctive large nose and candy corn-shaped body, even the women—with the sole exception of occasional nubile females, who are rendered with large bosoms and caricatured hourglass figures.

Citizen Dog ended on May 26, 2001. O'Hare decided to stop the comic because he felt he was not able to put in the work that the comic deserved, but noted that he would be willing to bring the comic back if given the chance. Daily reruns of the strip resumed on June 28, 2008 on GoComics.

Three paperback compilations were released:

• Citizen Dog, ISBN 0-8362-5186-5
• Dog's Best Friend, ISBN 0-8362-6751-6
• D is for Dog, ISBN 0-7407-0457-5