Pooch Café
| Pooch Café | |
|---|---|
Poncho and Boomer
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| Author(s) | Paul Gilligan |
| Website | www |
| Launch date | January 2000 |
| End date | Still in production |
| Syndicate(s) | Copley News Service (2000-2003) Universal Uclick (2003-present) |
| Publisher(s) | Andrews McMeel (Book) |
| Genre(s) | Humour |
Pooch Café is a Canadian-American comic strip written and illustrated by Paul Gilligan. It was also made into a series of online shorts with RingTales.
Gilligan is also the writer for the comic Poptropica, which debuted on June 9, 2014, ended its run on November 11, 2015, and is based on the video game of the same name.
Pooch Café follows the humorous antics of a self-serving, paranoid, dog named Poncho.
The strip follows Poncho's life with his master, Chazz, and Chazz's cat-loving wife, Carmen (who owns a brood of five cats), and Poncho's adventures with his fellow dogs; Boomer, Hudson, Droolia (a female Bullmastiff with a drooling problem), Gus (a Scottish Terrier), Beaumont (or "Bobo", the owner of the titular cafe), Poo Poo (a Bichon Frise), and a zen goldfish named "Fish". Other semi-recurring characters are Tito (the garbage man), Sheldon (a pigeon with a pork pie hat), and Margo (the dog-walker). The strip takes its name from the cafe where Poncho and his friends gather to compare notes (and complain) about life among the humans.
The universe of the comic strip is one in which dogs are recognizably canine in some of their behavior but with many anthropomorphic traits. For example, Chazz, Carmen and other human characters are able to talk not just to Poncho but to Poncho's dog friends as well, all seeming to speak the same language. The dogs however are rarely able to communicate with cats - who speak only cat—and therefore the cats are rarely seen speaking. Fish for some reason is able to speak all languages.
Many people attach commendable characteristics to dogs, such as loyalty and unconditional love. However, Poncho embodies other less-dwelt-upon traits; he's greedy and self-serving, a fact of which he is blissfully aware. Poncho hates cats with a passion, and dreams of the day he and his canine companions can catapult all the cats of the world into the sun. This plan is often referred to during the dogs' "Catapult-All-Cats-Into-The-Sun" meetings, which are led by Boomer. Chazz and Carmen are often driven to their wits' end by his constant schemes, but still love him unconditionally, tough though it may be. Poncho also holds a grudge against Carmen for coming between the sacred master/dog relationship he shares with Chazz, and for forcing them to live with cats. He often designs schemes to pit the couple against each other, delighting in any turmoil that subsequently ensues. Poncho is also neutered, a subject that is frequently examined and mocked by Gus and Boomer whenever Mitzi, a female poodle who used to live on the same street as Poncho, drops by the cafe. According to Poncho, they are "just friends".
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