Porkchop is Doug Funnie's pet dog and sidekick in the Nickelodeon and later Disney animated television series Doug. Inspired by Snoopy from Peanuts, he is a somewhat anthropomorphic bull terrier who walks on two legs and behaves very much like a human, despite being unable to speak.
Appearances in Christmas specials[]
Porkchop has a major role in Doug's first Christmas episode, "Doug's Christmas Story". In this episode, he notices Beebe Bluff, one of Doug's friends and the daughter of Bluffington's owner, heading towards a hole in the ice on the frozen lake where the kids are playing hockey. Porkchop manages to save Beebe from getting near the hole and falling into the lake, but he accidentally injures her leg in doing so, and everyone mistakenly believes that he attacked her. To make matters worse, Porkchop is then taken to the city dog pound, and Beebe's father, Bill Bluff, threatens to have him put to death and presses charges against the Funnies. During Porkchop's trial, Doug convinces the judge to allow Porkchop to explain his side of the story, and they return to the lake where the scene happened. When Beebe suddenly falls through the thin ice, Porkchop comes to her rescue and is vindicated for his heroics. "Doug's Christmas Story" also notably shows a bit of backstory for Porkchop, revealing that he himself was a gift that Doug received for Christmas when he was only a year old. It is also revealed that, for Christmas of the previous year, Porkchop gave Doug his iconic journal and also received the walkman that he is often seen listening to (such as in the show's end credits sequence).
Porkchop isn't quite as prominent in "Doug's Secret Christmas", the Christmas episode made following the series' move from Nickelodeon to ABC. In it, Doug and Porkchop opt to celebrate Christmas on their own, since Doug's parents are too busy for their normal Christmas traditions due to the oncoming birth of Doug's new baby sister, Cleopatra Dirtbike Funnie. When they exchange gifts, Porkchop gives Doug a brand new journal, and Doug gives Porkchop a coffee mug that reads "World's Greatest Dog".