In 1949's Love That Pup, Spike was given a puppy son, Tyke, who became another popular supporting character in the Tom and Jerry cartoons. In Tom's later attempts to catch Jerry, he has to deal with Spike for bothering his son. His name also varies in some shorts: in Solid Serenade he is named "Killer", and in The Truce Hurts he signs "Butch" on the treaty paper. From the 1942 cartoon Dog Trouble to 1948 cartoon Heavenly Puss he was voiced by Billy Bletcher. In The Truce Hurts, Spike is a very intelligent and pacifistic character when he convinces Tom and Jerry to stop the fighting among the three of them and sign a Peace Treaty, but their newfound friendship comes to an end when they argue over how to share a big steak, symbolized when Spike tears the truce contract to shreds before the fighting resumes. Spike, however, is not without a softer and sympathetic side: in the episode Pet Peeve, after believing that Tom is willing to leave the house in Spike's favor, Spike feels sorry for him to the point that he offers to leave instead, which he does until realizing that Tom was only using reverse psychology to trick him into leaving. On most occasions, Jerry causes trouble for Tom by luring him near Spike and harming him to get him angry, and in some cartoons when its perfectly obvious that Tom is not responsible, as seen in The Invisible Mouse, Spike still blames Tom and hurts him instead of Jerry. It is only in two episodes where Jerry gets Spike out of a jam and the dog willingly protects him from Tom in well-earned gratitude. In all subsequent shorts, Spike becomes typecast as the stereotypical dumb brute who is always duped into becoming a shield for Jerry from Tom. In his very first appearance, Dog Trouble, Spike is the main antagonist, chasing and attacking both Tom and Jerry on sight, even trying to eat Jerry, which forced the two to work together to defeat him. Spike in Tom and Jerry short, "The Bodyguard" Spike has a few weaknesses that Tom tries to capitalize upon: his possessiveness about his bone and his ticklishness. In the Tom and Jerry shorts, Jerry would often try to get Tom in trouble with Spike making him a shoo-in for a beating from the bulldog. Overall, this Tom and Jerry cartoon is wonderful.Spike is a stern but occasionally dumb British bulldog who is particularly disapproving of cats, but a softie when it comes to mice, and later, his son Tyke. Also great were the sight gags, they aren't the funniest ever or the most unpredictable, but they are still hilarious, especially with Jerry imitating Tyke's bark every now and again causing Tom to climb anything from a tree to a pole. The music is delightful too, full of quirky and jaunty motifs and energetic rhythm patterns. Even better was the animation, the animation here is lovely, crisp, colourful and smooth, the backgrounds especially are a wonder. What I do love about That's My Pup is that although the story is simple, for the better I think, it is also an effective one, it is well constructed and doesn't meander. The story is simple, Spike teaches his little pup Tyke the facts of life(one of them is chasing cats by the way), and both Tom and Jerry manage to get on the act, Jerry imitating Tyke's bark and Tom the butt of the joke. That said, it is for me one of the more funnier and more enjoyable Tom and Jerry cartoons. First things first, I don't consider That's My Pup my favourite Tom and Jerry cartoon or one of my favourites(or at least not quite).
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