Sam Sheepdog (Looney Tunes)

Looney Tunes

Briard Sheepdog

Sam Sheepdog is a large, burly Berger De Brie (Briard Sheepdog) with white or tan fur and a mop of red hair that usually covers his eyes. He very rarely runs and tends to be sedentary in his movements. He does, however, possess sufficient strength to incapacitate Ralph with a single punch once he catches him. He is capable of being amiable and empathetic to Ralph off the clock as he enjoys meals with him and even offered to give him a day off after injuring the latter.

Big and slow, but vigilant and ready with a counter for enemies eyeing his flock. He very rarely runs and tends to be sedentary in his movements. He does, however, possess sufficient strength to incapacitate Ralph with a single punch once he catches him.

The series is built around the idea that both Ralph and Sam are just doing their jobs. Most of the cartoons begin at the beginning of the workday, in which they both arrive at a sheep-grazing meadow, exchange pleasant chitchat, and punch into the same time clock. Work having officially begun, Ralph repeatedly tries very hard to abduct the helpless sheep and invariably fails, either through his own ineptitude or the minimal efforts of Sam (he is frequently seen sleeping), who always brutally punishes Ralph for the attempt. In many instances there are also multiple copies of Ralph and particularly Sam.

At the end-of-the-day whistle, Ralph and Sam punch out their time cards, again chat amiably, and leave, presumably only to come back the next day and do it all again. Both Ralph and Sam were voiced by Mel Blanc. In "A Sheep in the Deep", the workday is interrupted by a lunch break, which they also conduct amiably. The operation seems to run 24 hours a day or at least into another shift, as when Ralph and Sam "punch out" they may also run into their nighttime replacements, Fred and George, respectively (see "Sheep Ahoy": inconsistency in naming).

In some of their earlier appearances Ralph and Sam are named inconsistently: in particular the Sheepdog's shift replacement sometimes addresses him as "Ralph." Sam appears without Ralph in both Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Space Jam, possibly to avoid confusion with Wile E. Coyote, who appears in both of those films. Just like Wile, Sam first appeared in shorts that were made after Roger Rabbit takes place, but instead of a two-year gap, it's a six-year gap.

Sam appears without Ralph in both movies Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Space Jam and Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas, possibly to avoid confusion with Wile E. Coyote, who appears in all three of those films. Just like Wile E., Sam first appeared in shorts that were made after Roger Rabbit takes place, but instead of a two-year gap, it's a six-year gap.

Sheep, Dog, & Wolf (also known as Sheep Raider) for the original Sony PlayStation and PC, published by Infogrames, is a faithful adaptation of the series' sheep-abducting schemes. The Road Runner makes a cameo appearance in the training level and also the final level, racing in the desert against Ralph. Ironically, neither Ralph or Sam speak within this game.

Sam appears in the Taz-Mania episode "Mutton For Nothing" voiced by Jim Cummings. In this episode, Taz is sent by the Predators-R-Us temp agency to cover for Ralph Wolf while he's on vacation. Taz tries unsuccessfully to steal the sheep from Sam Sheepdog. A bit of character confusion is at play in this episode, as Sam references Ralph as being "that Coyote."

Ralph and Sam make a brief cameo in the 2003 comedy/adventure film Looney Tunes Back in Action; they are sitting at the same table eating lunch, when Ralph reveals to Sam that he finally caught a sheep, Sam grabs him by the neck and continually punches him in the face.

They both reappear in three Looney Tunes Cartoons shorts. In their second appearance, "A Wolf in Cheap Clothing", Sam mentions that he has two children. Ralph was also given a redesign in these shorts, where his fur is now a duller, grayish tone to make him look more wolf-like.

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