This is a collab that brave kid and I worked on a little while ago(He had the initial idea for the storyline and title, and I wrote the script) which is a follow-up to our first story, "A Walk on the Flip side," and the second in a series he and I will be working together on in the future, in which the characters from the 2010 series stand on their hind legs, wear human clothes, and talk to humans as the characters in the 1986 series did(Pictures of Freddie's AU guise and the Pup Club in their costumes are also now available at my blog, the Keeper of the Fun blog). Please enjoy, and, as the ever quotable Brighteyes might say, "A Hap-hap-happy Halloween to all!"(BTW brave kid, thank you very much for this story suggestion. I had a lot of fun working on this story with you, and I very much appreciate it. I look forward to writing future stories with you.) :)
It's a peaceable evening in New York City. In Shelter 17, the Pound Puppies and their owner Dot are decorating the main room for their Halloween party. "Oh boy, oh boy," Rebound exclaims, as she jumps up and down excitedly. "This is gonna be soooo much FUN!"
"Have you kids picked out your costumes yet?" inquires Cookie, who's getting the refreshments ready.
"Yeah," Patches replies. "I'm goin' as my favoritest of favoritest ever superhero Captain Mongrel, leader of the Canine Crusaders, yeah!(1)" he strikes a heroic pose.
"And I'm goin' as my favorite superhero Madame Woof." adds Rebound.
"And I'll be goin' as my most super-duper favorite superhero Lady Rova.(2)" adds Cupcake. "It's kinda' a theme costume."
"That sounds cool." Lucky replies.
"Say," inquires Strudel as she strolls up to them. "Would you kids like to come carve Jack O'lanterns with me?"
"Yes, please." the pups reply, upon which Strudel them leads them over to a table housing a large pumpkin and a carving knife.
"What kinda' face are y'gonna give yours, Patches?" Cupcake inquires.
"I'm gonna give this one a real SCARY face!" the dalmatian pup replies, as he begins to carve the pumpkin.
Rebound looks skeptically at the face Patches is carving. "Are you sure? That face doesn't look particularly scary."
"Scary?" a voice from behind them states. "Why it looks just like the one worn by...THE HEADLESS DOGCATCHER!"
The pups whip around to see Squirt and Niblet standing in the doorway behind them. "Who?" the pups reply.
"Have I ever told you the story of the Headless Dogcatcher?" Squirt elaborates.
"Well, I don't r'member," Niblet replies. "Then again, I don't r'memer a lotta things. Why are we in a haunted house?" The other dogs look at him oddly.
"Please, follow me outside and I shall tell you the tale." Squirt states, as Niblet and the pups then follow him outside.
Squirt, Niblet, and the pups gather in the yard; the silver moonlight casts long shadows on the walls and ground. "This is the tale of the Headless Dogcatcher," Squirt begins in a sinister voice. "Though, he's better known to the puppies and purries around the city as 'The Hea-WHUUUUAHH!' because that's all they have time to say before he NABS THEM!"
A look of wide-eyed terror crosses the pups' faces. "A hundred years ago in this very city, lived a dogcatcher who was so mean that the dogs and cats would run and hide at the mere sound of his wagon driving by. Whenever he would catch a dog or a cat, he would lock them away in uncomfortably small cages where their owners never saw them again. Now, one night, a mishap caused this dogcatcher to lose his head, upon which he replaced it with a pumpkin, thus becoming...THE HEADLESS DOGCATCHER!"
Niblet gently taps the chihuahua on the shoulder. "Uh, Squirt, I gots a question."
"Yes?"
"How does he think if he don't got no head?"
"He's headless, not brainless!"
The pups exchange perplexed looks with each other. "Ohh," Niblet replies. "But then, how does he see?"
"Moving right along," Squirt replies indignantly. "Now, every night on Halloween week, the Headless Dogcatcher patrols the streets, looking for dogs and cats to capture. And do you know what happens to the puppies and purries he captures?"
"What's that?" the frightened pups inquire in the same breath.
"No one knows...because they're NEVER SEEN AGAIN!" the chihuahua looms up in a frightening pose, causing his shadow to grow huge.
The pups gasp and shudder. "He's primarily spotted around the town dump after midnight. First, you'll hear the clatter of his rickety old wagon, then you'll hear the swish of his ragged old net, and then...HE GETS YA!" Squirt lunges forward in another fearsome pose, causing the pups to scream and run around in circles.
"Ha ha, I gotcha!" he laughs.
"That wasn't funny, Squirt," Rebound replies angrily. "You had us all scared out of our wits!"
"Aw, c'mon, kids, it's just a story." the chihuahua then hears shuddering behind him and sees Niblet covered in a blanket with only his short fuzzy tail visible. "You okay, Niblet?"
"Easy peasy, lemon squeezy."
"Oh, for gosh sakes Niblet, it's just a story," Squirt slowly lifts the blanket off of the sheepdog. "Boy, are you jittery. Why, I'll bet if someone just said, 'Boo,' you'd leap a mile!" he says, ignoring the ZING! sound behind him.
"I guess you're right." replies Niblet, who's now hanging onto the edge of the roof.
After Squirt and Niblet go back inside, the pups are still shivering with fear. "Ooh, that was super-duper scary!" Cupcake shudders.
"What if th' Headless Dogcatcher comes here tonight?" Patches wonders.
"He could capture all of us, and we'd never see our families again!" shivers Rebound.
"Aww, that's just an old wive's tale." scoffs a voice from behind them. The pups then whip around to see Freddie(3), a long legged grayish-brown pup with a black spots, a tuft of black hair on top of his head, another tuft at the end of his tail, and a slightly scary looking face, wearing a ragged black t-shirt with a skull and crossbones on the front, walking up to them. "There ain't no such thing as the Headless Dogcatcher, I mean honestly, nobody could have a pumpkin for a head!"
"Oh yeah?" Rebound replies indignantly. "Why, I'll bet that you're just as scared as the rest of us!"
"Scared? I ain't scared a' that dopey dogcatcher! Why, I could take him on just like that!"
"Well, would you like to try a little wager?" Cupcake inquires.
"Sure." Freddie replies.
"Hows'about if th' three of us stay in the junk yard where the dogcatcher was last spotted overnight to prove who's the bravest; first one of us to go home loses the bet."
Freddie smiles. "Deal."
At that moment, Patches gently taps Cupcake on the shoulder. "Uhm, Cupcake, may I please make a request?"
"Sure, Patches."
"Before we go, could I, maybe, wear my costume? I'd kinda feel braver as a superhero."
"Well, absolutely, Patches." the boxer pup replies.
"In fact," Rebound adds. "How about if we all wear our costumes? I bet the Headless Dogcatcher wouldn't dare mess with superheroes!"
"Good idea, Rebound." her friends reply.
"There's jus' one other thing, too," Patches adds. "What if the grownups get worried 'bout us?"
"Don't worry, Patches," Cupcake replies. "We'll just tell them that we're goin' trick or treatin'."
"Ooh, good idea." Rebound replies. "Let's do this!" She and her friends then give each other a group high-five.
Midnight falls; the pups, now wearing their superhero disguises, and Freddie, who's carrying a flashlight, traipse through the front gates of the junkyard. The pups look around wide-eyed. "Sure looks kinda' different 'round here after dark." Rebound states.
"Yeah," Cupcake shivers. "Who knows what sorta super-scary things could be hidin' in here?"
Patches shivers and bites his nails. "I'm Captain Mongrel. I'm strong and brave. I'm Captain Mongrel. I'm strong and brave."
"Aw, c'mon you guys," Freddie scoffs indignantly. "There ain't nothin' in th' dark that's not there in th' light."
"I'm Captain Mongrel. I'm strong and brave. I'm Captain Mongrel. I'm strong and brave.-AAAUUUUGHHH!" Patches suddenly hollers, motioning wildly toward what looks like the silhouette of a massive ape with outstretched arms. "A GIANT GORILLA!"
"Aw, calm down," Freddie shines the flashlight on the sihouette, revealing it to be a pile of old, beat-up boxes and furniture. "See? It's nothing but a pile'a garbage?"
Patches blushes. "Boy, do I feel silly!"
The pups continue through the junkyard; Patches is still biting his nails and repeating, "I'm Captain Mongrel. I'm strong and brave. I'm Captain Mongrel. I'm strong and brave."
Suddenly, Cupcake shrieks, "A VAMPIRE, A VAMPIRE!" and motions wildly toward what looks like the silhouette of a vampire with a long cape and its arms outstretched menacingly.
"Cool it you guys," Freddie shines his flashlight on the silhouette, revealing it to be an old lamp with an old, beat up beach blanket hanging over it. "It's just a pile a'junk, too."
"Boy, are we jittery." Cupcake replies nervously.
The pups continue on further, suddenly, Rebound screams, "OH NO, A WEREWOLF, A WEREWOLF!" and motions wildly toward what looks like the silhouette of a large shaggy werewolf.
"Oh please, you guys," Freddie shines the flashlight on the silhouette, revealing it to be a pile of old fur coats and shopping bags. "Look, It's just garbage, too."
"I knew, that, really," Rebound replies quickly. "I was just trying not to ruin the mood." The other pups look at her skeptically.
The pups continue on; suddenly, they see an eerily moving trash bag coming out from behind a wall. "AAAUGHH, MORE MONSTERS!" Rebound, Cupcake, and Patches shriek, upon which they rush off.
Freddie hurries after them, "Hey, come back you guys, I'm sure it's nothin'!"
After they've left the scene, a little mouse crawls out of the bag. "Monsters? Oh no! I'd better get out of here!" He then scurries away.
As the pups continue further through the junkyard, they exchange concerned looks with each other. "You know, I really wonder if this was the best idea after all." Rebound states.
"Yeah," Cupcake agrees. "We coulda' been at the Halloween party, playin' games and enjoyin' some nifty-neato treats right now."
"Who knows what's out here?" Rebound adds. "What if there relly is a Headless Dogcatcher, and he captures us, and we never see our families again?"
"I'm Captain Mongrel. I'm strong and brave. I'm Captain Mongrel. I'm strong and brave." Patches repeats.
Cupcake's knees begin to shake. "Maybe we'd better just go home right now."
"I second that motion." Rebound agrees.
"Y-yeah, and I third and fourth it." Patches adds.
Freddie shoots a disdainful look at them. "I can't believe you guys! We haven't been here a half hour, and already you wanna back out. There's nothing dangerous here, and I'm willing ta prove it!"
Meanwhile, Catchum the nasty dogcatcher is strolling down the street, looking for stray dogs and cats; as he passes by the junkyard, he spies the four pups inside. "Well, well, well," he sneers. "What have we here but a bunch of stray pups? I'll catch 'em, and I'll catch 'em good(4)!"
Catchum nonchalantly sneaks in through the front gate and climbs up a pile of garbage to get a better view; suddenly, his foot slips, sending him tumbling down and landing head-first on a discarded Jack O'lantern. "Ughhh...where am I?" he groans.
Upon hearing the crash, the puppies begin looking around frantically. "W-what was that?" Rebound stammers.
"Don't worry, you guys," Freddie replies. "It was prob'ly jus' the wind, or some mice or sumthin'."
"It sounded much to big t'be that." Patches stammers.
"M-m-maybe we'd better go investigate." Cupcake stammers.
"Fine, but only to prove it was nothin'." Freddie replies indignantly.
The pups traipse through the junkyard, looking everywhere; just then, they come across Catchum, who's still lying on the ground in a daze. Freddie shines a flashlight on him, "See, it's nothin' but a pile a'junk, jus' like all that other stuff was!"
"Pfew, that's a relief," Patches sighs. "For a minute there, I thought that was th' Headless Dogcatcher!"
"Say, this stuff's kinda funny lookin'," Cupcake traipses up to Catchum. "Wonder what it is?" She lifts Catchum's arm up, then drops it back down.
"Yeah, I got th' strangest feelin' that I've seen this somewhere before." Patches climbs up on Catchum's back and jumps up and down.
"I feel the same way, too, but I can't quite place where." Rebound pokes Catchum in the belly, causing him to weakly groan, "Ma-ma.(5)"
"Mmn," Freddie muses, as he tugs on Catchum's boots. "The question is, who would throw stuff like this out in the first place?"
"All right, that's it!" feeling his anger grow, the dogcatcher rises up to his full height, brandishing his net. "I'll make you little mutts pay DEARLY for this!"
"OH NO!" Rebound screams.
"IT"S THE HEADLESS DOGCATCHER!" Cupcake shrieks.
"HE'S GONNA CATCH US 'N LOCK US AWAY FOREVER!" Patches yells.
"RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" Freddie hollers.
The pups fearfully race off with Catchum in hot pursuit. "You'll never get away from me, you little mangies!" he growls angrily.
Out of the corner of her eye, Rebound spots the exit staight ahead. "Quick, you guys, let's split up and make a break for the exit!"
"Sure thing, Rebound." the others reply, upon which they split off in four directions. "Let's skidoo, pupperoos!(6)"
Catchum screeches to a halt and looks all around him; he walks slowly through the junkyard looking for the pups, and promptly trips and lands flat on his face, causing the pumpkin on his head to fall off and smash. "I wasn't paid enough for this..." he groans.
The four pups stand on a street corner, panting and out of breath. "Pfew, that was close." Rebound says.
"Yeah." agrees Cupcake. She turns to Freddie. "I must admit, I was a little surprised to see you get scared."
"Okay, I admit it," Freddie replies grudgingly. "I did get scared. Also, I'm sorry I was so hard on you guys earlier."
"Well, it's like the old saying goes," says Patches. "'We have nothing to fear but fear itself...and Headless Dogcatchers.'"
"Truer words were never spoken." Freddie replies.
"Say, Freddie, would you like to come to the Halloween party with us?" Cupcake inquires.
"Sure, I'd love to!"
The four pups head back to the pound; as they open the front door, Lucky and Cookie greet them. "Hi there, little guys." Lucky says.
"Hi, guys!" the pups reply.
"Did you have fun trick or treating?"
"Uh huh."
"Well, I'm glad to hear that," Cookie replies. "Did you see anything scary?"
"Why, uhm, no, no, nothing at all!" the pups reply.
The end.
Voice Cast
Lucky-Eric McCormac
Cookie-Yvette Nicole Brown
Niblet-John DiMaggio
Strudel-Alanna Ubach
Squirt-Michael Rapaport
Rebound/Mouse-Brooke Goldner
Cupcake-Cree Summer
Patches-Jessica DiCicco
Freddie-Justin Shenkarow
Catchum-Frank Welker
(1)Patches has some of Whopper's personality traits in this continuity.
(2)Cupcake has some of Brighteyes' personality traits in this continuity.
(3)Freddie first appeared in the episode, "Nightmare on Pound Street."
(4)A variant of the catchphrase I've given Dabney Nabbit in my stories, "I'll nab 'em, and I'll nab 'em good!"
(5)A Laurel and Hardy reference.
(6)A quote from an episode of the original series from the '80s, entitles, WHopper Gets the Point."