He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown

1968 television special

He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown is the fifth prime time animated TV special based upon the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It was originally broadcast on the CBS network on February 14, 1968.

Snoopy's persistent mischief is angering the other kids in the neighborhood, and they all demand that Charlie Brown do something about it, as Snoopy is his dog. To appease them, Charlie Brown decides to send a reluctant Snoopy back to his birthplace, the Daisy Hill Puppy Farm, for obedience training. As it is a two day trip, Charlie Brown calls Peppermint Patty and asks to let Snoopy stay there for one night en route; Peppermint Patty agrees, but a scheming Snoopy decides to stay on and has her waiting on him hand and foot, which confuses her. A week later, the Puppy Farm calls Charlie Brown to inform him that Snoopy never arrived. Realizing Snoopy is still at Peppermint Patty's house, Charlie Brown goes over to her house with a leash to take Snoopy home, but the dog escapes and runs back. Peppermint Patty lets Snoopy stay, but instead of returning to the easy life he enjoyed before, she puts him to work doing menial chores, much to his dismay. As the other children start to miss Snoopy, Charlie Brown tries again to bring him home, but Snoopy breaks the leash and sends Charlie Brown away. Devastated by Snoopy’s refusal to return home, Charlie Brown and the kids call out for him to come home. That night, while doing dishes, Snoopy, having had enough, becomes infuriated and starts breaking dishes, and Peppermint Patty puts him in the garage as punishment. While there, Snoopy realizes that he had a better life at home and starts to howl incessantly. When Peppermint Patty comes out to check on him, he knocks her down, dashes out the garage, gathers all his belongings from inside the house and runs back home to an overjoyed Charlie Brown, with whom he compromises on promising to behave if his master does not send him away. The next day, after taking Linus on a wild blanket ride and picking a fight with Lucy, the other children are also glad that Snoopy is back. Contented, Snoopy goes to nap on his dog house.

He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown was the last Peanuts special featuring the majority of the original voice cast from the first Peanuts special, A Charlie Brown Christmas. It was also the first special to credit Bill Melendez as the voice of Snoopy. Both He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown and You're in Love, Charlie Brown were nominated for an Emmy award for Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming in 1968. Stock footage from It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966) is used when Snoopy flies on his doghouse. The ending segment where Snoopy and Lucy quarrel was inspired by a comic strip storyline that originally ran May 24–29, 1965. It was later adapted for The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show (1983) episode "Snoopy: Man's Best Friend" and the French television series Peanuts (2014) episode "L'amour du risque".

The music score for was composed by Vince Guaraldi (except where noted) and conducted and arranged by John Scott Trotter. The score was recorded by the Vince Guaraldi Quintet on January 11, 1968, at United Western Recorders, featuring John Gray (guitar), Frank Strozier (alto saxophone, flute), Ralph Peña (bass), and Colin Bailey (drums). Retitled variations of several songs previously released on Jazz Impressions of A Boy Named Charlie Brown ("Pebble Beach," "Schroeder") were featured in .

He's Your Dog, Charlie Brown was rebroadcast yearly on CBS between February 1969 and June 1972. The special was first released on home media in 1982 on RCA's SelectaVision CED format, along with Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown, It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown, and Life Is a Circus, Charlie Brown. It was later released on VHS in 1987 by Hi Tops Video. Snoopy Double Feature Vol. 2, a VHS release containing He's Your Dog and It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown, was released on March 9, 1994 (it would later be re issued in 1997 after Viacom bought Paramount). The first DVD release came on July 7, 2009, in remastered form as part of the DVD box set Peanuts 1960s Collection. A separate DVD of the special and Life Is a Circus, Charlie Brown was released on September 21, 2010.