Doobie (1999)

Mr. Shuldig and his dog, Doobie.
Doobie was a real dog. When he was a puppy he was a beautiful chubby little ball of soft white fur, so we named him Doobie, Hebrew for Teddy bear. He grew up to be a scrawny little white dog with hair like stiff bristles and a black patch around his left eye. He was also super intelligent and my pal. Shuldig sometimes comes across as too idealistic or saccharine. So I gave him Doobie to act as a "realistic" counterpoint to his innocence. The "real" Doobie died a number of years ago at the ripe old age of 17, but he lives on in the comic strip. And in my heart.