Wednesday Pirates Tidbits: The Dog

The dog.  The most loyal and noble companion man has.  They come in all shapes and sizes.  From hairy to bald, tea-cup to horse size, white to black, there is a dog for everyone.  So many great dogs have graced the big screen over history in memorable roles.  One of my favorites is the dog in the first three Pirates movies. He seems to have almost as many adventures as Capt. Jack and miraculously shows up at the strangest moments.  He won't be mistaken for Lassie or win an Academy award, but he steals the scene every time. 

                                                                                 

We never do learn his screen name, so I'll call him doggy.  Doggy is first introduced as the prison dog who guards the Port Royal jail keys by carrying them in his mouth during The Curse of the Black Pearl.  Prisoners vainly attempt to retrieve the keys but the vigilant canine keeper refuses to be seduced.

  

The dog appears again in Dead Man's Chest with Pintel and Ragetti after they have escaped from prison and are headed for Pelegosto island to search for the Black Pearl.  Somehow they had managed to temp the canine keeper to give up the keys.  Perhaps they promised to let him hitch a ride in the boat with them.  The dog is eventually left on Pelegosto, where the cannibal tribe chases after him, leaving Jack Sparrow to climb aboard the Pearl.  In the extra scene after the credits, it is revealed that doggy becomes chief of the Pelegosto tribe, replacing Capt. Jack.

The dog reappears in At World's End as the keeper of the keys to the Pirate's Code on Shipwreck Island.  Capt. Teague (Jack's Dad) explains the dog's presence to the stunned Brethren Court when he shrugs his shoulders and says, "Sea turtles, mate."   He is kind of a mangy pooch and probably never had a bath or a soft bed, but the dog got around and looked pretty happy about it in all three movies.   

I checked into it and found that the dog's name is Twister.  He's a mixed mutt, and was rescued from a shelter by his trainer.  A great rags to riches story for a funny dog.  It proves that even though you may start in the lowliest of places on your last leg, life can end up as a great adventure.  Keep surviving, watch for your chance, and move on to grander heights.  It's a dog's life and if I'm going to pick one, I pick doggy's.  Later Mates!