Fire Dogs

Did You Know?

• An episode of Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon", named "Fire Dogs 2", takes place directly after this episode.
• "Fire Dogs 2" was initially written as an episode of the second season of the original during the Nickelodeon years but was rejected by story editor Will McRobb for its crudeness.
• In "Fire Dogs 2", the Fire Chief magically morphs into Ralph Bakshi, voiced by himself.

Plot

A homeless and starving Ren and Stimpy roam the streets. Ren eats the last of Stimpy's cat litter, enjoys it, then breaks the litter box. They find a job notice recruiting dogs for the Fire Department, which only accepts Dalmatians. Ren uses a bucket of "Dalmatian Paint" to paint both of them.

They apply but are attacked by the Fire Chief, who mistakes them for circus midgets. Stimpy reveals he is a cat, but Ren explains his stupidity to the chief. They are hired despite Dalmatians traditionally serving in assisting roles. Ren plans to eat and relax, believing fires are unlikely, but they are immediately assigned to a fire at an apartment building.

They evacuate the Buttloaves family: Mrs. Buttloaves throws out her comically obese baby, which they manage to catch. Her horse, Mr. Horse, lands on his feet, breaking both, and lands on the duo. Ren and Stimpy attempt to save Mrs. Buttloaves' increasingly absurd, gigantic animals. Ren rides the ladder to her residence, is horrified by the height, and Mrs. Buttloaves carries him down in her mouth, causing an earthquake that destroys buildings and leaves a crater.

She performs CPR on an unconscious Ren, who mistakes it for a kiss and is horrified. Stimpy extinguishes the fire with a pile of kitty litter. The duo receive golden fire hydrant helmets, but Mrs. Buttloaves and nearby dogs struggle to hold their urine. An "Ask Dr. Stupid" segment airs midway, with Stimpy answering a boy's school question nonsensically.

Production

John Kricfalusi stated that "Fire Dogs" was written "in an afternoon" to fill the episode quota for the first season ordered in October 1990. Bob Camp described it as "a regular cartoon, lots of mayhem and running around and physical humor. It's not the usual bizarre fare." Production was rushed at Spümcø with minimal effort. The animation was sub-contracted to Fil-Cartoons in Manila instead of the usual studios, to save costs. Despite the rush, the episode was finished late. Much of the intended footage was vandalized beyond repair at Fil-Cartoons, drawing displeasure from Kricfalusi and animation director Bob Jaques.