Peanuts Begins by Charles Schulz for November 07, 2015

OK, how long did it take until Snoopy was definitely Charlie Brown’s dog? I thought it had been established by now, but clearly not.

So Snoopy is Charlie’s dog by this point? I didn’t think that was established until around the point that the characters looked more like they look today. It may have been and on and off thing. Alternatively, this could be the real story of how Charile got Snoopy. Maybe he just kept following him and wouldn’t go away. Though that would contradict the whole Daisy Hill Puppy Farm deal.

I read an interview with Schultz where he said that Snoopy was originally envisioned as a “neighborhood dog”. That would mean he belonged to someone else and not Chuck, Shermy or Original Patty. Continuity comes later in the strip.

You can be a “neighborhood dog” without being a FERAL dog, of course…..

And remember, we are still in the first year of the strip. The relationships between the characters had not been fleshed out yet. (And Schroeder is still a baby.)

Man’s Charlie Brown’s best friend…

Of course, that doesn’t explain why Charlie Brown knew nothing of Lila if Snoopy had always lived in the neighborhood before Charlie Brown adopted him. Surely he would have remembered Lila if he had really known Snoopy as her dog all those years ago, unless Lila never bothered to put tags on Snoopy (and come to think of it, Snoopy DOESN’T wear tags, even today!).

There is nothing nicer than having a dog to follow you around. I just having my dog around all the time. It means I’m never lonely.