Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for February 26, 2022

I was right!! LOL

Puddles, on the other hand, is panicking. Who’s the mystery stranger about to take him in? Tune in next week (or another week) to find out!

Puddles: “now I panic”

Unless that’s Frank this is going to be another doggie slash-flick type story. If I wanted depression I’d read the newspapers.

Well, Luann and Jack. Not everyone will take a stray dog to the vet for a chip check. Whoever found Puddles might decide to keep him.

Puddles never take a ride with a stranger.

OK. Panic!

Ahhh, the Mysterious Shadow. He is a desperate father who is rescuing a lost mutt to bring home to his blind little daughter, suffering from a terminal illness. A waif whose mother abandoned them both at her birth. Pitifully lonesome and seeking the comfort of a friendly, cuddlesome companion to brighten her dreary days. Will Luann be so heartless as to snatch Puddles from this frail child’s hands?

TUNE IN NEXT WEEK! 8^ )

Oh No! It’s Tara’s cousin. Luann will have to pay a big reward to get Puddles back.

Da Dum..Da Dum, cue theme music from Jaws

Please don’t let those arms be Ann Eyeful! But what if it is Quill coming back to town?

The return of Dirk!

Best case scenario: Aaron HillWorst case scenario:Dirk

I continue to not like this.

Let’s see, Luann wants a job being responsible for kids, and she can’t even keep track of her dog…somethings not right

Is the dognapper Anne Eiffel?

Is that Tara’s cousin out of jail?

We all know that’s Ann Eiffel, right?

Oh Noooo! It is the Shadow!

NOW YOU SHOULD BE WORRIED!!

Oh good! Puddles is being rescued!Oh no! Puddles is being dognapped!

I swear to God, if this is f%€£ing Ann Eiffel…

I believe that car belongs to tara’s cousin. Really luann?!? You got puddles chipped?!? I would think the only chips you’d give puddles are doritos.

Puddles it’s time to bite the hands that are grabbing you! Pronto!

Full-size Vehicle- shadowed Stranger/Stalker? Puddles doesn’t recognizes the set of hands.

This gets Curiouser and curiouser!

Those things happen when you don’t train your dog well and don’t put a good leash on it!

The fact that Greg’s not showing us the Phantom’s face means it’s someone we know (if it was a new random person being added to the storyline he’d be up-front about what this person looks like).

I’m hoping for Knute, but I’m not holding my breath.

Is Aaron or Quill back?

More than likely, it’s someone they know!

The last panel… Puddles looks so scared! I hope it’s just for cliffhanger purpose and that person is a friend of Luann and Jack that Puddles doesn’t know very much, so maybe Tara or Nil. But I’m afraid it may be someone evil like Tara’s cousin, who was arrested just a year ago. It’s nice to see how much Luann is trying not to panic in front of Jack. But it’s clear that this will sooner or later lead her to an explosion.

I was going to agree with Ken above, that this “person” is Tara’s evil cousin Stella from a year ago. However, the car’s headlights look different.

If Lu’s lucky, Pud has been found by someone she knows, like Bernice, Gunther, Ox Dez, or even Les.

Wouldn’t think Tiff because she’s a sports car.

And Bets drives green station wagon-thingie.

Besides, she’s already got a “pet.”

(Just KIDDING). ;-)

[DUCKS, Anyway]

…or some kind of person will take him…

Maybe it’s Brad or Frank.

DIRK?

Hasn’t the practice of stealing and selling animals to laboratories been outlawed?

I think we can rule Ann and some other guesses out because they are people who don’t care about anything but themselves, and wouldn’t recognize Puddles.

The strip seems unlikely to have a really bleak scenario going, so we can rule out someone using Puddles to train fight dogs.

We either have someone who knows Puddles and will be returning him to Luann or a kind stranger… Luann’s new love interest? About time to add a new one.

Wanna bet it’s Tara who found Puddles?

And then she and Jack will become “an item”, much to Luann’s displeasure.

Well, we’ll see next week, folks!!

Interesting, but highly unlikely twist.

It is someone with ill intent towards Puddles — add snarling pit bull in backseat dog crate and evil, “He’s all yours when we get home, Champ.” driver comment.

BUT… Dirk is out and about finishing his rounds on his sanitation truck, spots Puddles in the n’er do well’s car. And, recognizing Pud from his past encounters with Brad, puts two and two together.

Dirk switches gears and dusts off his tough guy persona and relieves the bad guy of Puddles.

Cut to, Brad calling Luann from the station telling her he’s had a surprise visit from Dirk.

Luann has a… yes… “stressgasm”… until Brad gives her the good news. ;-)

Ugh, this means another week of this sorry a** story line. And now we’re worried about Puddles!

Ok they were in the dog park so I understand why no leash. But why doesn’t Puddles have on a collar?

Oh no! Puddles! Run away!

Maybe it will end up being a new love interest for Luann.

I can’t believe Luann is so non-nonchalant about this considering how she freaked out when Puddles supposedly escaped just outside her house earlier.

unless it’s someone evil or pretty darn close to it. :{

It’s the budget Cruella Deville: Sue Ella Demille. Wants a mutt fur coat.

Delta?

Really .. REALLY …. hoping this turns out to be Brad.

Or not. Or a not so kindly person will get him and sell him.

Puddles is one of those “spud” dogs. He wouldn’t be able to survive without humans taking care of him. He’s not the type of breed to go running off.

I’m guessing its Brad.

This looks ominous…

It’s Dez…

Uh oh. See a dog fight in Puddles future

It’s Cruella De Vil.

What kind of car did Stella drive? That is my first guess because Puddles does not recognize the person.

I don’t like this story because this happened to my daughter last month. Her dog got loose and got picked up by a bad person. She did get her beloved dog back 6 days later because a neighborhood camera got the face of the dog napper. The dog is chipped and had her phone number on it so the woman who kept her was a thief.

Say goodbye to your doggy kid

Is this a rerun? It all seems familiar somehow.

Doesn’t look good for puddles

Anne Awful Eiffel

It appears as though poor Puddles has gotten lost. Hopefully the shadow person will bring him home.

There are a couple houses in the background. They probably have a doorbell camera and someone will check theirs when they learn a dog is missing. Luann will get her dog back through the kindness of strangers with a doorbell camera.

Panic!

This is not a particularly good week to run a strip like this!

Puddles got kidnapped by a shadow?

Sunday: Frank and Nancy think about Luann’s future.

AH! PANIC! Where’s my opaque glasses? My towel? Wait, I need to recite the panic poem: “When in panic or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout!” Oh yes, that’s it. AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!

Could be Toni or Ann

Dirk?

Dirk?

YAY!!!! Such an Ominous looking panel! PUddles is being kidnapped… NEVER TO BE SEEN AGAIN!!!!

Don’t need scary dog stories, need happy dog stories w/o tension Got a war for that.

In my area, we have daily reports on Next Door and Ring communities of as many as 6 or ten dogs or cats loose a day in a two-3 mile radius. I can’t figure out why people can’t keep them locked up. Ours never gets out of our fence yard, and all the houses have cinderblock walls for fences. I think its because they are kept outdoors all day while people are working and some manage to find ways to escape.

Hopin’ it’s Ox.

Puddles is being taken away for an upgrade; when he returns he will look like an actual dog instead of a mutated baked potato.

Sample Observation: The sky in the second panel suggests it is night time. Likely reactions: “Why? Got something against day time?” “Ducking the issues, are we?” “You didn’t say anything about how Luann responds in the first panel!” “The third panel is obviously a metaphor about human trafficking”. “Luann has her hand on his shoulder. And you ignored that? Hater!” Kinda sucks the joy right out of even reading this strip……

Wide arms and red car make my first thought, “Dirk”, but I wonder if I am only seeing a shadow rather than the arms, and that would make other options possible. Does Evil Annie still have a red convertible from Tiff’s dad? Does Tiff? Anyone else we know with a red car now or in the past?

how does a house dog know to stay on the sidewalk

Might it be this fellow? The car does look familiar…

https://www.gocomics.com/luann/2003/12/31?ct=v&cti=1028975

It looks like a Dirk-Mobile.

Luann is jumping to conclusions.

Ann Eiffel Strikes Again!

looks like Puddles was on his way home.

Now I’m worried for Puddles! =(

that’s likely either Brad or the parents.

I think that is Ox picking up Puddles.

Hmm, from the comments so far…

Aaron or Dirk or Quill or Brad or Gunther…

I wish Puddles actually looked more like a dog than a blob with a big nose and legs.

Okay you can worry now. Of course it will probably be Brad.

Ann Eiffel?!

Is this the return of Ann Eiffel?

Maybe Ben will sneak back into the strip. Or, a new love for Luann, which gets Jack all jealous.

I really didn’t begin reading Luann for The Adventures of Puddles. I may need to skip next week.

Uh-oh? Or, rescue is at hand!

We are left cliffhanging, worried for Puddles, chipped or not. If he really is chipped, and if Luann is the one who had it done, it would be her only saving grace in this arc so far….

To be continued…

Puddles is a house dog, not a city dog. House dogs run out in traffic without looking and treat everyone like a friend…City dogs watch traffic and stay away from strangers.

IT’S ANN!…probably not.

Looks like Dirk’s car.

That last panel looks particularly ominous….

Black hands?? Eeeeeek.

Uh oh, the now down and out Cruella is now targeting strays in Luann’s universe.