Mighty Mutts Courageous Canines: Swifty and Elmo

Krypto the Super-Dog and Thor the Thunder Dog were the more famous superhuman dogs were the most famous of the mighty mutts (while the non-super Krypto of Earth-Two and the robotic Krypto of Earth-One were the one-hit-wonders aiding Superman and Superboy on occasion), there were other courageous canines. Among these were Swifty and Elmo.

Swiftly was a greyhound saved by Superboy from the pooch’s murderous fox-hunting owner. Tracking the young hero back to his Smallville home with the Kent Family, Superboy gifts Swifty with a serum created by Kryptonian criminal Roz-Em that previously gave Clark’s adopted parents Jonathan and Martha with superpowers. Now possessing temporary powers like those of Superboy and his pet Krypto, Swifty is trained to be a friend and protector of Clark’s Super-Dog. However, Krypto becomes jealous of Swifty causing a one-sided rivalry, resolved when the greyhound losses his powers.

However, the Phantom Zone criminals mentally manipulate Swifty into recreating his superpowers through a chemical concoction.  Seeking to use the dog to lure Superboy into a trap, the criminals’ scheme is delayed when their young foe devises a couple tests to see whether Krypto or Swifty should have the honor of the former’s invulnerable cape, and we dwindled the lad’s pooch partner. Swiftly is victorious both times, and after he and his new master encouraged a warring human and beast population on another world to seek peace, the boy and his dogs journey to his planetary museum. There, Superboy nearly dies from Green Kryptonite radiation, until Krypto creates a bizarro Swifty that battles the original. Superboy then mixes more chemicals to restore Swifty’s sanity and normalcy.

Doll Man based his strength ray off the Miraclo black light ray hypothesized by his fellow Freedom Fighters teammate Rex Tyler. Right after developing it in 1950, Darrel Dane used it on a stray dog he adopted named Elmo, which both healed him and give him super-canine strength. It also increased his intelligence, allowing him to understand human communication. 

For the next several months, Elmo assisted Dane’s alter ego Doll Man. Eventually, the dog became acquainted with Darrel's fiancee Martha Roberts, and soon assisted her as well when she adopted the Doll Girl alter ego after gaining powers similar to her boyfriend's. From December 1950 until February 1952, Elmo faithfully followed his master into a wide array of adventures, helping the pair.

Eventually, Elmo retired from crimefighting, although Darrel and Martha carried on in their costumes crusade. Given the nature of Dane’s ray devise, the superhuman strength “of ten men” (like that which Hourman possessed after exposure to the Miraclo black light) would have amplified his already proportionally strong physique when he was a Mighty Mite. As Doll Man, Darrel could be considered on par with Superman of Earth-Two when he began his career, before his Kryptonian genes developed to full potential and maturity.

Courageous Cosmic Crimefighting Canines

Space Canine Patrol Agents as well as Bulldog Drumhead and his pals were do-gooder dogs. Residing on parallel planets with the universes of Earths One and Two, with little if any actual contact with the humans of those worlds. And that’s just a doggy shame.

The Patrol's members included Bull Dog, Tall Terrier, Mammoth Mutt, Hot Dog, Tusky Husky, Paw Pooch, Chameleon Collie, Prophetic Pup, Mammoth Miss and Beam Beagle. Of course, their most famous member was Krypto, who accidentally stumbled upon this team while on space patrol. He would join them on two more cases.

Among the Canines’ adversaries were the Canine Caper Gang, the Cat Crime Gang, the Black Cats, and... um... cats in then Phantom Zone??? They also had frenemies in the Space Cat Patrol.

Their common battle cry "Big Dog, big dog, bow wow, wow! We'll stop evil, now, now, now" was Patrol's version of a famous expression from Earth's Yale University "Bulldog, bulldog, bow-wow-wow." Nice segue from Bull Dog and the Patrol; and Bulldog Drumhead.

Police Detective Bulldog Drumhead was charged with raising the mischievous son of a criminal. The pup, Oliver Wendell McDuffy, carried a machine gun in honor of his pop who was now incarcerated for life. Drumhead various fellow cops he worked alongside as well as various creature criminals he was tasked with caging.

It is evident that Bulldog, Oliver and their anthrophomorphic world are in Earth-Two's universe rather than that of Earth-C or Earth-C- given his appearance alongside members of the Justice Society of America.

Introducing Krypto the Thunder Dog of Earth-Two

58 days before the destruction of Krypton-One, its leading scientist Jor-El used his family's pet as a test subject for his experimental  prototype rocketship. After orbiting the world below, the vessel was struck by a stray meteor, causing its engine to engage. After a month and a half of circling around the planet, Krypto's ship was pulled along through the spacewarp created by his young master Kal-El's rocketship, just as Krypton exploded.

Eventually, the puppy grew into a full grown dog, trapped within the vessel yet preserved alive thanks to yellow sun radiation which gave it super-abilities. Crashing on Earth-One years later, Krypto was finally freed from the ship and sought out his master, no longer a toddler but Superboy. As the Boy of Steel trained the Dog of Steel how to use its new powers with the help of the canine's increased intellect, Superboy enlisted Krypto's help in several adventures. In his civilian identity as Clark Kent, Superboy disguised Krypto and gave him a new alter ego as his dog Skip. After several years together, Krypto left to journey through space, although years later reunited with Kal... who was now Superman... on Earth-One. Krypto tried to romantically draw his master and Lois Lane together, to become husband and wife with him as their dutiful pet. Sadly, his scheme didn't succeed.

On Krypto-Two, Jor-L had less time to devise a test rocketship, and so sent his son Kal-L in an untested rocketship. Like his counterpart, Kal-L arrived on his new home world successfully. He grew up as Clark Kent and, in his teen years, as the Masked Wonder. While an occasional kind pooch would aid the now adult Clark in his Superman adventurers, Kal-L had no time to welcome one into his home until he gained a family of his own. Clark eventually married his coworker Lois Lane. 

Decades later, the Kents invited a new member into their family unit, although this dog was artificially constructed on Earth-Two. That dog traveled to another world... that of Telos... with Clark, Lois and the city of Metropolis. The cyborg canine was named Thor who appeared to have found his new master after his former owner, Superman’s former All-Star Squadron teammate the Manhunter, had retired from superheroics. How he came to acquire Thor from the retired police officer Dan “Manhunter” Richards, whose granddaughter Marcie Cooper became a friend then foe of a younger generation of superheroes on this world, has thus far been untold.

Krypto had at least one and perhaps other robot duplicates built by his master, as Superboy had done with himself as well. On Earth-Two, Thor the Thunder Dog had been built by the alien Manhunters when he was assigned to his first master Dan Richard in his crimefighting crusade of as the original Manhunter. At least one other Thor model was also constructed and offered to Paul “Manhunter” Kirk, who rejected the Manhunter’ offer. Dan and Thor joined the Freedom Fighters who traveled to Earth-Two, with both returning to their home world in the late 40s. 

In an alternate future timeline, Thor was still Dan’s pet when he attacked his master under the control of the vengeful Manhunters who were still active in that future. Other cybernetic dogs like Thor were also built by the Manhunter androids, one of whom was assigned to agent Paul Kirk, who declined accepting it. In the mainstream future of Earth-Two, Thor remained a docile animal companion to Clark and Lois Kent.

Both Krypto and Thor possessed superstength and speed beyond that of canines of their Earths. Additionally, each had enhanced vision and hearing along with other senses, with each apparently powered by solar radiation from Krypto’s Kryptonian genetics and Thor’s Manhunter cybernetics. While Thor was durable due to his metallic frame, he wasn’t invulnerable as was Krypto although Thor was immune to all radiation while Krypto was susceptible to Kryptonite radiation as that emitted by his arch-foe, Kryptonite Kid’s irradiated dog.

Protectors and their Prolific Pooches

Pooches that are faithful to their masters... not so hard to fine. Canines that are courageous... also pretty common. Dogs that display mental acumen rivaling humans in intellect? That's very rare.

Rex the Wonder Dog was the star of Earth-One's K-9 Army Dog Training Corp operating during World War II. Working alongside red haired Lt. Dennis (later Major Dennis), eventually Rex was adopted into the Dennis family and befriended the Major's son Danny. The Wonder Dog had several adventures around the world with both his masters, and gained relative immortality drinking from a fountain of youth.

Streak the Wonder Dog was the pet of Alan Scott aka Green Lantern of Earth-Two. Having a series of adventures, both with his costumed owner and on his own when he was later separated from Scott, Streak proved as equally resourceful as was Rex. However, he never had opportunity to meet Dennis' counterpart on his world in Donald Richards. This was left to another pooch on his world.

Thor the Thunder Dog was a canine assigned by the alien androids known as the Manhunters to their first human recruit of Earth-Two, Donald Dan Richards. A police officer wanting to make a difference, the red haired Richards found as the Manhunter not only a reliable ally in Thor but an intelligent and seemingly immortal companion. Turns out the Thunder Dog was an android himself working secretly to monitor his master for his creators. When both crimefighter and canine left for Earth-X, Dan unwittingly played into the hands of his former robotic masters. 

Thor and his fellow Thunder Dog models mirrored the robot duplicates of Krypto the Super Dog, whom his master Superboy built. The original Krypto had adventures by Superboy's side or on his own, in the 20th Century and the 30th Century with his fellow Legion of Super-Pets. His Earth-Two counterpart Thor was later given to Clark and Lois Kent by Clark’s former fellow All-Star Squadron teammate Dan Richards. Thor traveled with the Kents to the planet Telos during their stay on that alien world for a year during the Convergence event effecting cities from multiple Earths of the Multiverse.

Powerful Pet Protectors of People

Pets as sidekicks for superheroes is almost as old as the institution of the heroes themselves. There are some famous examples of such befriending beasts, such as Ace the Bathound which, according to the Batman Encyclopedia, existed on Earth-Two. However, since Ace teamed up with Bat-Mite of Earth-One, that world also had an Ace. Of note as well were the Big Reds, the faithful avian allies of the Hawkmen, Major Mynah and Static the Parrot which aided the Atom and Airwave. Also, there was the Junior Super Friends Wendy and Marvin's loyal pooch Wonder Dog and the Earth-Two Green Lantern's pet Streaky the Wonder Dog... both pooches patrolled their respective Gotham Cities. And we're not even touching Space Ranger's Cyril and Doctor Mid-Nite's Hooty! And of course, this quartet that actually joined forces.

Aiding the Legion of Super-Heroes in the 30th century, two survivors of Krypton... Krypto the Super-Dog and Beppo the Super-Monkey... were joined by Supergirl's irradiated pet Streaky the Super-Cat and Comet the Super-Horse, a centaur transformed into a super powerful ally of the maid of might.

Together, these four aided by a shape shifting alien formed the Legion of Super-Pets which were much more than just mascots of the core team, they protected them on several occasions during the early part of the teen team's career.

Considering how these four members originated from the 20th century and journeyed ten centuries to assist these future humans shows their compassion and ingenuity to come to their aid and navigate the tricky waters of time itself!

On Earth-Two, there was Thor the Thunder Dog, an artificial intelligence who was the canine companion to Dan Richards aka the Manhunter. Thus, while Krypto and Thor were their worlds’ long-lived super strong canines, Rex the Wonder Dog and Streak the Wonder Dog each had similarly distinguished careers. Another Wonder Dog who joined the Super Friends had a twin in Winner, a seeing-eye dog who briefly aided Earth-Two's Robin on a case.

The Bizarro Krypto created with the same imperfect ray device that spawned his master found an Earth-Two doppelgänger in Robbie the Robot-Dog who assisted his creator Robotman on a series of similarly comical adventures.

Yet one more Wonder Dog was Elmo, a sickly dog who in 1950 was revived and thrived when exposed to Darrel Dane's experimental health ray. As such, Elmo gained greater strength and intelligence then normal dogs, and aided Doll Man and Doll Girl during the 1950s. And unlike Swifty the artificial Super Dog of Superboy, Elmo stayed faithful to his masters after gaining powers.

Earth-Two Superman encounters Hocus and Pocus, two fake but good-hearted magicians, with their clever bunny Moiton. This mischievous rabbit ended up helping the Man of Steel and his witless stage performing masters, much as Beppo the Super-Monkey would for his master the Earth-One Superman.

While the archer centaur form Biron found a corresponding human-horse hybrid in a time lost archer Speedy of Earth-Two, his later incarnation as the Comet the Super-Horse found a doppelgänger in Serge the Sky-Steed, owned first by the golden age Wonder Woman and later seemingly claimed and reconditioned by her adversary, Gundra the Valkyrie. Another flying horse of Earth-Two was the Shining Knight's flying steed Winged Victory, who had a twin in Nova, the winged steed of Earth-One's Terra-Man.

The twin of Earth-One's Streaky the Super-Cat was the test subject known as Streak, who was imbued with super-speed power from the evil Doctor Clever's speed projector. Unlike Streaky who stuck around for awhile, Streak left the room and sought out a new life away from superheroics, until his power ran out. A descendant of Streaky's in the 30th century met his ancestor's master, Supergirl... while Power Girl met a cranky cat she adopted in the latter half of the 20th century.