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The Far Side frequently found humor in the contentious relationship between pets and their owners – and while The Far Side's domesticated animals, for their part, were not always wholly innocent creatures, and often got the better of their human counterparts, Gary Larson's cartoons about bad pet owners hit differently, especially for animal lovers like Larson himself.
The poor treatment of nature, and its nonhuman inhabitants, was a perennial theme for The Far Side, and comics in which the punchline centered around cruel and unusual behaviors toward pets played a central role in this.
That said, these comics were also some of Gary Larson's most misunderstood, as readers often reacted viscerally toward the inhumane treatment they depicted, without realizing that Larson's own sympathies almost always lie with the animals, rather than the human characters in his cartoons.
10 One Of The Far Side's Most Infamous Early Comics Was About Threatening A Goldfish
First Published: August 31, 1981
Many Far Side readers will immediately recognize this cartoon, which stands out as one of the most memorable visual punchlines from Gary Larson's early career. "So...you still won't talk, eh?" The Far Side's familiar nerdy kid asks his pet goldfish, sticking a straw in the bowl's nearly-depleted water supply, as the fish looks at him with wide-eyed concern.
The joke here is a riff on the lengths James Bond-style villains have been known to go to in order to extract information from a character, mixed with the familiar real-life experience of young kids hurting animals, often because they don't yet realize it is wrong. Still, this cartoon has the capacity to upset those readers who are overly-empathetic toward the goldfish's plight.
9 With This Far Side Panel, Gary Larson Seems To Say "Some People Shouldn't Have Pets"
First Published: November 11, 1981
Pet birds were a common refrain in The Far Side, and as several entries on this list make clear, they were often subjected to some of the worst treatment of any Far Side pets. Here, a parrot has only just arrived in its new home, and already it is clear that it is not going to have the most idyllic life, as the wife reads the "manual" for the bird and tells her husband, "Uh oh! It says here....this bird should not be exposed to foul or abusive sounds."
As with many Far Side cartoons, the funniest part of the comic is the wide-eyed expression of the bird, as it realizes what is in store for it. The human characters, meanwhile, are coded by Gary Larson to seem like altogether unappealing owners for this poor pet parrot, which is vital to the effectiveness of the punchline.
8 The Far Side Reminds Readers Never To Raise A Hand – Or Stick – To A Pet In Anger
First Published: February 17, 1984
In this Far Side cartoon, a man angrily storms down the street, clutching a stick, outraged that his pet has "jump[ed] the fence again," and taken off – except, hilariously, rather than a dog or a cat, the pet cowering in an alleyway is one of The Far Side's many giant squid.
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Of course, this bad pet owner lacks the self-awareness to recognize that his poor treatment is why his squid keeps trying to escape; unfortunately, unlike some of The Far Side's other squid, this one seemingly lacks the self-awareness to realize it could easily crush its owner to death. In any case, this absurdist Gary Larson joke is still an effective PSA for readers, reminding them to be nicer to their pets.
7 The Far Side's Nerdy Kid Needs Everyone To Know His Ants Aren't Just Pets, They're Property
First Published: November 7, 1986
This Far Side cartoon is silly, but that doesn't make it innocuous; in fact, it is actually quite dark, as it depicts a young kid actually using a tiny, red-hot brand to mark his pet ants, so his ownership over them is unmistakable. The humor here stems from the extreme extrapolation of kids' poor treatment of their pets, and though the use of some of The Far Side's familiar ants in place of a dog or cat might alleviate some of the upsetting-factor of the joke, it is still far from wholesome.
In a way, what Gary Larson depicts is almost worse than the "burning ants with a magnifying glass" trope – which The Far Side also occasionally indulged in – because the "ant farm" life should be a cozy one for its inhabitants, insulating them from the cruelties of actual nature, instead of exposing them to the depravities of human behavior.
6 Far Side Readers Know Why This Caged Bird Won't Be Singing Much Longer
First Published: December 23, 1986
In another dark Far Side joke about a bad bird owner, a man sits in an armchair and polishes an automatic rifle, an angry sneer on his face, as his pet parrot unknowingly courts a violent death by singing "hey boid! Shaddup!" over and over again, skillfully mimicking his owner's words, but fatally failing to grasp their meaning.
This sharp contrast is what gives rise to the humor of this strip, but many readers will find themselves having a strong reaction to the implied impending killing of an animal before the joke registers a laugh. In this sense, this panel provokes what Gary Larson called the "My God!" response to The Far Side, as its shock value preceeds is comedic value.
5 The Far Side's Worst Dog Owner Pushes His Pet To The Brink
First Published: February 6, 1988
This Far Side cartoon is a "sequel," of sorts, to the fan-favorite "Dog With Gun" comic. This time, the tension is escalated by having the dog not just point a gun at its owner, but actually confront the human with a time-bomb, made of dynamite, strapped to its chest.
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The Far Side Complete Collection
$71 $125 Save $54
Fans of the far side can't pass up this master collection of Gary Larson's finest work. Originally published in hardcover in 2003, this paperback set comes complete with a newly designed slipcase that will look great on any shelf. The Complete Far Side contains every Far Side cartoon ever published, which amounts to over 4,000, plus more than 1,100 that have never before appeared in a book and even some made after Larson retired.
"Hey, you wanna kick me? Go ahead!" the dog shouts, evidently taking revenge for abuse at the hands of its owner. The humor arises from the extremity of the canine's actions, but there is also tragedy here, in the fact that the dog has seemingly been left with no other choice in the face of ongoing cruelty. In that way, while this is certainly one of Gary Larson's funniest Far Side cartoons, it is also one of his most weighty and complex.
4 Giving Household Pets Access To Deadly Weapons Is Never Funny – Except Maybe This One Time
First Published: August 3, 1990
In this hilariously over-the-top Far Side cartoon, a pet cat and pet dog point machine guns at each other and repeatedly pull the trigger – with gruesome death only averted for both of them by the fact that there are no bullets in the guns. Though as the caption makes clear, that nearly wasn't the case, as a woman admonishes her husband:
Introducing automatic weapons to couple of dumb animals was irresponsible to begin with, Frank – but my God! To think you almost left the bullets in!
Though these owners aren't outright cruel, their absurdly careless – or perhaps, carelessly absurd – behavior is enough to warrant their inclusion here, as they are another example of human Far Side characters who probably shouldn't be allowed anywhere near animals, let alone to have pets, for the safety of the animals, and everyone else in a nearby radius.
3 Sometimes Far Side Characters Mistreated Their Pets Because They Could, Not Because They Should
First Published: August 23, 1991
Another pet fish is endangered in this Far Side cartoon, as a young boy runs a tube from the goldfish bowl out the window of his house, draining the bowl's water – something his mother encourages, or rather more crucially, fails to discourage.
"He wants to one day work for the Army Corps of Engineers," his mother casually tells a visitor after her son, Lenny, starts siphoning their pet fish's water, seemingly not for the first time. Though Lenny's mother should certainly support her son's career aspirations, this is a situation where she should absolutely step in and tell him to leave the fish alone, and find a different way to practice his skills; her lack of inclination to do so is what ranks her among The Far Side's worst parents, as well as pet owners.
2 An Unfortunate Far Side Quid Pro Quo
First Published: June 3, 1993
In this panel, a noseless man sits in front of the television – as a beakless bird sits perched staring back at him, reminding both of them about the time when their conflict got out of hand. "Oh boy, was that an ugly day," the man's wife tells a visitor, as she explains the backstory to The Far Side's "eye for an eye" equivalent.
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Though the bird might have struck first, in this case, the man's insistence on "tit for tat," comes across as a disproportionate response, as the human in a situation like this should not seek vengeance against an animal. In any case, this cartoon stands out as one of The Far Side's darkest pet-owner debacles, as Gary Larson once again emphasizes that not everyone is cut out to care for a pet bird.
1 A Classic Horror Movie Villain's Childhood Canine Couldn't Even Catch A Break
First Published: August 22, 1994
In one of The Far Side's many riffs on Psycho, "little Normy Bates" is shown as a silhouette in the window of his house, "yell[ing] at his 'dog'" with the use of quotation marks making it clear that, just like his mother in the film, there is no actual dog.
As a Psycho reference, the joke certainly lands, but it also stands out among The Far Side's "bad pet owner" jokes, because it highlights that Norman's conception of having a dog includes shouting at it by default. In this way, it is a sad study of the character, and also in the abstract, by extension, the prevailing sentiments of far too many dog owners. In that sense, once more Gary Larson expertly takes a surface-level joke and imbues it with a deeper sentiment, which was part of what made The Far Side so impactful.
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The Far Side
The Far Side is a humorous comic series developed by Gary Larson. The series has been in production since 1979 and features a wide array of comic collections, calendars, art, and other miscellaneous items.
English (US) ·