All about Dug!
♠ Character Profile
♠ Mun
Name: Charli
Journal: disneyglitter
Contact Info: AIM: totsuzenlove EMAIL: deviate.and.whirl@gmail.com
Other Characters: None as of now :B
♠ Character Info
Name: Dug
Movie/series: Pixar's "UP"
Year/Position: Teacher - "Tracking 101"
Non/Speaking Animal/Companion(if any): None but it'd be awesome to have someone play Kevin 8D
Powers: Aside from being able to talk? He's an excellent tracker and plays a mean game of fetch
Canon history:
Dug once belonged to the famous explorer, Charles Muntz and lived in the jungles of South America. Muntz, being quite the inventor, created collars for each of his canine minions that allowed them to talk… in several languages. From a young age, Dug displayed signs of being an impressive tracker (particularly of the much-despised Squirrel) and this led to him being chosen to help Muntz capture a very rare and lesser-spotted bird. However, after several attempts at capture, the bird remained stubbornly elusive, even to someone with an amazing nose like Dug.
Unfortunately, this led to him losing his status as designated “Bird Tracker” - not that Dug ever quite realized this. He continued to offer “help” to the new team of dogs on the case, led by Alpha, which resulted in Dug becoming the canine “dogsbody” (excuse the pun) to the rest of the pack. A particular example of this being on Dug’s birthday where Alpha and his team left Dug in several strategic locations, telling him that this was a place that the bird often frequented. This was all done in an attempt to keep Dug out of their way as they found the bird themselves (not that it went preceisely to plan but that's another story!)
It was on this day that Dug’s fortune definitely changed for the better. He met and befriended Carl and Russell (affectionately known as the small mailman). From this point on, Dug’s loyalties began to shift as he became more attached to his new friends - even the bird (a.k.a Kevin) he had been attempting to locate previously. After giving up on taking the bird as his “prisoner”, he changed sides for good and helped Carl, Russell and Kevin complete their journey to Paradise Falls. In the final battle between Muntz and his new Master, Dug succeeded in usurping Alpha by tricking him into the much-despised "cone of shame". Dug then became the new Alpha, something that easily helped turned the tides for Carl, Russell and Kevin. Dug then returned to civilisation with Carl and Russell, leading a perfectly content life with them. It was also where met a female Golden Retriever and had many adorable puppies (Much, I suspect, to Carl’s chagrin!)
AU history:
Note: I’d like to keep his history close to the canon but without the wife and puppies (Because, c’mon - how could he ever leave them to come here? :C) So we’re talking about his life before he met his lady pal, so he was living with Carl and Russell.
Picking up where the canon history left off, Dug was living a new life with his new Master and the small mailman in the suburbia bliss of Middle America, East Evangeline. He missed the bird very much, but was content being a part of civilization, rather than living in the middle of a jungle.
The next thing Dug’s family knew was that the Mist was spreading, getting perilously close to Middle America - too close for comfort. Carl and Russell’s Mom decided that they would evacuate using the Spirit of Adventure. It wasn’t long before Dug found himself being whisked away from his home and to a new land. They found themselves traveling East, headed for the land across the sea - Buena Vista. Once land was spotted, the blimp temporarily made berth in Scotland - Carl having plans to wait it out there until the Mist receded.
A few days later, Dug was exploring his new abode when, mysteriously, a letter fell from the sky, fluttering down to rest at his front legs. He picked the missive up and dutifully carried it to his Master. Carl was surprised - considering no one really knew where they where - but opened the letter. He then blinked once, twice and told Dug that it was addressed to him and was from the “Walt Disney Academy”. Carl then read the letter to an intrigued Dug. The letter offered him the opportunity to come to the Academy to help teach the students there how to track - a skill that would undoubtedly come in useful during these dark and troubling times. It was an opportunity of a lifetime, and Carl allowed Dug to accept - despite how much they would all miss one another. After promising Carl and Russell that he would visit as soon as he could, Dug was dropped off at the Academy by the blimp, excited at the prospect of adventure.
Personality:
Dug is an extremely happy-go-lucky dog, and let’s be frank, this is probably because he isn’t the sharpest tool in the box. However, being a dog, he is very adept at sensing people’s moods and feelings and thus he has the ability to brighten spirits and keep the morale high - he certainly helped brighten the often-perilous journey undertaken by himself, Carl, Russell and Kevin to Paradise Falls.
Despite having a few issues with trust in the past, he considers everyone to be a potential friend - for better or worse. This is evident when Dug first met Carl and Russell - Dug immediately declared “I have only just met you, and I love you!” - It is evident from this that Dug is very quick to like (or love in this case). However, he can also be painfully blind to the obvious.
For example, he often continues to heap affection on people (or other animals) despite the other not actually reciprocating the feelings fully. This is visible during the initial relationship between himself and Carl - Carl really isn’t interested in picking up another stray and viewed Dug as a nuisance. However, Dug remained blissfully ignorant of this fact. He sees and responds to things at face value. For example; when Carl threw a tennis ball in an attempt to shake off his followers, Dug read this action completely differently - he saw it as his new friend wanting to play fetch and viewed it as an expression of Carl’s affection.
Dug has a rose-tinted understanding of the world and the living beings within it. Time and time again this was (and still is) a problem for Dug. When he was part of Muntz’s pack, Alpha and the other dogs essentially played on Dug’s naivety and affections in order to get him to either a) stay out of their way (whilst they tracked the bird) or b) use him for something sinister.
The reason behind Dug’s unquestioning obedience comes down to his desire to be liked - it is evident that he’ll go to great lengths to secure someone’s affections. A clear example of this is when Dug eagerly reported to Alpha that he had the bird as his “prisoner” - after failing to capture the bird on numerous occasions; Dug believed that being able to tell his Alpha that he’d captured the bird was sure to redeem him in their eyes. However, on the flipside, this actually put his true friends in danger. Dug evidently trusted the other dogs implicitly (they were part of his pack) and didn’t realize that he had just led a dangerous group of dogs to his new friends - evidence of his overly-trusting personality. That being said, he never wittingly puts his friends in danger. He is just slow at comprehending things and is sometimes unable to see the consequences of his actions.
Despite his misgivings, Dug is extremely loyal and caring - He never gives up on his friends and will stick by them through thick and thin. Even when Carl sent him away, Dug was unable to leave because of his unwavering loyalty to his new Master - “I was hiding under your porch because I love you”. At the heart of things, Dug just wants to be loved and fears being abandoned - so much so that he’ll try to get taken back in, as was seen in the above case.
He is also very courageous, particularly when someone he loves is in danger - he’s very likely to jump in and try to defend them without thinking it through first. He displayed these traits whilst journeying with Carl, Russell and Kevin - for example, when he attempted to stop his pack from chasing Carl, Russell and Kevin as they tried to escape Muntz (“Stop you dogs!”). He puts his loved ones first and foremost, prioritizing their safety over his own.
Appearance:
Dug is a Golden Retriever , a medium-sized dog with long fur that is a yellowy-gold colour. He has large brown eyes and almost always has his tongue lolling out. He is quite, shall we say, rotund - but not immensely so. He stands at about 55 cm tall and weighs roughly 78lbs. He also constantly wears a thick brown collar with numerous dials and switches on it - this is the collar that allows him to speak.
Classes:
Dug will be teaching "Tracking 101" - a class that will aim to provide students with a basic understanding of how to track and locate people in extreme weather and terrains.
Clubs: TBD
Best Subject: Tracking
Greatest Fear:
Dug’s greatest fear would be losing his sense of smell - it would completely destroy him. He would become extremely disoriented as he would be unable to use his smell to sense people and the very world around him. It would be like a human suddenly going blind, the effect would be the exact same. He relies heavily on scent for every area of his life - his environment, people around him, and in sensing imminent danger. Without it, he would be quite literally screwed.
However, the most important area that it would effect is his tracking ability. He would no longer be able to find someone in the midst of a forest, or under snowy conditions. He’d be rendered useless. He is really afraid of losing, what he believes to be, the most important part of being a dog - he believes that he would be considered less than equal with other canines and humans wouldn’t value him as much as they currently do.
He believes that it would lead to his second fear - being alone. He’s scared of being disowned or left in a scary place without anyone for company. He really hates being by himself and will go to great lengths to be around people. He really thrives on having someone to call his Master and thus, Dug really fears being abandoned by those he cares for and left to live a life of loneliness.
Something happening to either Carl or Russell would leave Dug utterly heartbroken - He has finally found a family that care for him and to lose all of that would be like a nightmare come true for Dug. A world without Carl, Russell and even Russell's Mom would be a very, very lonely and sad place for Dug.That, and his sense of smell being lost, are his greatest fears.
How long have they been at the school: Dug is new to the academy.
♠ Permissions
Kissing/hugging/etc: Dug: Oh I do so love the kissing hugging etc!
Injuries: Dug: *cowers away*
Killing: Dug: *hides in a bush, still cowering*
Mindreading/memory wiping/etc.: Dug: I do not like the sound of this...:B
With all of the above (except Kissing/Hugging etc) please PM me and we'll discuss!