Pinky and the Brain Inspired Dog Names

Runt is actually one half of the comedy duo "Rita and Runt." He, alongside his feline friend Rita, starred in their own short series that was also a part of Animaniacs'  usual line up. Despite his name, Runt is actually a very large dog of a fictional breed. If we had to compare Runt to any existing dog breeds, we'd say that he looks a bit like an Old English Shepherd with trimmed, impossibly brown fur and a red toupee on his head. Runt isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, but he more than makes up for his small brain via his huge heart. Runt also has Rita watching his back, She is more than a little street savvy in her own right. She and Runt are thick as thieves but their initial meeting was anything but friendly. 

When Rita Met Runt was apart of Animaniacs' seventh episode; the short details how Rita the cat and Runt the dog came into one another's company in the first place. It all starts at the pound - Rita has been abandoned by her recently heartbroken owner while Runt was dropped off because of his unruly nature. The cat and dog are placed in cells right beside one another, where they're able to share their life stories. Runt and Rita come to empathize with one another - both assuming that the other is a member of their species. Runt and Rita are able to escape their cells and see each other for the first time. Both are shocked when they discover the true identities of their newfound friends. It's Runt, however, who becomes hostile and threatening towards Rita. The cool cat is able to calm Runt down, who apologizes for his unruliness. Together, Rita and Runt vow to stick together and find a new home where both of them can be safe and loved again.

Another dog who rubbed shoulders with Pinky and Brain is Buttons, the loyal German Shepherd. Buttons shares a slot with Mindy - a precocious little girl who always finds a way to get into trouble. Buttons risks life and limb to keep Mindy safe, enduring unimaginable amounts of pain and damage to save his young master's life. It's all played up for laughs, of course; Buttons has full blown cartoon invincibility, so he's never in any real pain. Neither is Mindy ever in any real danger - their whole shtick is just a riff on how chaotic child rearing can be.