This Hal Roach comedy short, Dog Days, is the thirty-sixth entry in the "Our Gang/Little Rascals" series. As the short begins, Jackie's dog is jumping over his owner and Mickey and Joe. Mickey's dog learns how to sit. Both Mickey and Jackie say to Joe afterwards, "Let's see your dog p'form that trick." Joe tries to get his dog to fetch a stick but he runs the other way. Mickey's mother comes and makes her son keep an eye on his baby brother Mortimer who's laying on a blanket at the field the gang is playing in. After she leaves, Mickey gives that job to his dog who's on a leash. Instead, while Mickey goes with his friends to look at a gopher, the dog takes off his collar and drinks the milk bottle that's near the baby. The dog also drinks some of a cat's milk nearby. After Mickey finds out, he disowns him. In another part of town, society girl Mary is taking a ride with a horse pulling her open-air carriage. For some reason, the horse gallops quickly causing Mary to panic. The gang sees this and Mickey sends his dog to rescue her. He does by confronting the horse. Mary, grateful for the dog and his owner for saving her life, invites the whole gang to her birthday party. When they arrive, the mother does not approve of her daughter's new scruffy friends but reluctantly gives in after Mary causes a fit. After Mary blows out her candles and everyone has cake, Mickey asks Joe where his dog is. Joe goes to the room his dog is in and finds a litter of puppies! After showing everyone what happened, Joe says to Mickey, "Let's see your dog p'form that trick!"...This was a sweetly amusing "Our Gang" entry that brings more smiles than laughs but the kids personalities are so charming at this point that you get sucked in just the same. Of note here is the addition of Eugene "Pinapple" Jackson, who replaced Ernie "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison a few shorts ago. Eugene got his nickname from Hal Roach because of his clutch of hair. Speaking of Ernie, his father, Ernie, Sr., plays the butler here. So on that note, Dog Days is not hilarious in the usual Hal Roach tradition but is a sweetly amusing tale that does not overdo the sentiment. P.S. Kudos to the YouTube poster for once again adding the LeRoy Shield "Little Rascals" score to this short.
