Dogs are a huge part of pop culture works, whether in film, television, art or literature. In most of these works, they are depicted as brave and fearless creatures. Naturally, these characters come with names that highlight their valor. There are, however, a few exceptions to the rule. One of these is Courage, a fictional dog from the animated comedy-horror television series entitled Courage the Cowardly Dog.

The show, which was a part of the “Cartoon Cartoons” block of Cartoon Network, revolves around Courage, a pink, anthromorphic dog. Courage’s owners are an elderly couple named Muriel and Eustace Bagge. As a puppy, he was abandoned after a crazy veterinarian sent his parents into outer space against their will. He was found by Muriel in an alleyway, and she decided to adopt him. He grew up in the couple’s house in the middle of Nowhere, a fictional town in Kansas. Muriel is a sweet and lovely woman who shows affection for Courage. On the other hand, Eustace is a bad-tempered farmer who typically abuses Courage, often calling him a “stupid dog”.

Contrary to his name, Courage is actually a coward who gets frightened easily. Unfortunately for him, their home is a usual target for paranormal and odd events. In fact, Courage and the couple normally encounter supernatural creatures such as zombies, monsters, demons, aliens and other similar characters. Most of these figures are antagonistic towards the trio but there are some who are friendly and are simply acting out due to distress. The stories featured in each episode are similar to the standard plots found in horror movies.

With the couple being elderly and incapable of some activities, the role of the protector must be taken on by Courage. While Courage is a true coward and would rather hide from the monsters, he often disregards his fears and does everything that he can in order to fight off or befriend the creature (whichever is featured for the episode) and fix whatever damage they might have caused. At the end of the episode, Muriel and Eustace go back to their normal lives, unaware of the actions of Courage that saved their lives.

Even though Courage is described as a fearful, cowardly dog, he is deserving of his name. This is because he is willing to overcome any dread and trepidation he is feeling and goes to extreme lengths to defend and save his owners, which makes him worthy of a valiant name.