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The Berenstain Bears and the Trouble with Pets
Season 1, Episode 4a
Series: The Berenstain Bears (2002)
Trouble With Pets
Air date September 14, 2002 (Treehouse TV)
January 9, 2003 (PBS)
Written by Brian Lasenby
Directed by Gary Hurst & Kervin Farla
Preceded by
The Berenstain Bears and the Week at Grandma's
Followed by
The Berenstain Bears and the Sitter

“Cubs don't expect the big job they will get when they jump up and down and beg for a pet.”
Mama Bear

The Berenstain Bears and the Trouble with Pets is the first segment of the fourth episode in season on of The Berenstain Bears. It first aired on Treehouse TV on September 14, 2002, and later on PBS on January 9, 2003. It is based on The Berenstain Bears' Trouble with Pets.


Summary[]

When Brother and Sister get a puppy, which they later name Little Lady, they learn from Mama and Papa that having a pet is a big responsibility as while they are off playing with their friends, Little Lady makes a mess of the treehouse and is ordered to live outside as punishment.

Plot[]

The Bear family comes out of their backyard to release Chirpy, a male robin with an injured talon. The cubs are sad to release Chirpy, but Mama reminds them that Chirpy is a wild animal. The discussion suddenly gives Brother and Sister the idea of wanting to own a pet as the other cubs in the neighborhood have them. Mama is hesitant, as she explains to the cubs that owning a pet is a big responsibility. Brother adds that he and Sister built a nest for him out of grass and dandelion fluffs, and Sister read him bedtime stories.

When asked again, Mama and Papa agree to let the cubs have a pet, to which Sister excitedly cheers. She and Brother suggest getting a horse. Papa declines says that horses eat too much, with Mama adding that their yard is too small for one. She and Papa then leave the cubs to think more on what kind of pet they want. At Cousin Fred's house, Sister and Brother meet his pet chameleon and feed it, with the chameleon lashing out its tongue and taking the food out of Sister's paw, frightening her in the process and delighting Brother. At Lizzy's house, she shows Brother and Sister her pet rabbit. When Sister sets it on the ground, the rabbit turns to face Brother then hops away.

At Lenny's house, he shows Brother and Sister his pet turtle. The turtle comes out of its shell as Brother looks at it. He then passes it to Sister, who flinches. As the cubs walk home, they talk about what kind of pet they want to get. Sister wants a pet that's warm and cuddly, to which Brother says she should get her blankie. Sister retaliates by telling Brother to get some slime if he wants something that's cold and slimy. Papa, who was just coming out of his workshop, overhears the cubs arguing and puts a stop to their arguing. He then comes up with the idea of going to the pet store to find a pet that Brother and Sister will agree on.

Later that day, the Bear family was heading to the pet store until they saw Farmer Ben on his farm running around. Papa pulls the family car into the farm and stops, and just as they get out of the car, a litter of puppies race toward Brother and Sister. Farmer Ben explains to them that the puppies are a handful and is planning to put up an ad for the puppies to find good homes. Brother asks if they could have the puppy and Mama tells him she and Papa will "think about it." When Sister asks, Papa and Mama consider that part of owning a pet is vet bills, dog tags, and licenses. Brother hands Mama the puppy and she is delighted by its cute looks, as was Papa, who agrees to take the puppy of Farmer Ben's hands.

Brother suggests naming the puppy "Prince", but Farmer Ben tells him that he's holding a female dog that he refers to as a "little lady." Sister agrees to name the puppy "Little Lady." Back at the treehouse, Brother goes into his closet to find a ball that he and Little Lady can play with. While digging into his toy box, Sister enters and takes Little Lady over to the bunk bed where she tickles Little Lady's stomach. Brother interrupts and scratches Little Lady's ears. Sister, however, planned on taking Little Lady for a walk around the neighborhood, and Brother wanting to take her out with him, though Sister demanded that she was going to play with Little Lady when he returns.

Outside, Brother tells Cousin Fred that he was going to teach Little Lady how to fetch a ball and jump through a hoop, then take her to the playground and teach her how to ride a slide. Sister returns from her walk while Little Lady rides in a stroller. She tells Brother she's taking Little Lady over to Lizzy's house, and another argument between the cubs ensues when they ask who's turn is it to watch Little Lady.

Later, Little Lady walks on a teeter-totter, jumps through a hoop, and chases after a frisbee Brother threw. She notices Sister having a tea party and runs over to her. Brother tells Sister that he's training Little Lady for a dog show. Sister objects and tells him that he played with her all morning. Mama opens the front door and tells Sister about a telephone call, to which she goes inside.

Cousin Fred reminds Brother that their soccer game begins in 15 minutes and runs home to get his shinpads. Brother prepares to leave for the game, and as Sister comes down the stairs, he tells her that she and Little Lady can have their tea party. Sister tells him that Lizzy invited her to go to the movies. Mama reminds them that Little Lady had an accident on the porch and orders the cubs to clean it up, which they respond with disgust. Another argument between the cubs ensues when they can't decide whose turn it is to clean up after Little Lady. Brother pulls a coin out of his pocket and plays a game of heads-or-tails, with "Heads" for him and "Tails" for Sister. Brother flips the coin and it comes up "Heads", to which Sister tells him to "have fun" and leaves.

Later that day, Sister is at the movies with Lizzy while Brother is at his soccer game. Brother scores a goal while Sister watches the movie with Lizzy. At the treehouse, Little Lady enters the living room and jumps onto the couch. She notices a nearby couch pillow and starts biting it, shaking its stuffing everywhere. At an ice cream parlor, Cousin Fred and Brother were leaving and they saw Sister and Lizzy walking on the sidewalk. Sister reminds Brother that he was supposed to clean up and look after her, but Brother reminds her that the coin toss was for the accident only.

After they realize nobody's there to watch Little Lady, Brother and Sister race back to the treehouse to find Little Lady in the living room making a mess. They tell her to stop, but it is too late, as the flowerpot falls on the floor and breaks. The cubs look at the mess Little Lady left in her wake just as Mama and Papa come in the front door. They are in disbelief as Little Lady walks toward them with a table covering in her mouth. As punishment, Little Lady is sent to her doghouse as it rains outside. Brother and Sister both realize that they're at fault for not keeping watch of Little Lady, with the former realizing that they should've asked with a goldfish, and the latter realizing that it isn't fair to Little Lady to be put in the doghouse for causing so much damage.

In the kitchen, Papa was reassembling a vase while Mama was stitching the couch pillow. Brother and Sister enter the kitchen and tell them that they were responsible for Little Lady's destructive behavior, as she did not get any exercise while outside that afternoon and she only wanted to have fun. Mama reminds them that owning the dog is a "round-the-clock" job, with Papa adding that it isn't something the cubs can put off.

Mama suggests giving Little Lady a snack and letting her back in the house, to which the cubs delightfully agree to. Outside, the cubs run to tell Little Lady she could come back in, but they are turned off as the smell of Little Lady's accident rings into the air. The cubs once more argue over whose turn it is to clean up, but Brother suggests that he and Sister do it together, which she agrees to.

Differences From the Book[]

  • Brother and Sister were arguing more in the cartoon, while they did it in one page in the book.
  • In the book the whole family came home and found the living room destroyed, in the episode only Mama and Papa find the living room a mess.

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