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One sheepdog punches in on a time clock while the other punches out.. Once there, they proceed to protect the sheep from our friend Wile E. Coyote. It's a lot of the usual stuff except that it's treated as a business. The Coyote is, of course, thwarted all along (no spoilers...just is). The interesting thing is that these guys have a job and a time schedule. Clever idea.

There's no flies on Sam Sheepdog, don't even bother trying to fool him because he can see through ALL your little tricks.

Wile E. Coyote, taking a break from trying to catch that pesky Roadrunner, spies his long suspended dinner in a flock of sheep grazing happily in a field. Unfortunately for him, Sam has just started his shift and he isn't going to make it easy for him.

A series of brilliant gags follow, all of them utter genius, as Coyote goes to more and more ridiculous measures to obtain his main course. Ending in a surprise twist that will leave you in stitches.

A very funny, very clever cartoon.

The sheep dogs are going and coming to work, mainly Sam Sheepdog (named "Ralph" here) and his partner, Fred, who has the other shift that we don't see. They punch a time clock on a tree. Ralph also has his lunch box and sandwich: two slices of bread with a bone in the middle.

Meanwhile, Wile E. Coyote (not named that, but that's who we know him as) lurks nearby seeing nice juicy slabs of meat every time he looks at a sheep.

The story is basically about the dog protecting the sheep from the wolf. The funny bits come from the lengths the wolf goes to, to get his meal for the day, and how he's constantly thwarted. In fact, some of these scenes are hilarious and very clever.

All of these things make this an outstanding animated short, one of the best of its time.

The first in a series of shorts about a sheepdog (usually named Sam) guarding a flock of sheep and a wolf (usually named Ralph) trying to steal them. The joke is that the dog (and in later shorts the wolf) is just doing his job, punching a clock like any blue collar human. Unlike some of the other reviewers here, I don't feel like this is the best of the series. It's a great start, and there are lots of funny gags, but I think some of the others in the series were even funnier. The Pan gag was my favorite in this one. The lively music is supplied by Carl Stalling. Great voice work from Mel Blanc. The animation is colorful and nicely drawn. Ralph's feet are different here than they would be in later cartoons. It's a clever and original start to a great series; yet another example of the genius of Chuck Jones.

Ralph the Sheepdog punches in the work clock and takes over guard duty over a flock of sheep. In comes a wolf to scope out the potential buffet. First, he tries to trick Ralph by setting the work clock ahead. This keeps going and going until Ralph truly finishes his shift and is replaced by another sheepdog.

This is the first sheepdog and wolf short. The names are not set yet. What it absolutely gets right is the punch clock. That is the biggest and most important aspect of this franchise. It taps into the postwar workers who have to punch a clock everyday. There are later improvements, but this sets up the formula.