Oscar was a small Scottish Terrier (sometimes called a Scotch Terrier or "Scottie") dog with dark hair.
The Mother's Gift[]
Oscar was given as a gift to Junior Tracy by his mother Mary Steele. She purchased Oscar from a pound, paying all the money she had at the time for him.
It took Junior some time to choose a name for the dog, but he eventually settled on "Oscar". Junior was extremely fond of Oscar and he treated the dog well. Oscar was a smart dog, and was trained to obey commands.
Shortly after Junior received Oscar, Oscar was involved in an abduction attempt by the criminal Doc Hump. This led to Dick Tracy's final encounter with Hump, in which Hump was killed.
Shortly thereafter, Junior deduced Mary's identity. Oscar was with Junior when the boy and his mother were reunited.
Loyal Dog[]
When Mary Steele's employee Toby Townley was blinded, Junior trained Oscar to act as a guide for the young woman. Oscar was an effective guide-dog, though he was sometimes waylaid by cats or distractions. Toby eventually regained her eyesight and Oscar returned to his place as Junior pet and companion.
Oscar waited at Junior's bedside after Junior was struck and injured by a hit-and-run driver. He also accompanied Junior when Junior went door-to-door selling doughnuts in an attempt to gather information on the Purple Cross Gang member Baldy Stark.
Junior and Oscar ran afoul of the large criminal Mamma in a candy store. Mamma's dog Tip, a large St. Bernard, took a dislike to Oscar and the two dogs growled at each other. While Junior tried to rein in Oscar, Mamma provoked Tip, trying to encourage a dog fight. As Tip assaulted Oscar, Mamma laughed at Junior's crying. Mamma took Tip and left, and Oscar recovered. Junior's account of the event helped lead Dick Tracy to Mamma's hideout and resulted in her eventual arrest.
Notes[]
- By the time Dick Tracy took custody of Mugg, Oscar was no longer shown to be living with the Tracys. His current status is unknown.