I recently went to a comic show and was able to get my hands on an original Bulletman and Bulletgirl comic! In the comic they had a dog named Bulletdog. Did Bulletdog actually exist or was he made up for the comics?
Was there a real life canine empowered with the abilities of Bulletman and Bulletgirl that accompanied them upon their crime fighting adventures? No. Did Jim and Susan Barr own a dog that was important to them and whose existence was vaguely known to the kind of people who exaggerated the lives of Golden Age Mystery Men? Yes.
(An image of "Bulletdog" from Bulletman and Bulletgirl's popular wartime comic)
In November of 1942, Bulletman and Bulletgirl came upon a case of criminals using a specially designed high frequency radio to force a pack of stray dogs to commit a series of rash and inexplicable robberies across Fawcett City. The dogs were being "harvested" from local slums and pounds, being trained to respond to certain harsh ultrasonic signals and then sent out to do as the gangsters with the radio control pleased.
Small, nimble and often overlooked by polite society the pack of strays were able to make off with thousands of dollars in jewels and precious metals eventually putting Bulletman and Bulletgirl on their trail. They tracked the gang to their hideout and, at a moment where it seemed the duo were in real danger an older female dog and her puppy burst free of their cage and pounced upon the gangster controlling the radio. The device was smashed, freeing the strays from its control and putting momentum back in the hands of the heroes though at the cost of the older dog's life.
While most of the dogs were either returned to their owners or taken in by adoption agencies and the like, the puppy of the dog that saved their lives was quietly taken in by the Bullet Duo's alter egos, Jim Barr and Susan Kent. Susan became quickly attached to the puppy a Jack Russel terrier mix she named Slug. Not just as a wry, private joke about her and her then boyfriend's secret identities but also because of the puppy's generally lazy demeanor.
The comic publishers of the day embellished, as they were paid to, crafting a story in which the heroic pup was fastened with a collar mimicking the heroic duo's flight helmets and taking to the skies as the heroic Bulletdog. Said Bulletdog obviously never actually appeared and was quietly dropped not long afterward when support for their ridiculous idea failed to materialize in newspapers.
Unbeknownst to the world, Slug would do his part simply as a comfortable and loving companion to the Barrs during and after their time in the heroic spotlight. He became a member of the family, as dogs often do and is remembered fondly by the Barrs' daughter Deanna, the part time heroine called Windshear.
"Slug didn't have the temperament to be a superdog. He barely had the temperament to be a living creature most days. Mostly content to stretch out in the sun or across my mom's lap but he was always down for a warm hug or a long lick to the face right when you needed it. Seems pretty super to me" - Deanna recalled during an interview.
