When Mr. Buzzard’s beloved dog Kay gives birth to four puppies, one looks quite different from all the others. Mr. Buzzard
is determined to kill the ugly dog, convinced the dog will never be of use to anyone. Mr. Buzzard quickly develops a soft spot for the dog, though, and won’t even sell it to a half-blind man. Mr. Buzzard decides to keep the dog as a pet and names him Smasher.
From very young age, Smasher stirs up trouble everywhere he goes. His favorite thing to do is chase chickens around the yard of the farmhouse. Mrs. Buzzard thinks Smasher needs to be watched, so she invites him into the house. While Mrs. Buzzard is cooking, Smasher breaks jam jars, knocks over tables, eats a leg of lamb that was going to be dinner, and pees on Mrs. Buzzard’s nice parlor furniture.
To appease Mrs. Buzzard’s anger, Mr. Buzzard
tells her that he’ll get rid of Smasher. Instead of killing him or giving him away, though, he takes Smasher to his field pen where he keeps cows in the
winter. He spends months training Smasher to sit, stay, heel, and generally behave like a decent dog. When winter comes, Mr. Buzzard brings Smasher back to the farmhouse while Mrs. Buzzard is away.
Smasher behaves admirably on his first night in the house. After Mr. Buzzard goes to sleep, a burglar breaks in to steal their television set. Smasher thinks the man is there to play with him, so he knocks the man over. Smasher sits on the man, licks his face, and barks until Mr. Buzzard comes running. For the first time, Smasher is a very good dog.
When Mrs. Buzzard comes back, Mr. Buzzard introduces the new dog. Mrs. Buzzard doesn’t recognize Smasher at all. Mr. Buzzard tells her that the new dog is also named Smasher, and Mrs. Buzzard rewards him for catching the burglar.