When a character does something evil, cruel or very mean for no apparent gain, because the author wants to demonstrate that they are not a nice person and shift audience sympathy away from them.

Why this trope works could be expressed in the words of William Cowper: “I would not enter on my list of friends (though graced with polished manners and fine sense, yet wanting sensibility) the man who needlessly sets foot upon a worm.” In other words, a cruel act, no matter how trivial, establishes someone as a cruel person. Conversely, the creator may show a character being kind for no apparent gain, to demonstrate that the character is a nice person and someone the audience is meant to cheer for. Both devices are used to help the audience become emotionally invested in the story.

What separates this trope from a character's other evil or cruel acts is that this bit of evil is gratuitous. It doesn't get the character anything or even advance the plot. The sole reason for this story beat existing is to place one or more characters squarely on the wrong side of the Rule of Empathy.

Needless to say, this trope can be enacted without harming any dogs. Any act or statement that shows the character's meanness or outright evil will do, such as a boss demanding an employee come in to work during Christmas when the employee's kid is in the hospital, or a passer-by stealing from a blind beggar's coin dish, or The Dragon inflicting a vicious No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on the hero or one of their True Companions or Protectorate. A Politically Incorrect Villain can kick the dog by showing gratuitous racism, sexism, homophobia, or some combination of such non-PC traits. If the event happened off screen in the past, just have Bob fondly recall the incident and make it clear that he has no remorse whatsoever. Bingo, mission accomplished.

If the evil act is directed toward an animal, however, a dog is usually the victim of choice, partly out of connotations of blind loyalty, partly from tradition. Arguably, however, substituting a cat can be even more shocking. After all, even bad guys like cats. So, the argument goes, if Bob goes out of his way to harm one, he must really be a bastard.

One possible origin of the trope name comes from Westerns, where three bandits would ride into the town, one would shoot the Sheriff, one would shoot the Deputy, and one, just to prove he was also a bad guy, would Kick The Dog.

If what is supposed to be a character's Kick The Dog moment is excessively horrible, cruel, or otherwise despicable enough to make an audience lose all sympathy for them, then they've crossed the Moral Event Horizon, if they're not on the other side of it already. If the Dog in question is someone the character cares about and discovers Being Evil Sucks, then they've Kicked the Morality Pet and might be in time to avoid a Face–Heel Turn. If the dog belonged to a minion, expect it to help cause a Mook–Face Turn because Even Mooks Have Loved Ones. On occasions, if karma works in the dog's favor, they'll manage to get a last laugh. On even rarer occasions, after being pushed around too many times, the dog may decide to plan against the Big Bad for his own ambitions, because Being Tortured Makes You Evil. When the dog-kicking is done in a way that (usually inadvertently) increases sympathy for the villain, it becomes Unintentionally Sympathetic. If the character appears to be likable or sympathetic when introduced and the dog-kicking proves that they are actually evil, that is Bait the Dog. If the villain shoots for this trope but fails to actually do anything seriously evil, it's Poke the Poodle. If the "Dog" in question is in fact a Killer Rabbit or Badass Bystander, that's Mugging the Monster and expect the villain to receive some karma.

Of course, the crux of this trope isn't just the cruel act; it's also about the innocence of the victim, i.e. they have done nothing to warrant their abuse. If the target is an Asshole Victim instead, the cruel act can become a sympathetic one for the villain/anti-hero instead. If going after the Acceptable Target is a coincidence, it becomes Laser-Guided Karma; if the victim was specifically targeted for their assholery, it becomes Pay Evil unto Evil.

This trope is often used to counter or prevent a character from being seen by the audience as a Designated Villain or Strawman Has a Point. It can also be used to remind the audience that a character who is Affably Evil is still, in fact, evil. These tropes tend to occur when poor writing or characterization causes a character to become more sympathetic to the viewers than intended. Since the writers can't just give these villains their just desserts if the audience likes them too much or prefers to take their side on an issue, an effective Kick the Dog moment can make them lose their sympathy and make them punishable again. This can backfire, though, as the audience may decide that the villain still has a point and that the writers are forcibly making them look bad through gratuitous dog-kicking rather than seriously addressing their points. If they attempt to escape consequences of their actions, it may result in Villainous Exit Denied.

A sign that Evil Is Petty. Compare with Can't Get Away with Nuthin', And Your Little Dog, Too!, Kick Them While They Are Down, The Dog Bites Back, Threw My Bike on the Roof, I Will Punish Your Friend for Your Failure. See "If You're So Evil, Eat This Kitten!" for when bad guys do a Kick The Dog test to make sure undercover heroes are really evil, and Dog-Kicking Excuse for when the would-be dog-kicker has to psych themselves up to doing it.

Contrast Pet the Dog (proving you're good) and Adopt the Dog (going from Neutral to Good), as well as Humanizing Moment.

For bad people who literally kick dogs, see Bad People Abuse Animals. For the Real Life phenomenon called "Kick the Cat"👁 Image
or "Kick the Dog", you'll be wanting The Chain of Harm. For examples that literally involve kicking or stomping, see Cruelty by Feet.

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