Courage the Cowardly Dog

Courage the Cowardly Dog (or simply Courage) is the protagonist and titular character in the series of the same name. He is a pink dog who was found by Muriel Bagge when he was abandoned soon after escaping a vet clinic in the town of Nowhere, Kansas.

Why He's Not a Stupid Dog

 * 1) Courage, as the show's title suggests (and as his name belies), is an extremely cowardly and anxious dog frightened easily by almost anything who has shown how much mental or moral strength he has to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty.
 * 2) Despite his fears, whenever he or his owners are in the complete face of danger, he will stop at nothing to save them and can show resourceful ways of doing so.
 * 3) He has been presented as an almost entirely selfless character, working to benefit others with usually little to no regard for his own well-being and risking his own life dozens of times simply to assure his owner's safety.
 * 4) At the same time, WHNaSD #1-3 all show how he serves as a constant reminder for all of us to be brave, keep searching, hold family close, and never give up no matter how great the odds are against you; in which shows when he is always trying to do his best in many episodes where he is quite unlucky, being subjected into terrifying adventures and is often being mistreated by Eustace.
 * 5) While Eustace always calls him a stupid dog, he's anything but "stupid". In fact, he's actually the smartest and most self-aware of the Bagge family trio, especially since he's a lot smarter than Muriel and Eustace themselves.
 * 6) His infamous scream has helped him out in the past.
 * 7) Although his secondary owner, Eustace, is cruel to him, he is not offended by his harsh words and cruel tricks, especially compared to the more kindhearted Muriel.
 * 8) Marty Grabstein does a flawless job voicing him, even when he was speaking gibberish.

The Only Cowardly Quality

 * 1) While his screams are funny and creative, it can be considered grotesque (or unpleasant) to some people.

Trivia

 * Despite the show's title, Courage is actually the bravest character on the show. Especially since what he fears and is easily scared by are things that anyone would be scared of, like nightmarishly random creatures, terrifyingly menacing sadists, or paranormal/supernatural occurrences, so his fears and anxiety come across as more sympathetic or even relatable than anything else. In his case, this makes him a lot more manly than how his paranoia implies.
 * Courage spoke English quite often in the first season, but from the second season onward, his dialogue became increasingly limited to gibberish, mumbling, and screams, only speaking occasionally or when he really had something to say.