“He’s not just a dog; he’s a cop. And he’s not just a cop; he’s my partner.”

The ’80s spawned numerous memorable action/comedy cop movies from “Lethal Weapon” to “48 Hours.”

In 1989, the genre took an unusual turn when screen writers heralded the days of Scooby and Shaggy and combined a cop and a dog to battle crime in two different movies.

“K-9,” starring Jim Belushi and a German Shepard named Jerry Lee, was the first movie to get the K-9 law enforcement ball rolling. Then, they were one-upped three months later by Tom Hanks and a French Mastiff named Beasley in “Turner and Hooch.”

Both films are structured the same way. A cop who needs help personally and professionally to pursue a criminal must grudgingly adopt a mongrel of a dog to help aid the efforts. Of course, the dog and cop don’t get along at all.

While investigating the “big case,” the two butt heads, causing the beast to show who the real boss is. Biting automobile seats and mirrors, destroying houses and defecating in kitchens are just the tip of the iceberg.

Of course, the adventurous cop tries to wash the dog in an effort to get with the hottest bitch in town.

As the case gets solved, the dog saves the cop’s life in the climactic scene where the pooch takes one for the team. Either the mutt gets shot by the bad guy or it dies, leaving kin to carry on its legacy.

M.O.O.S.E. asks: If the movies are the same, which movie has more bite (and hurtful puns)?

“Turner and Hooch” made enough money to land them on the top 50 grossing movies in 1989 with “K-9” barely making the list.

While Jerry Lee can chew up a pool ball and steals Dooley’s ice tea, Hooch drinks beer and can snap a man’s neck in two, summoning the junkyard attitude of Cujo himself.

“K-9” bad guy Kevin Tighe, who, oddly enough, was in “Another 48 Hours,” does an OK job as a drug boss who bullies people with squirt guns and henchmen. Turner’s nemesis is played by Craig T. Nelson of “Coach” fame.

The dog-and-cop movies’ real prowess is proven when spin-off television shows and sequels are taken into account. “K-9” turned into a franchise with two straight-to-video sequels “K-911” in 1999 and “K-9:PI” in 2002. Belushi, in an interview with www.videopremiereawards.com, already was titling the next (but not likely) movie “K-9: Secret Agent” at the time of the “K-9:PI” premiere.

Ultimately, the movies are worth the $2.99 movie rental price and make for a great back-to-back showing.

One wonders, however, if police officers would get close to their crime dogs.

“They are considered to be less of a partner and more of a tool for the department to use,” said Lt. Matt Kiederlen of NIU’s K-9 division.

Sorry, Hooch and Jerry Lee, you’ll have to sleep outside for this one.