Thomas' Fuzzy Friend

"This fuzzy little fellow needs a name.” “I know, Fuzzy! Fuzzy the Dog!"

- "Big" Thomas and Little Thomas Thomas' Fuzzy Friend is the second episode of the twenty-fourth series.

Plot
One morning at Knapford station, a mysterious barking is heard as Gordon tries to speak, earning him some teasing from James. When Nia arrives, she discovers it belongs to a stray dog, who later relieves itself on the wheels of a horrified James. The dog later reappears at Dryaw, where Emily warns the Fat Controller just before he trips over it. He then decides to call a dog warden to take care of it - to which the dog runs away and over the fence.

The dog then appears in front of Thomas, who decides to take it on board and try and find its home, despite getting protests from Annie and Clarabel. He asks Bertie if he knows anyone who has lost a dog, but to no avail. To try and find the owner, Thomas' crew put up posters at stations along the line.

While stopped by a workman's hut at Bluff's Cove, the dog notices a squirrel and gives chase. While trying to retrieve the dog, Thomas accidentally runs into a branch on the tracks and is derailed in Maithwaite Forest. The dog then takes Thomas' driver's cap and runs off with it.

Meanwhile, back at Knapford, the Fat Controller is with Albert and his son Thomas, who asks when "big Thomas" will be arriving. Just then, the dog runs up the platform, bringing with him Thomas' driver's cap. Soon, the Fat Controller realises what has happened and asks Emily to follow the dog and help Thomas.

Emily eventually finds Thomas in the woods (assisted by the dog) and after fetching Rocky, takes him back to Knapford. At Knapford, the Fat Controller begins to scold Thomas, but is interrupted by the dog. Thomas explains that he was trying to find the dog a home, to which little Thomas asks his father if he can keep the dog. Little Thomas promises to look after the dog and bring it to see Thomas, and gives him the name "Fuzzy" to everyone's laughter.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Emily
 * Nia
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Bertie
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Albert
 * Albert's Wife
 * Little Thomas
 * Fuzzy
 * Rocky

Locations

 * Island of Sodor
 * Knapford
 * M.C. Bunn
 * Dryaw
 * Kellsthorpe Road
 * Bluff's Cove
 * Maithwaite Forest
 * Isle of Man

UK

 * John Hasler as Thomas
 * Keith Wickham as Gordon, Bertie, the Fat Controller, Albert and Thomas' Driver
 * Rob Rackstraw as James
 * Teresa Gallagher as Emily, Annie and Clarabel
 * Yvonne Grundy as Nia
 * Rachael Miller as Little Thomas

US and CAN

 * Joseph May as Thomas
 * Kerry Shale as Gordon
 * Rob Rackstraw as James
 * Jules de Jongh as Emily
 * Yvonne Grundy as Nia
 * Teresa Gallagher as Annie and Clarabel
 * Keith Wickham as Bertie, Sir Topham Hatt, Albert and Thomas' Driver
 * Rachael Miller as Little Thomas

Trivia

 * This is the first episode to not feature any fantasy sequences since the twenty-first series finale episode, Confused Coaches.
 * Fuzzy is animated with comparatively different eyes compared to other animals in the series, as his eyes are larger with visible sclera similar to the vehicle characters. His colour scheme is also similar to the Minis Dog Thomas.
 * This episode has the distinction of actually showing that a human character has aged; in this case, Little Thomas has grown from a baby into a small boy. He was a baby in the nineteenth series episode, Thomas the Babysitter, however he was already seen as a boy in Big World! Big Adventures!
 * This episode is one of three in the twenty-fourth series where a crew member speaks. The other two are World of Tomorrow and Thomas and the Royal Engine.
 * While waiting for Thomas at Knapford, Little Thomas could be seen playing with a Wooden Railway-style model engine. This toy is more prominently seen in the Fat Controller's office, where he uses it and others on a large map to mark an engine's current location.
 * This marks the last appearance of Bluff's Cove.
 * Fuzzy riding in Thomas' cab is similar to what Gremlin did in the fifth series episode, Gordon and the Gremlin.
 * This episode marks the first appearance of two landmarks:
 * The first appearance of Kellsthorpe Road since the twenty-first series episode, The Big Freeze and its last appearance overall.
 * The first and only appearance of the Isle of Man.
 * A vague reference to the television show Lassie is made when Fuzzy tells the Fat Controller that Thomas is in trouble, much like how Lassie would in her show.
 * This episode was never aired in Germany and South Korea.
 * In the Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian and Baltic Russian dubs, the UK dub can be heard in the background as a dubbing track was not used.

Goofs

 * In the Dutch dub, incorrectly credits Joey So as the episode's director.

UK/IRL/AUS

 * Animal Adventures

Merchandise

 * Magazine Stories - Thomas' Fuzzy Friend (March 2023)