The Canine Archaeologists

The Canine Archaeologists are a species of advanced canines who first appear in Episode II: The Samurai Called Jack.

Appearances
The archaeologists resemble their quadrupedal ancestors in size, appearance, and in certain characteristics, such as wagging their tails. However, they have gained the ability to walk upright, using their front paws as hands complete with opposable thumbs, enhanced intelligence and the ability to talk.

Personality
The archaeologists are a nomadic group dedicated to studying their past. They are an extremely intelligent group and are well mannered, but still retain habits from their ancestors, like riding a vehicle with their heads out the window or wagging their tails when happy.

Synopsis
The canines first appear in the bar Jack came into to find a drink. They were trying to convince an alien to help them fight against Aku in order to free themselves of his grasp. The alien called them idiots and left and so they turned their attention to Jack, who had defeated a large number of aliens without taking a hit. The canines introduce themselves as Sir Dreyfuss Alexander (Bulldog), Sir Angus Mcduffy (Scottish Terrier), and Sir Colin Bartholomew Montgomery Rothchild III (Dachsund), and help explain to Jack his current situation, and that they need his help. Jack accepts and the group leaves, though they didn't realize that they were being watched by one of Aku's servants. The servant informed Aku and Aku sends an army of Beetle Drones to destroy Jack and the canines.

As they reach the excavation site, Jack and the canines learn that Aku is sending his forces to obliterate them at sunrise. Jack comes up with a plan to stop the advancing horde and, with the help of the dogs, sets up various traps and makes some weapons to fight with. As sunrise comes, Jack heads into action. Using the traps and his new weapons, Jack manages to wipe out a large number of drones as the Canines watch from their hiding places. Eventually, Jack defeats the last of the drones, freeing the canines and enabling them to continue their research. They offer Jack a chance to go with them, but he declines and goes on his way. They were seen in a vision in Episode XLIII: The Aku Infection.

In the series finale, Rothchild returns as part of the rebel army to fight with Jack and destroy Aku once and for all. It is unknown how the past Aku's destruction affected their existence.

Trivia

 * The archaeologists aspire to learn more about non-sapient dogs of history would not necessarily require any excavation of ancient artifacts, since such dogs still exist on Earth in their timeline. They probably did not get the chance to discover the existence of dogs like Lulu on a planet where the threat of Aku loomed over them.
 * Sir Dreyfuss Alexander may be named for actors Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and Jason Alexander, both of whom had main roles on the classic sitcom Seinfeld.