Benji, a stray dog who lives in an abandoned house on the outskirts of a small town, sets about his daily ritual of visiting human friends; he has no fixed home but he desires one, and he likes the children of the Chapman family, Paul and Cindy, best. Mary, their housekeeper, (Patsy Garrett) feeds him, but she knows that the children's father, Dr. Chapman, must not find out about him because he'll fire her on the spot. One day their father is about to appear, so they hide Benji under the table. After outwitting Dr. Chapman (Peter Breck), the children leave for school and Mary explains to Benji that Dr. Chapman stubbornly dislikes dogs, but he is a nice man. Continuing on his route, Benji chases a cat and greets Officer Tuttle (Terry Carter), who announces his wedding engagement and tells Benji that he, too, will soon meet the lady of his dreams. At Bill's Café, Benji wakes Bill (Edgar Buchanan) from his morning nap and receives a bone as payment. Returning home, Benji finds three suspicious characters, Linda (Deborah Walley), Henry (Christopher Connelly) and Riley (Tom Lester), breaking in. Although Henry and Riley are spooked by legends that the house is haunted, Linda intends to propose the location as a hideout to their boss Mitch (Mark Slade), mastermind of their illicit activities. Henry leaves a bag of groceries behind and Benji eagerly consumes an open pudding cup.