Character Clues

Character Analysis

Occupation

Just because these characters are dogs doesn't mean they don't work hard for the money (or kibble). Many of Paulsen's canine companions aren't just pets, but working dogs—and we have plenty of chances to see them on the job.

Ike was a dog who "knew hunting," helping Paulsen scoop up dead ducks like a pro (3.43). Dirk was Paulsen's personal "bodyguard" (4.54), following him around town and attacking anyone who tried to bother him. Finally, who can forget the hardest-working pooch of all: Rex, the farm dog whose work "never really ended" (5.19) as he made his rounds and "took care of all his business" (5.34). Someone give that dog a raise.

Dogs are bred for different jobs and with the qualities required for those jobs. Paulsen recognizes that, and he sees the relationships between the dogs' inbred personalities and the kind of work they do:

When I ran sled dogs, [Josh] tried to go, put himself in the team, and when I threw a harness on him he pulled wonderfully. But he was too…too refined for that work. The sled dogs are wonderful but they are primitive, basic, grandly prehistoric and animal. It was like putting a neurosurgeon in the middle of a professional hockey team and expecting him to be able to function. So I took him out. (9.33)

Guess we all have our special talents.

Personification

Paulsen often sees human qualities in his dogs, especially Josh. "He is a person. I do not think in my heart that he is a dog," he writes (9.6). Also, Rex the farm dog is so smart that Paulsen "would not have been surprised to hear that Rex had learned to read" (5.28).

It's not just a matter of intelligence; Paulsen says that dogs feel emotions like humans do. He talks about how much Rex cared about the cows he looked after, for instance: "When Rex looked at them, it was with more than business in his eyes" (5.13). He even made sure the kitten who was the runt of the litter wasn't crowded out by its bigger sibs. Also, Caesar the Great Dane goes on hunger strike when his original owner abandons him. "I have never seen a dog grieve like Caesar," Paulsen writes. "His heart was truly broken" (6.17-6.18). Poor fella.

Food

News flash: dogs love to eat. When Paulsen talks about his dogs' favorite foods, it really brings their personalities to life. Tough guy Dirk ate a hamburger every day. Fred bonded with the family's pet pig, often "hitting the pig trough in search of goodies" (7.26). Caesar, the gentle giant, "would have sold his soul for a hot dog. With mustard and relish" (6.48). Quincy once jumped through the drive-through window of the local Dairy Queen, where he licked "a sundae sitting next to the cash register" (8.33). Sounds like these dogs had good taste.