Character Analysis
You know how some dogs have a bark that's worse than their bite? That's not Dirk. Dirk is a dog that liked to bite people. A lot.
Named by Paulsen after a hardboiled detective in a mystery novel, Dirk was our narrator's self-appointed bodyguard. (Cue music.)
As you might have guessed, this dog's 100 percent street.
He was scarred from fighting, skinny and flat sided with patches of hair gone. His nails were worn down from scratching concrete. (4.43)
Dirk is a mutt, "right on the edge of ugly"—Airedale crossed with hound crossed with alligator" (4.27). Mr. Tough Guy.
Dirk's Story
We don't know much about Dirk's background, since he was homeless when Paulsen met him. Like a troll under a bridge, Dirk growled at Paulsen from beneath a dark staircase when they first met. Paulsen threw him half a hamburger as a sort of peace offering, and made a run for it. Unfortunately, he ran smack into his nemeses—a local gang that had been beating him up and shaking him down for his hard-earned money.
For the first time ever, Paulsen didn't get beaten up or shaken down. He got defended.
There was a snarling growl that seemed to come from the bowls of the earth, followed by the sound of ripping cloth, screams, and then the fading slap of footsteps running away. (4.25)
It was Dirk. He'd come to save the day and chase off the gang. With that, an alliance, if not a friendship, was born.
The Bodyguard
Dirk followed Paulsen home that night and slept with him by the furnace in the basement. (Paulsen was going through another rough patch, avoiding the family apartment because his parents stayed so drunk.) From then on, Dirk followed Paulsen around town, always a few feet behind. When Paulsen went to school, Dirk waited outside. When Paulsen went to work, Dirk waited outside. When the gang of bullies picked on Paulsen, Dirk was there to scare the living hooey out of them. At night, the duo would eat peanut butter and jelly crackers together in Paulsen's basement nest.
Paulsen's theory is that Dirk just liked protecting things. It's worth noting that, like Ike, Dirk seemed to materialize out of thin air at a time when Paulsen really, really needed him. Eventually, Dirk retired to a farm where he relaxed enough to let people actually pet him. (He always growled at Paulsen when he tried.) He remained tough, though, serving as a bodyguard for the sheep. He did a pretty dang good job of it, too: the year before, the farm lost 43 sheep to coyotes; with Dirk, it lost zero.
Whether it's teenage boys or helpless sheep, Dirk had a soft spot for the underdog. And hamburgers. Lots and lots of hamburgers.