My Life in Dog Years Mortality Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #7

I had just lost a friend to cancer. His name had been Fred and I thought it would be nice to hear his name now and then, so I looked down into the box while I drove and I said, "Your name is Fred." (7.20)

Paulsen loves dogs so much that sometimes he names one after a friend who's died. It's another demonstration of the connection that Paulsen sees between dogs and people.

Quote #8

We wound up with a nearly quarter-ton pet named Pig who lived to be a ripe old age and died with his head in the trough, eating potato peelings. (7.25)

Pig was supposed to be bacon, but he ended up as a beloved family pet. What a way to go, right?

Quote #9

Quincy just passed on last year at the ripe old age […] of eighteen or twenty years […]. (8.41)

Paulsen doesn't often dwell on the deaths of these dogs (who had all passed away except for Josh). That said, each chapter works as a sort of eulogy, or tribute to their memories. Quincy dies like Paulsen wishes all his dogs would—after a long and happy life.