The Good Dog

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Good Dog is a children's novel by Avi published in 2001. There are several Publisher's Weekly quotes on the book.

[edit] Plot

The story takes place in the town of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. A Malamute named McKinley overhears his human boy, Jack Kostof, talking to his father about seeing a wolf in the forested meadow, Strawberry Park. McKinley thinks that this is absurd; there were no wolves in Steamboat Springs. Still, he couldn't be too sure. He decides to go out and walk around town and talk with the other dogs, wondering if any of them had heard of a wolf.

As he heads out of the house and down the street, he sees a paper on a lightpost about a Greyhound called Duchess. Duchess has run from her owner, Ralph Pycraft, for the second time because Pycraft mistreats her and forces her to race. At the same time, though, an Irish Setter called Redburn and his humans, the Sullivans, walk up; Redburn ignores McKinley while the Sullivans look at the paper and talk about how Redburn could track Duchess down. This unsettles McKinley, and he worries about it. However, when they pass, McKinley talks to the town's other dogs. None of them talk about a wolf, so McKinley figures that Jack made a mistake.

The next morning, McKinley goes out to Strawberry Park to see if he could find Duchess; more than likely, she's hidden at the same place as last time: a den of large boulders in the midst of a small meadow in Strawberry Park. As he found her scent next to a tree in the town's smallest cabin, he makes his way into the woods and suddenly smells...a wolf. Still, he senses that the wolf went on her way long before Duchess, so McKinley relaxes.

He soon finds Duchess in the rocks, and she tells McKinley why she ran off. She tells him that she knows the wolf—Lupin is her name, and she's come from the mountains to urge the dogs to leave the humans and join her pack. This troubles McKinley, and he patrols Strawberry Park to see if he could find any trace of Lupin or Redburn. When he goes home, Jack is waiting for him, and wants to take him to the home of Ralph Pycraft to let the man know that they'll be looking for Duchess.

McKinley goes to it after some reluctance, pretending that he's on the trail so that the boy would give up when they didn't find Duchess. When they were well into the canyon, they're about to turn around, but then they come upon Lupin, the wolf. She's much larger than McKinley. She says things like how dogs are "tongue-lapping, tail-wagging slaves who take food from their bowls!" She tells McKinley about how much dogs are like wolves, and it's therefore the right choice to run off with the wolves to help her species to survive. She then turns around and leaves him.

That night, when the two arrive home, McKinley stays outside and sees his Golden Retriever friend, Aspen. She tells him that Redburn wanted to speak to him; McKinley goes to the setter's house to know that Redburn has full intent of leading the humans to Duchess the next day. He says he'd rather live by doing whatever the humans tell him. "Makes life easier," Redburn says. Disgusted, McKinley goes home, plotting to stop Redburn.

The next morning, McKinley runs off to Strawberry Park to find that Redburn, Mr. Sullivan, and Pycraft where already on their way to the boulders of Duchess's hiding place, and getting closer. McKinley plans to hide in the thick foliage for a surprise attack from behind when Redburn suddenly acts submissive and afraid while close to the boulder.

Suddenly, when Duchess begins to crawl out of the opening in the boulders and when Pycraft grabs her, Lupin leaps from the hole and jumps on Pycraft, growling at him to leave Duchess alone. Redburn stays back, but just as Sullivan is about to shoot the wolf, McKinley bursts into action, jumping and grabbing the rifle with his teeth. The gun fires and the bullet penetrates Lupin's shoulder. She runs off, and Sullivan tries to follow as best as he can; McKinley runs home with a yelp when he hears two more gunshots.

When he gets home, he lays in the front yard, contemplating over his many problems. Aspen is home, and she tells McKinley what she's heard on the streets: the dog pack knew that Duchess was caught and how Lupin was involved. Saying how McKinley messed everything up—and how Redburn beat him out. McKinley, angered by Redburn's lie to the town dogs, hurried over to Ralph Pycraft's house to see how she was doing.

He is able to get behind Duchess's doghouse, which is up against a chain-link fence, and communicate with her. He walks behind the fence and is able to communicate now. McKinley still wants to free Duchess but then Pycraft calls her inside the house.

Mckinley runs of with Aspen in search of the hurt Luopin. they find her under a tree with a bad shot in her leg. Aspen tries to care for Lupin while Mckinly does themost terrible thuing a house pet could do, he stole pot roast from his family. As he runs out of the house, Jack catches him, and he has no choice but to run from his own pup. Back at the tree, Lupin is suffering dearly, she can barely move. They help her eat then lead her threw the river to a small abandoned house where Lupin must stay.

On the way home, Redburn appears and challenges Mckinley's power. They almost fight, until Sarah arrives and takes Mckinley away. Redburn immediantly claims he is the leader because of the default. His owners tell him he is grounded, and not to come out of the home. Jack tells him he is running away with the wolfs.

The next day, Mckinley quickly chews up Jack's camping stuff bag so he can't leave. He then runs off to free Duchess from Pycraft's harm. He sucesseds, but ends up being locked up in her doghouse. After awhile, he is freed by Jack, who is furious at him for ruining his adventure, and Aspen. They leave Aspen, who yells out to Mckinley to never come back home.

At Strawberry park, many cars holding guns are everywhere. They hurry to the house, where a pack of humans are coming into. The three escape, and Mckinley fights with Redburn while Aspen leads Lupin north to home. Mckinley promises to tell the dogs about Lupin's pack. Pycraft, who thinks Mckinley is a wolf, aims his gun, but Jack suddenly jumps out and stops the bullet from hitting Mckinley. The two return home as friends again, but Mckinley still has unfinsihed bussiness to attend to. He talks to Duchess, who is leaving to join the pack. She says Redburn was calling a meeting that night.

That night, Mckinley wakes Jack and leads him to Howl Hill, where all the dogs are together. Redburn starts the meeting, trying to persuade the dogs that he is the best choice for leader. Mckinley admits that he bowed to Lupin, and Redburn convinces the others he would never do that. Mckinley counters, showing how Redburn betrayed both Duchess and Lupin. The dogs choose Mckinley, and he tells them about Lupin's message, and that Jack should be a official dog member to. Everyone leaves happily.

That night, Jack's parents tell him off for being out, not believing his story, Mckinley lays down with Jack, wondering if anyone will join the pack. He lays there, realizing he really is a good dog.