Dogtown

“Geraldine, a Saint Bernard, was really ticked off. (She got sent to Dogtown because—how do I put this delicately?—her piles were too large. I don’t understand humans. Doesn’t seem that difficult to figure out. Big dog. Big…)”

This excerpt introduces Geraldine, the hierarchy at Dogtown, and the struggles that organic dogs face with humans. It also supports the previous quotation by referencing the reason Geraldine was brought to Dogtown—her humans didn’t like how much she defecated. Throughout the book, Chance observes that she doesn’t understand humans, and this example shows the differences in how dogs and humans think. Chance thinks it is fairly obvious that larger dogs will produce more waste. The idea that humans can’t comprehend this makes Chance question how humans think and how they understand the world, suggesting that cultural differences can create divides.

“Next came twin boys with matching outfits. ‘Doggy! Let us pet you. Pleeeeeeease!’ they said.

Then they started doing their routines. Mambos. Moonwalks. Macarenas. Imagine humans doing tricks for dogs!”

Prior to this quotation, Chance introduces the “act,” wherein organic dogs perform tricks and make themselves look cute in the hope humans will adopt them. Chance sees this as a necessary evil because tricks are the quickest way to endear dogs to humans. Here, the boys who come to Dogtown also do an act as they work to get a dog’s attention. This shows that humans and dogs are not as dissimilar as Chance thinks. Chance doesn’t understand why humans would do tricks when they hold power over dogs, but both species want to be noticed and will perform to get the attention they seek.

“To be fair, she didn’t look like any grandma he’d ever seen. She was a six-foot-two bodybuilder with big, black metal-toed boots. And she tiptoed into the bedroom where Buster’s little human was sleeping.

She only wanted to hug her grandson good-night. ‘How, how was I supposed to know that?’ Buster asked when he told me the story.

Good question.”

Buster is a large and enthusiastic golden retriever who has been adopted and returned to Dogtown several times. This quotation shows one instance where Buster was returned after attacking his boy’s grandmother, and it shows the troubles that dogs face while trying to live within a human world. When Buster saw what he perceived as a threat, he reacted accordingly, and instead of recognizing this, the humans decided that he was dangerous and got rid of him. Buster’s confusion in these lines, coupled with Chance’s lack of an answer to his question, shows that dogs do not understand human society—yet they are judged as if they can and should.

“I woke up hearing my little Jessie calling my name. I imagined her so clearly, Jessie, with the fuzzy pigtails and a smile so radiant that every dog in the dog park ran to her.

I pined for Jessie’s mother, Professor Besser.

I ached to have my belly rubbed, my fur stroked, my left ear massaged in that special way.”

Throughout the book, Chance and the other organic dogs talk about finding their forever homes—the humans who will love and keep them regardless of what happens. Prior to the start of the book, Chance had found her forever home, which she describes here. The details she includes about Jessie show how much she loves the girl, developing the theme of The Nature of Family as based in love, and the final paragraph marks Chance (and, thus, all organic dogs) as an individual. Chance longs for things that many dogs seem to enjoy, such as having her belly rubbed, but she also wants someone to pet her left ear because that specific action is meaningful to her.

“Here’s another thing humans are sadly misguided about: Luck is not a winning hand of cards. Luck is making a new friend.”

These lines show another way that Chance doesn’t understand humans, as well as the differences between humans and dogs. Since shortly after she arrived at Dogtown, Chance has been the lucky poker dog. Chance accepted this because it kept her off the List, but she doesn’t understand it because, to her, being lucky at poker isn’t important or meaningful. Through her perspective, the novel questions the trivial things that humans deem important while suggesting that it is things like relationships that truly matter.

“This was not the kind of question Dogtown dogs asked each other. If a dog wanted to talk about how she ended up at Dogtown, that was fine. But you didn’t ask a question that broke a dog’s heart to answer.”

Here, Metal Head has just asked Chance how she got to Dogtown, and Chance’s reaction reveals a shared trauma among organic dogs. For many, their arrivals at Dogtown are not happy memories, and they choose not to think about them to avoid the pain of reliving the events. Thus, it has become taboo to ask about a dog’s past because it is viewed as insensitive. This reveals a difference between organic and robot dogs, as to Metal Head, these details are just another part of how he understands others, not realizing how painful such memories are. These lines also foreshadow Chance revealing her past to Metal Head, which helps her feel better (suggesting that bottling up these emotions does more harm than good).

“I’d seen Quinn struggle for such a long time that I was thrilled when he finally found a buddy. Of course, I would have liked his buddy to have been a real dog, but I wasn’t a sore loser.

Just seeing Quinn doing well made me happy.

But not all the dogs felt this way.”

These lines come after Quinn pairs with Metal Head for reading buddy days, and they show Chance’s capacity for love. Chance puts the happiness of human children first, and while she wants them to prefer organic dogs, she can’t begrudge Quinn’s choice when Metal Head really is the perfect companion for him. However, the other organic dogs are less understanding and forgiving, and they refuse to accept Metal Head getting a reading buddy when there are organic dogs who have been passed over. Instead of being happy for the success of another, the other organic dogs grow bitter because the success is not theirs. This conflict between organic and robot dogs allegorizes the “us versus them” mentality that may also be seen among humans.

“She had dozens of coordinating jackets, hats, and booties, pajamas that matched her human’s, and a costume for every holiday. She even had a Christmas stocking embroidered with her name on it.”

These lines refer to a dog who spends a short time at Dogtown after her owner passes away. This dog’s owner was wealthy and treated the dog almost like a human child. For the other organic dogs in Dogtown, this symbolizes the ultimate dream—a human who loves them enough to provide both necessities and all kinds of extras that are not required.

“It was true. Dasha was stunning. No one could figure out why she hadn’t been adopted. Even so, there’s nothing more difficult than giving a dog a sincere compliment when you want to take a bite out of her leg.”

Dasha is a former show dog, and these lines come while Chance is spreading word about the “tail-out” that the dogs will use to help Geraldine get adopted. Up until this point, Chance has made it clear that visual appeal has a large influence on which dogs get adopted, with smaller and cuter dogs having better chances. However, Dasha is both small and beautiful but has not been adopted, showing that adoption is never guaranteed and thus illustrating the precariousness of the organic dogs’ lives. The dynamic between Chance and Dasha also shows the tensions among organic dogs. Chance dislikes Dasha because Dasha is vain, and Chance isn’t afraid to admit it to herself.

“The tiny woman, who was twice the age of Front Desk, strode closer and closer, until she was right up in Front Desk’s face. ‘This dog needs a home,’ she said.

Front Desk stepped back. She was no match for this woman, who could have been a bouncer, that’s how tough she was.

What was Front Desk going to do? Call the police on a tiny gray-haired woman who wanted to give a home to a dog in the last minutes of her last day on Earth?”

This excerpt comes during the tail-out for Geraldine. The woman in this section adopts Geraldine right before Dogtown closes for the day, and the woman’s no-nonsense attitude represents the strength of the bond between the right dog and human. The woman knows that Geraldine is the dog for her and is willing to do whatever it takes to make the adoption happen. This excerpt also illustrates that the system is not set in stone. The front desk worker insists that Dogtown is closing for the day and that it’s too late for Geraldine to be adopted, but the woman refuses to back down. Instead, she pushes back and gets what she wants, showing the power that individuals have to make change.

“I hadn’t planned on helping Metal Head with anything beyond getting out of the basement. And I certainly wasn’t going to put Mouse in jeopardy. He was more vulnerable than we were. If a human saw him, they’d set a mouse trap, put out poison, or call in the cats.”

Much of Dogtown focuses on the vulnerability of dogs within a world controlled by humans. Here, Chance acknowledges that, as difficult as dogs may have it, they are far from the worst off. Her willingness to protect Mouse shows both Chance’s kind heart and her understanding of the dangers plaguing her friend. As a member of a domesticated and well-liked species, Chance knows that humans will mostly be kind to her, but as a rodent, Mouse is not afforded the same treatment. Humans have decided that mice are vermin, which puts Mouse and his family in danger even though they are just trying to live their lives and survive like every other creature.

“‘It’s only a few hours. Why not enjoy your freedom for a little while? You can always go back. Why not take a chance?’ Metal Head asked.

I never liked it when dogs used my name against me. It’s your last chance. It’s your only chance. Take a chance. Give me a chance.”

These lines come after Chance and Metal Head are locked out of Dogtown. Though Chance wants to go back immediately, Metal Head convinces her to try something different, and though Chance doesn’t want to, hope of finding her family makes her go along. These lines offer a glimpse of Chance’s character as well as commentary on the names that humans pick for dogs. “Chance” is both Chance’s name and a word that means opportunity. Thus, Chance is tired of her name because she feels weighed down by the expectations inherent in the word—particularly because her own life seems to contain so few chances.

“Sometimes it was a poster for a play or an ad for perfume. (I will never understand perfume. Why would you want to cover up your hind end smell? Humans don’t understand why we steal their underwear and socks. But how do you know a person if you don’t smell their feet?)”

This excerpt uses humor to illustrate the divide between humans and dogs and to underscore that Chance doesn’t understand human culture. Dogs have a much stronger sense of smell than humans, and they use smell to learn and understand their world. Thus, the idea of covering a smell with another smell makes no sense to Chance because, to her, it is the equivalent of a blindfold. Once again, her perspective offers commentary on human culture, implying that humans’ efforts to cover up natural body odors reveal their disconnect from the natural world and the pressure put on them by society (particularly because, for Chance, one’s scent is tied to one’s individuality).

“‘Why would you upgrade when the kid model is flawless?’ Metal Head asked.

‘I don’t know,’ I said, thinking how perfect my Jessie was.

‘It hurts’—he tapped his chest—‘right here.’

‘That’s your heart,’ I said.

‘What is the point of having one? It’s an inferior design,’ Metal Head said.”

This conversation between Chance and Metal Head comes after Jimmy rejects Metal Head the second time. Up until now, Metal Head believed that he was donated in error, but returning home and hearing Jimmy reject him has made Metal Head realize that he is no longer wanted. In turn, this has made Metal Head realize that he has a heart despite being a robot, and since this is a new concept, Metal Head is emotionally destroyed not only by the rejection but also by the idea that he is not what he believed himself to be. Metal Head’s lines show the unique way he understands the world. He thinks of Jimmy growing older as an “upgrade”—a term commonly applied to software and digital devices—and therefore struggles to understand it, as he sees no improvement. Likewise, he refers to the heart as an “inferior design,” evoking a machine that doesn’t function as it is meant to.

“She smelled of chlorine and cherry cough syrup. Never trust a human who smells like that.

But Professor Besser had weak olfactory glands. All humans do. Without a good nose, they have no idea who to trust.”

As Chance explains how she came to lose her humans, she again notes the difference between dogs and humans in terms of their ability to smell. In this case, Chance’s sense of smell provided a warning that the dog-sitter was not to be trusted. Without this honed sense of smell, Professor Besser was forced to rely on talking to the dog-sitter or reading what other people might have thought about her service—both of which could entail lies or missing information. Where Chance’s sense of smell was right, Professor Besser’s choice led to Chance being mistreated and losing a leg, which shows the fallibility of humans and the way it exacerbates animal suffering.

“Humans are confusing. No dog would stay with a mate who treated her badly. Sure, we have our share of bossy dogs. But leadership is one thing. Mistreatment is another.”

Here, Chance comments on the dog-sitter’s relationship with her boyfriend. The novel shows no interactions between the two, but Chance’s information suggests that the dog-sitter’s boyfriend was abusive in some way, which shows another difference between humans and dogs. Chance doesn’t understand why the dog-sitter stayed with a boyfriend who treated her poorly, not recognizing the fears—e.g., of being alone or rejected—that may lead people to stay in unhealthy relationships.

“Maybe he couldn’t relate to a real dog’s story. Or maybe, once a robot dog’s mind was made up, he couldn’t change it. Metal is not a flexible material.”

Chance has finished telling the story of how she lost her humans, which has not moved Metal Head as much as she thought it would. Chance’s observations here address the idea that there may be fundamental differences between organic and robot dogs because of how they are made, developing the theme of what it means to be alive. Chance knows how painful rejection is but feels that there is room to move past it and find purpose again. She attributes Metal Head’s difficulty grasping this to his makeup, but it is unclear that this is the case. Though she has warmed to Metal Head significantly, her language is still prejudiced (e.g., “real dogs”), which implies that her reasoning may be distorted.

“What if I lost another leg? I’d never seen a dog with two legs. Which tells you something, doesn’t it?”

These are Chance’s thoughts while she, Metal Head, and Mouse work their way back to Dogtown. Up until now, Chance has been confident in her abilities and has not let her missing leg stop her. Here, though, Chance is faced with the world outside Dogtown, and for the first time, she feels how vulnerable she is—and not only because she is missing a leg. Being out in harsh conditions with others to care for makes Chance realize the burden of being responsible for others and thus gives her insight into the challenges that humans face when they need to care for both their family and pets.

“‘There’s that lame dog again,’ Garlic Breath said.

That raised my hackles. It’s true I’m missing a leg, but there’s so much more to me than that.”

This excerpt speaks both to how humans view dogs and to how they view people with disabilities. “Garlic Breath” has noted that Chance is missing a leg but has not noticed any other aspects of her appearance or acknowledged that she is a living creature making her way through the world. Chance’s reaction hints that she is used to people viewing her this way and that she dislikes being reduced to her disability, encouraging readers to approach people with disabilities as similarly multidimensional.

“‘What if they did and Management said you weren’t there?’

‘Why would Management say that?’ I asked.

‘Because your humans weren’t searching for a three-legged dog, Chance. And that’s how Management describes you.’”

This discussion between Chance and Metal Head elaborates on the prior quote’s discussion of disability. Even for humans who have been around Chance for a longer period of time, Chance is simply the three-legged dog. The dialogue reveals the potentially devastating consequences of the fact that Chance’s missing leg trumps all other descriptors for Management: Because Management would fail to connect Chance to a description of a dog who otherwise looked just like her, she may have missed out on opportunities to reconnect with her family. This reveals the cost of such ableism.

“Humans underestimate dogs. They think when they say: Sit, Lie Down, Roll Over and we don’t comply, it’s because we don’t understand. If humans went around telling other humans to Sit, Lie Down, and Roll Over, do you think they’d do it?”

Humans view themselves as superior to dogs because they believe they are more intelligent. Thus, humans tell dogs to do tricks and believe that dogs who don’t perform them are too unintelligent to understand. The analogy to humans, who would not generally tolerate this raw exercise of power, implies that the opposite is in fact the case and thus encourages humans to approach animals with empathy rather than condescension.

“This is why I love teaching. You never can tell what will reach a kid. There’s an element of wonder to it all, you know?”

This line is spoken by one of the humans who works at Dogtown after Metal Head returns with a copy of Green Eggs and Ham. The observations about Metal Head and Quinn’s partnership show the importance of good teachers, as well as of letting children learn at their own speed. The dialogue offers insight into how there is no one-size-fits-all approach to teaching, as every child is unique.

“That wasn’t true. Humans are always telling stories about dogs. Toto, the Big Red Dog, the Lady and the Tramp…you think those stories really happened?”

The humans of Dogtown have misrepresented Chance’s alleged escape attempt, believing she only got as far as the parking lot outside. This is yet another example of how humans underestimate dogs, particularly Chance due to her missing leg. The dogs whom Chance references here show how power can distort one’s perception of those who lack it (and, often, lack a voice). Toto (from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz), the Big Red Dog (known as Clifford), and the Lady and the Tramp (from the famous Disney movie of the same name) are fictional dogs that were created by humans and thus portray dogs as humans understand them, which is very different from how dogs view themselves.