Good Dog by Graham Chaffee

Khloe' (rescued in 2010)

Admittedly, I was drawn to Graham Chaffee's graphic novel Good Dog because of my love for my two rescued dogs, Ziggy and Khloe'.  Who couldn't love these adorable chow chow mixes?

Ziggy (rescued in 2006)

However, as I  began to read this tale of a stray dog, Ivan, who is searching for a home and a master, Good Dog became much more than a graphic novel about a dog.  As Ivan meanders through a town in search of a sense of purpose and a place to call home, he encounters a pack of wild dogs whose leader, Sasha, believes he is destined to "path of glory" and boasts his warrior Malamut heritage.  For a brief time, Ivan experiences life with a pack, and his Scottie friend, Sawney, reminds him that "Men are cruel and wicked," and "no dog worth his salt should be tied to one." 

As Ivan longs for a "boss" and to "not always be outside, looking in," author, Graham Chaffee, creates a visual odyssey that engages readers in themes of loyalty, community, and acceptance.  The deceptively simplistic, black and white, pen and ink art illuminates Ivan's desire to belong and be treated as the "good" dog that he truly is inside. With his background in tattoo artistry and his first graphic novel released in 1997, Chaffee is no stranger to the power of the visual arts. Check out this interview with Graham and his gallery of art for more information about Chaffee's background. By the way: Chaffee is not a dog owner but also used a dog protagonist in his recent graphic novel Bad Dog. He has even tattooed its protagonist on a friend's arm!

If you are looking for a text that challenges our notions of belonging, tolerance, and assimilation, Good Dog is a great choice for you or your students! I highly recommend this text for reluctant readers of any age or for a middle school classroom.  (Be prepared for some profanity, though! F-bombs and s*#t can be found throughout...can't say I did not warn you!) This text would be a great fit for a unit about tolerance and expanding the community beyond the confines of the classroom. The Southern Poverty Law Center published a resource on community-building and acceptance that is a great resource for a mini-unit related to Good Dog. Also, this text could be paired with other graphic novels (or mini-comics, as this text is often called) appropriate or middle school readers.  In particular, Good Dog is a great complementary text if you're using Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese as a text for your middle or high school literature class. Both texts challenge readers' notions of what a graphic novel can offer, adding rich layers of irony to what initially appear to be a simple narratives, saturated in unassuming ink.