Module 8: Flawed Dogs

Summary:
On a plane trip to go and live with her uncle, Heidy sees a dog who is trying to escape from his kennel so she helps him unlatch his door. The dog, Sam, ends up adopting her and going to live with her and Uncle Hamish. Little does Sam know that a pristine, white and fluffy award winning poodle named Cassius already lives in that home and wants nothing to do with Sam. Cassius sets up an evil plan to get rid of Sam one day, bringing the baby in the house out into the woods in the snow and destroying the infant's room. Cassius tricks Sam into rescuing the baby so he's made to look guilty. Uncle Hamish fires a shot into the air and it grazes Sam's skull. Uncle Hamish is unable to "finish the job" so another person comes in and takes Sam to the National Last-Ditch Dog Depository, where the dogs sit around all day and watch the movie "Lassie Come Home." Sam escapes from this place and is picked up by a man who enters him into a dog fight to earn money. Sam escapes after winning the dog fight, returns to the Last-Ditch Dog Depository, and convinces the seven mutts living there to help him destroy the Westminster Dog Show (where Cassius is expected to be.) Sam and his friends disguise themselves as a human and wreak havoc on the dog show.

Reference:
Breathed, B. (2003). Flawed dogs. New York: Philomel Books.

Reviews:
Chipman, I. (2009, October 15). [Review of Flawed Dogs]. The Booklist, Vol. 106, No. 4.
After forging a brilliant career as a cartoonist, most notably with Bloom County, Breathed applied his well-honed artistic skills to picture books and now takes his first stab at novel writing. His worldview of the lovable loser skewering pomposity is a natural fit for middle-graders, as is the dog-centric nature of this tale. The plot follows Sam the Lion (actually a dachsund), admired by dog-show types for his rare genetic tuft of hair, who is cast out by his adoptive family due to the machinations of a jealous poodle. Over the next few years, any number of terrible/zany adventures befall Sam (including losing a leg and having a soup ladle tied on in its place) before he’s reunited with his owner and justice is done. The story is essentially an animated cartoon in prose form (complete with a mutts-piled-on-top-of-each-other-dressed-as-a-human gag), but Breathed proves an able writer, laying on plenty of over-the-top ebullience that should perk the ears of kids’ inner underdog. A bevy of Breathed’s signature bulbous illustrations—a few in color—add some body to the story.

Marie, J. (2009, November 1). [Review of the book Flawed Dogs, the Novel: The Shocking Raid on Westminster]. School Library Journal, Vol. 55, Issue 11, p. 101.
This chapter book is a spin-off of Breathed's 2003 picture book of the same name (Little, Brown). Sam the dachshund was bred to be an award-winning show dog, right down to his priceless "Du glitz tuft." But Sam has no interest in appearances; like all dogs, beautiful or "flawed," all he really wants is to belong to someone special, and to be loved. After a dramatic escape from his frightful new owner, he sneaks into a girl's luggage and soon wins her affections. But Cassius, a champion full-size poodle and denizen of Sam's new home, is not accustomed to being second in anyone's heart and is determined to get rid of him. What follows is a series of misadventures for Sam and a group of abandoned animals from the National Last-Ditch Dog Depository. Featuring some harrowing moments, this is not a story for the faint of heart, but readers will definitely be rooting for Sam and his comically imperfect band of followers. Black-and-white and full-color illustrations, done in the award-winning author's familiar style, are sprinkled throughout, adding depth to an already engaging and well-paced tale.-Jessica Marie, Renton Public Library, WA Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.

My Impressions of the Book:
I didn't love this book during the first chapter or even the second, but as I got further into the book I discoverd its greatness. The humorous writing and word choice won me over and it has become one of my favorite books. I have a Dachshund at home that resembles Sam (minus the Duglitz tuft!) so the story was that more endearing to me. I am reading this book aloud to my class after discovering it through this class. They absolutely love it too!

Uses in a Library:
This book could be featured in a fantasy unit or read during a lunctime book club.