Dog Man: Mothering Heights

“DOG MAN WAS INJURED? IN THE LINE OF DUTY???”

Chief receives a phone call that Dog Man has been injured. Chief’s adoration for Dog Man is clear in his panicked reaction to the news that Dog Man is hurt. Dog Man’s injury is assumed to be serious when Chief hears that he has been injured in “the line of duty” (16). This becomes a humorous play on words when the reader instead learns that Dog Man was injured “in the line of doodie” (25).

“Dog Man was drinking out of the toilet again…and the lid fell down…and hurt his fingers.”

The duality of Dog Man’s psyche is illustrated in his dog-like habit of drinking from the toilet bowl. Humor stems from Dog Man retaining dog-like habits despite his participation in the human world as a police officer. Furthermore, his ridiculous injury is a far cry from what readers might have imagined with him being injured “in the line of duty,” as Chief originally thought he heard. Dav Pilkey’s use of satire to humorous effect is clear in this misunderstanding.

“At last! My evil plan is complete!”

Grampa conforms to the literary trope of the scheming villain who determinedly hatches evil plans to take over or destroy the world. He is a satirical version of comic book villains, such as the Penguin or the Joker from Batman.