It's a Dog's Life

By John R. Erickson

Grades 4-6; Genre - Fiction; 720L; AR pts: 3.0

Summary by Marcus Schlairet Russ (11 yrs old)

Have you ever wanted to get back at someone? Hank’s sister, Maggie, does in this story.

In the beginning, Hank gets in trouble because he messes up Sally May’s house. He was investigating something, Pete, the Barncat, told Drover.

Then, he ran away to visit his sister, Maggie. She tricked him into eating a bar of soap because he pushed her into the sewer when they were puppies.

In the end, the dogcatcher put him in the pound for rabies, because he was foaming at the mouth. He escaped and went home. He got revenge on Pete scaring him into the water trough.

You will laugh when you read about Hank’s adventures and eating the bar of soap. I know I did!

Comprehension Questions (written by Steven Schlairet)

Chapter 1

1. What did Hank send Drover to do? Bark at the mailman. Pg. 2.
2. Why did Hank say he had fleas? Because Loper only bought him 1 gunny sack a year. Pg. 4.
3. Why did Hank say cowdogs barked at mailmen? Because they always did. Pg. 7.
4. What news did Drover hear? It was the end of the world. Pg. 9.

Chapter 2

1. What did Hank think was wrong with Pete? He swallowed a chicken bone. Pg. 11
2. Why did Pete think it was the end of the world? Cat’s intuition. Pg. 13.
3. What did they learn from the interrogation of Pete? Sally May wrote on her calendar. Pg. 15.
4. What was the clicking time bomb? Drover’s chattering teeth. Pg. 16.
5. How did Hank want to check out the problem? Penetration of the house. Pg. 18.

Chapter 3

1. What did Hank think smelled like a skunk? Loper’s boots. Pg. 25.
2. What did Hank find on the table? 3 T-bone steaks. Pg. 29.
3. Why did Drover call “mayday!”? Because Sally May came home. Pg. 29.

Chapter 4

1. What did Hank do when Sally May caught him? Knocked the jelly jar off the table. Pg. 31.
2. Did Hank think it was his fault? No. The cowboys had plenty to eat. Pg. 34.
3. What did Hank think of cat’s cleaning? Dirty from spit; not clean from the sewer. Pg. 37.
4. Why was Hank going to leave to visit his sister? Let it blow over. Pg. 39.

Chapter 5

1. Who did Hank meet playing the banjo and singing? Junior. Pg. 45.
2. What did Hank teach Junior about singing? How to howl. Pg. 48.
3. Who joined them in singing? Rip and Snort. Pg. 50

Chapter 6

1. What was the clothes’ line pole with a shoe? A woman’s leg. Pg. 57.
2. What did Maggie smell? Hank’s smell from the sewer. Pg. 59.
3. Did Maggie want Hank to stay? No. Pg. 61.
4. Why did Hank stay? To tell the kids stories. Pg. 63.

Chapter 7

1. What did Maggie want to be called? Margaret; she didn’t like nick names. Pg. 65.
2. What did Hank teach them first? To dig under the fence. Pg. 68.
3. What did they eat from the garbage? A bunch of fish heads. Pg. 70.
4. Who made fun of the pups? A cat on the fence. Pg. 72.

Chapter 8

1. What does urchins mean? A mischievous child poorly dressed. Pg.74.
2. What do the cats do? Sing a song mocking the dogs. Pg. 76.
3. What do the dogs do back? Sing a song mocking the cats. Pg. 77.
4. What do the dogs finally do? Start barking. Pg. 81.
5. Who arrives after the neighbors get upset? The city dogcatcher. Pg. 83.

Chapter 9

1. What is the bullet that Hank dodged? Getting his siter’s kids thrown in the pound. Pg. 84.
2. What does Hank tell Maggie he did with the kids? They were just singing. Pg. 85.
3. What does Maggie give Hank to eat? An Ivory Dog Bar. Pg. 89.
4. Why did she give it to Hank? He pushed her into the sewer and she cried. Pg. 92.
5. Why did the dogcatcher take Hank? He thought he was rabid. Pg. 95.

Chapter 10

1. What did the dogcatcher do to Hank in the cage? Poke him with a stick. Pg. 99.
2. What did the dogcatcher say about Hank? He tried to attack a child. Pg. 99.
3. What test would they run on Hank? Cut off his head to check for rabies. Pg. 100.
4. What did Ralph keep doing? Falling asleep. Pg. 106.

Chapter 11

1. Did Hank believe his sister gave him soap on purpose? No. Pg. 108.
2. What happened when Hank rammed the cell door? He passed out. Pg. 110.
3. How did Ralph get in Hank’s cell? He just opened the latch. Pg. 110.

Chapter 12

1. What else did the dogcatcher do besides chase hank? He started shooting at him. Pg. 116.
2. What was Hank’s plan? To run around the Waterhole until Jimmy Joe ran out of gas. Pg. 117.
3. Who drove Hank back to the ranch? Slim. Pg. 120.
4. How did Hank get back at Pete? Shoved him into the water trough. Pg. 125.

Expressions used in the Story

Dodge a bullet.  Pg. 84

Mum’s the Word. Pg. 85.

Spill the beans. Pg. 87.

Toss your cookies. Pg. 94.