Inside Scoop
Author Patrick Jennings told us the inspiration for this story: “Once, a big, hairy, black, stray dog started following me down the sidewalk. When the pooch suddenly ran into the street in front of a truck, the driver laid on the horn and shouted at me, ‘Control your dog!’ Unfortunately, the honking drowned out my reply, ‘But it’s not my dog.’ The story that came from that scene is “Guinea Dog,” which Storyworks published in 2005, and was about a kid who desperately wanted a dog. ‘Not My Dog’ is about a kid who desperately doesn't, as ridiculous as that sounds.”
Further Reading
You might share with your students another of Patrick’s wonderful stories, one we published last year: “Ujiji” is about a stubborn rhino who learns an important lesson about teamwork from a sassy tickbird. There's even a science connection because the story teaches the concept of symbiosis.
Class Discussion
This story provides a good opportunity for a class discussion about pets. Did anyone change their mind about wanting a pet, in one direction or the other? Has anyone’s pet caused trouble like Meriwether does?
Teaching Vocabulary
Use the vocabulary words from this article in this super-fun creative writing activity from one of our teacher advisers.
Fun Facts About Golden Retrievers
Meriwether chases the cat because of his “prey drive,” which is the trait that makes dogs want to chase smaller animals. Golden retrievers have a strong prey drive because they were used in hunting to retrieve animals shot by their owners. This also means that Meriwether will probably be great at fetch!
