The book is set in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. McKinley is a young malamute who helps a runaway greyhound named Duchess. While helping Duchess McKinley meets a wolf bitch named Lupin. Lupin is trying to recruit dogs into her shrinking pack.
This book provides examples of:
- 555: Duchess’ “missing” poster has a 555 number on it.
- A Pet into the Wild: Duchess, a greyhound who ran away from her cruel owner, decides to join up with the wolf Lupin.
- Artistic License – Biology: Used in-universe when Jack claims that malamutes are part-wolf. Despite their looks, malamutes aren't any more wolf than other dogs. They don't even have wolf in their recent lineage, like the German shepherd or sarloos wolfdog do.
- Badass Boast: "You call yourself head dog, but with one stroke of my crooked paw, I could send you tumbling into the mud. Beware of me, McKinley, for I am a free wolf!"
- Bad People Abuse Animals: Duchess frequently runs from her owner. McKinley feels that she has every right to do so since her owner is neglectful.
- Call a Rabbit a "Smeerp": McKinley uses his own terminology for certain things:
- Drinking glasses are "tall bowls".
- Eating utensils are "eating sticks".
- Canine Confusion:
- Used in-universe when Jack claims that malamutes are part-wolf. Despite their looks, malamutes aren't any more wolf than other dogs. They don't even have wolf in their recent lineage, like the German shepherd or sarloos wolfdog do. Also, technically speaking, all dogs are a sub-species of wolf.
- The plot of the book revolves around wolf trying to get dogs to live with her in the wild. Dogs and wolves don't get together well, plus there's conflicting research on whether dogs even form concrete packs.
- Dirty Coward: Redburn the setter. He is willing to do whatever his humans tell him to do, often at the expense of fellow dogs like Duchess. He feels that McKinley is unfit to be head dog and urges the other dogs to choose him as a replacement. Only when McKinley reveals Redburn's actions and denounces him as a true dog does the setter fold in.
- Don't Ask: After McKinley steals some meat from his humans, Aspen asks where he got it from. His reply is "Don't ask."
- Free-Range Pets: Due to the ruralness of the area, many dogs run around unsupervised. McKinley can also open doors himself and exit his house when he wants.
- Humans Are Smelly: Lupin claims so.
- News Travels Fast: News about the wolf travels fast among the dog pack.
- No Sympathy: Redburn doesn't care that Duchess is miserable with Pycraft, since he believes dogs should obey their humans without question.
- The Rival: An Irish setter named Redburn is McKinley's rival. He wants to take McKinley's role as the top dog.
- The Runaway: Duchess has run away from her cruel owner before, but her running off is what kickstarts the events—and conflicts—of the novel.
- Shout-Out: Jack namedrops The Jungle Book and Julie of the Wolves when describing how he'd like to live amongst wolves.
- Sliding Scale of Animal Communication: Level 4. Animals like dogs and wolves can talk, but they cannot communicate with humans. They only understand a few of the humans' words.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: When Lupin first meets McKinley, she gives a speech about how he and the other dogs are just weak slaves to humans with no honor or pride.
- This Is My Human: McKinley describes Jack as being his "human pup". He considers his job to protect the three humans who live in the house, while in exchange they feed and shelter him. However, this trope is downplayed as McKinley doesn't think of himself as owning his humans.
- Timmy in a Well: Somehow, Aspen gets McKinley's human Jack to follow her and find McKinley when he gets locked in a doghouse.
- Title Drop: The phrase "good dog" is used several times in the book, including the final words.
- Tuckerization: The dedication is to the real Jack and McKinley, who are named after the author's son and dog.
- What Beautiful Eyes!: Aspen is an retriever of unspecified breed whose eyes had always appealed to McKinley.
- You Are Grounded!: McKinley gets grounded by his owners as punishment for stealing meat.
- You Fool!: Lupin calls McKinley a fool when he suggests she hide in an empty house.
