The Good Dog was published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers in 2001. McKinley, a malamute who is the leader of the dogs in a small Colorado mountain town called Steamboat Springs, must navigate the social hierarchies of both the dog world and the human world. When a wolf named Lupin appears and begins recruiting the town’s dogs to leave their human families and return to the wild, McKinley faces a choice between domesticity and freedom — between being a “good dog” and being a free animal.
The novel explored the fundamental tension of domesticated life: the trade of freedom for security. McKinley’s dilemma — loyalty to his human family versus the call of a wilder, more authentic existence — was a version of the choice that faces every creature (including human ones) that accepts institutional protection.
Collecting The Good Dog
First edition (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, New York, 2001): Boards with dust jacket.
Market values:
- Fine in dust jacket: $15–$30
- Very good: $5–$15
Projected values (2026–2036): Modest appreciation.
The Dog’s Choice
McKinley, a malamute in a small Colorado mountain town, is the acknowledged leader of the local dogs. When a wild wolf named Lupin appears and begins recruiting the domestic dogs to return to the wild, McKinley faces a choice between the comfortable domestic life he knows and the freedom — and danger — of wildness. The novel, told entirely from the dog’s perspective, explores loyalty, freedom, and the tension between domestication and instinct.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Avi write about animals often? Several of Avi’s most popular books feature animal protagonists: the Dimwood Forest series (Poppy, Ragweed), The Good Dog, and Perloo the Bold. He brings the same moral seriousness to animal stories that he does to historical fiction, using animal perspectives to illuminate questions about courage, loyalty, and freedom.