Unknown

by Colin Thompson

Book Overview

Every day new dogs arrive at the animal shelter. Each one is given a sign with a name -- Stray, Unwanted Christmas Gift, Grown Too Large. But the smallest dog in the very last cage sits beneath a sign... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802787304
• ISBN13: 9780802787309
• Release Date: March 2000
• Publisher: Walker & Company
• Length: 31 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 8.6" x 11.5"
• Age Range: 5 to 8 years
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 3

Customer Reviews

Reflection of Unknown

Thompson, Colin. Unknown. New York: Walker and Company, 2000.Tuber, D. S., D. D. Miller, K. A. Caris, R. Halter, F. Linden, M. B. Hennessy. ?Dogs in Animal Shelters: Problems, Suggestions, and Needed Expertise.? Psychological Science. 10:5 (1999): 379-386. Unknown is a fictional picture book that captures the life of a dog living in an animal shelter. Each dog in the shelter has a label such as ?stray,? ?owner died,? and ?grown too large? which describes how they came to be in the shelter. A timid dog labeled ?Unknown? becomes a hero one tragic night when a fire surrounds the shelter. ?Unknown? escapes from the burning shelter to seek help. Each year the United States has about 15 million dogs that are either discarded as strays or given to animal-welfare agencies (Tuber et. al., 379). People may obtain dogs on impulse because they are cute and do not realize the responsibility associated with owning a pet. Behavioral problems such as unruly and excited behavior toward people, soiling the house, and reaction to separation are principle reasons many dogs end up in shelters (Tuber et. al., 379). On too many occasions, Americans fail to thoroughly research a particular breed?s behavior and size or do not consider the compatibility of their own lifestyle with owning a dog. This ignorance often leads to a mismatched owner and dog. Thompson attempts to illustrate this point through the labels attached to the dogs? cages. For example, ?grown too large? was left at the shelter because he was apparently more dog than his owners could handle, and the owners of ?owner gone abroad? had not considered their lifestyle before acquiring their pet. ?Unwanted Christmas gift? may have been acquired on impulse without consideration of the recipient. ?Unknown? was left at the shelter during the middle of the night. Her owners were so ashamed of their irresponsibility that they did not want to face the caretaker. Thompson further illustrates this point by saying that ?it seemed that for every type of dog there was the right type of person-big dog and big person, small dog and small person.? Twenty percent of dogs in shelters are adopted dogs which have been relinquished back to the shelter (Tuber et. al., 379). At the end of the book, ?Unknown? is portrayed as a hero, resulting in 200 families wanting to adopt her. Many of these families are acting upon impulse and know nothing about ?Unknown.? According to research, this happy ending may not be so happy after all, and ?Unknown? may end up back in a shelter; or perhaps, her owners are better than most, and she will receive the love and attention she deserves.