Walking the Dog Poses Perilous Problems for Mr. Putter and Tabby

My dog Mokey loves to go for walks. But I don't always love taking her because she would much rather walk me. She tugs and tangles terribly, and when we come into contact with other dogs she tenses and tries to decide if the newcomer warrants closer investigation. It's all rather stressful, so I know how neighborly dog-walker Mr. Putter feels in Mr. Putter and Tabby Walk the Dog.

This second book in Cynthia Rylant and Arthur Howard's series for young readers, which is the first to mention Mrs. Teaberry, the pleasant woman who lives next door to Mr. Putter, and her little dog Zeke, is broken up into three sections: The Lollypup (a nickname for Zeke I haven't encountered in any other books in the series), The Nightmare and The Dream Dog. One day, Mr. Putter's kind offering of kiwis sets the stage for calamity when Mrs. Teaberry trips on one of them. A trip to the doctor yields a stern instruction not to walk Zeke for a week. But Zeke is so fond of his walks... How will he get along without them?

Mr. Putter saves the day by volunteering his services. Though she warns him that Zeke might not be the most cooperative of walkers, he's sure he can handle the pooch. Until he has that leash in his hand and he realizes just how much trouble one bulldog can be. He tugs. He winds around trees. He chases dogs three times his size. Poor Mr. Putter! It's enough to make him want to throw in the towel.

Rylant uses repetition to her advantage as she recounts the first three disastrous days Mr. Putter spends as dog-walker, followed by the more sedate remaining four. Moreover, our hero may have several decades on the children to whom this book is geared, but his generous, vivacious solution to his pup problem should certainly appeal to young eyes The activities he chooses as rewards for Zeke's good behavior don't seem quite appropriate for a dog; generally canines and chocolate don't mix too well, so a hot fudge sundae seems ill-advised, and when's the last time you saw a pooch jump off a diving board or go to the zoo? But Zeke seems to be having a wonderful time.

One point of interest for me in Howard's illustrations is the car Mr. Putter uses to drive Mrs. Teaberry to and from the doctor. It's a purple Buick Eight, a classy vehicle that looks straight out of the 1950s. I've been assuming that these stories have a contemporary setting, but Rylant never comes right out and tells us, at least not in one of the stories I've read. Well, I suppose Howard does narrow it down in Mr. Putter and Tabby Catch the Cold; the inclusion of Hagar the Horrible and Shoe in the comics limits the time frame to the last three decades. It just makes me wonder whether he's had that car since he learned to drive or for a couple decades (and this is the late seventies or early eighties) or not very long at all, and he just likes old cars. After all, he likes old cats...

And dogs, as long as they can learn how to take a walk without wearing him to a frazzle. Mr. Putter and Tabby Walk the Dog is a funny introduction to the neighbors who share many good times with the man with the mustache and his stripedy cat in subsequent books.