Alexandra Day Defends Rottweilers' Honor in Good Dog, Carl

There are certain breeds of dogs who are always getting a lot of flack. Pit bulls. Dobermans. Rottweilers. I wonder if Alexandra Day encountered a lot of ill will toward the latter that led her to attempt to give them better publicity. Starting with Good Dog, Carl, she has produced a series of books in which a Rottweiler is depicted as the most saintlike of dogs.

Good Dog, Carl is a beautifully illustrated, mostly wordless picture book focusing on the dog’s day at home attending to the family baby. His mistress, who promises to be back home “shortly” but seems to stay away much longer than that, has no qualms about leaving Carl in charge. She knows how responsible he is. We’re about to find out.

Carl is no ordinary dog, and that’s what makes these books both so appealing and vaguely unsettling. For instance, I recently watched Kipper’s Playtime, a collection of cartoons about an anthropomorphic dog and his friends. In one of the shorts, he babysits his friend’s toddler cousin, who happens to be a pig. But Kipper behaves like a human, so there’s nothing very odd about this situation.

By contrast, Carl lives in a very realistic world, and he clearly is supposed to be a realistic dog. But not even Lassie was capable of turning on the record player or making a sandwich or operating a hair drier. Carl does all of these things, using his teeth or paws to assist him. He’s absurdly nimble. Granted, he’s not quite as coordinated as a human would be, so some messes are inevitable, but Carl is also adept at cleaning after himself. Is there anything this dog can’t do?

Day’s tempera paintings are soft and lifelike. While perusing the pictures, it’s tempting to reach out and ruffle Carl’s ears. Stripped of the fierce connotations that often accompany this breed of dog, gentle Carl is quite adorable. There are many irresistible illustrations of his young charge clinging to his fur, and the mutual affection is apparent.

On the other hand, because of the realism, the general concept of a dog babysitting an infant is unnerving, and certain moments within the book seem downright troubling. I’m thinking especially of Carl placing the baby inside the aquarium so she can go for a swim and dropping her into a bathtub in which the water looks fairly deep. These both seem like accidental drownings waiting to happen. Meanwhile, the painting of him trotting up the stairs with the baby on his back invites visions of tumbling head over heels and losing a tooth or breaking a bone.

Good Dog, Carl is a lovely book, and like other books in which the pictures tell the whole story, it offers an opportunity for youngsters to hone their own storytelling skills as they describe what is happening. Mostly, I’m inclined to overlook the strangeness of the situation. But there’s still that little voice inside nagging away. I’m convinced that Carl is a good dog. But I still wouldn’t want a Rottweiler, or even a Golden Retriever, having sole responsibility for my baby.

A Rottweiler Proves a Responsible Babysitter in Carl's Christmas

When I was little, I had a book about a white dog who desperately wanted to be a fire dog. He finally proved himself worthy of the job when he rushed into a fire to perform an important rescue for a young child, gaining spots of soot in the process. I don't remember the name of the book. I do recall, however, that it had no words, so it was up to me to do the narrating whenever I read that story.

Carl's Christmas, by Alexandra Day, is like that. The book's first and only bit of text explains that the humans with whom Carl the Rottweiler lives are off to Grandma's and then attending a Christmas Eve service. There is no dialogue tag, but the man seems to have his mouth open and his hand extended mid-gesticulation. After this first page, the tale is told exclusively through the paintings.

Rottweilers have unfortunately acquired a pretty bad reputation, generally thought of in conjunction with bared teeth and throaty growls. I've met some perfectly congenial Rotties, however, so I know that Carl is not entirely unique to his breed. Still, it would be a tad jarring to see any type of canine assigned babysitting duties for the evening, even if we were talking about Old English Sheepdogs or Golden Retrievers. And I'm one of the most devoted dog lovers I know. It's one thing to have Nana in Peter Pan watching over the children; after all, Wendy is certainly old enough to be babysitting on her own, so Nana really is just a figurehead. But leaving a dog alone with an infant seems most unwise.

Children of an age to peruse this book probably won't care too much that Carl is pulling babysitting duty - though the dogless among them may find themselves desperate for a canine companion. The paintings are warm and imaginative, and Carl looks incredibly soft and huggable as he rides around town with the baby on his back, treating his charge to all sorts of Christmas delights.

It's especially nice that so many of Carl's activities involve kindness to others. After taking time to festively - though quite messily - decorate a plant in the living room as a complement to the majestic Christmas tree, he bundles up the little one and sets off for the toy store, where they observe a whirlwind of eye-popping delights and manage to win a basket full of Christmas goodies, which Carl promptly lays at the feet of a Salvation Army Santa.

They add their melodious stylings to a group of carolers and return home for a peaceful fireside snooze alongside a motley crew of new furry friends, who later receive special gifts from Santa, with whom Carl has a dramatic encounter. The dog's startled expression as he comes face to face with eight large reindeer wearing jingle bell harnesses and pawing the snow in his front yard is hilarious, while our parting impression of him, gently dozing on his paw while sporting a new Christmas collar, is adorably peaceful.

Children "reading" the book can add their own narration, filling in the details of Carl's lavishly illustrated Christmas Eve adventures. Or not; the pictures really do speak for themselves. I still wouldn't leave a baby in the care of a pooch, but as I'm old enough to look after myself, I'd love to step into the pages of Carl's Christmas and join this lovable pup on his frosty, festive journey.