Stick Dog

Funny, well-told stories that rub me the wrong way

Hey friends, I’m back with another one. It’s a sequel review to the Stick Cat series. This one is same same but different. It was cathartic to write, because I had a bunch of lingering feelings from the last one of these I read which were not resolved by the book itself.

Time to sit, stay, and roll over for

The Series: Stick Dog
The Author/Illustrator: Tom Watson
Length/Picture Density: 200ish pages, pictures throughout

I don’t like the Stick Dog books, and I’m honestly not sure if it says more about me or the books.

But first, let me start with what’s good about them. The characters are distinct without too much direct explanation of their personality traits or stereotyping (that’s more true of the dogs than the humans, but the dogs are much more prominent in the stories). The stories flow well, and successfully make dramatic moments out of small events like the opening of a door. The action follows a logical path with an initial desire leading to a whole quest. They’re often funny and clever — they get some huge laughs out of Leo. I also like the low stakes of the adventures: they’re basically all food-motivated, but the importance the dogs place on finding the food they desire feels both real and makes it feel like the story can’t end in a satisfying way without them eating the food they are after.

So, reasonably well realized characters, good storytelling, character-driven stakes, dogs … what’s my issue here?

It’s the relationship between Stick Dog and his four dog friends.

It makes me think of a workplace comedy where the boss is an egotistical idiot, and the main character has to constantly figure out how to take their desires and directives and redirect them into something helpful. But those can be satisfying because you can at least enjoy the dynamic of the underling being more clever than the boss, and hopefully they get to enjoy some triumphs here and there.

With Stick Dog, I feel that sense of irritation without the satisfying release on the other side. Stick Dog is the smart one of the group, but he’s treated as equal or lesser by his friends. They come up with absurd plans and ideas, which he then has to shape into something reasonable while still stroking their egos. When his plans are put into action, the others inevitably forget to do their parts or otherwise make things go sideways because they’re too caught up in their own narratives. He never gets credit for making everything happen, but he doesn’t get frustrated either — he’s happy if his friends are happy.

The whole thing makes me crazy, and I think that says something about me, but I also think it says something about the author. I kind of think he has a dim view of humanity. That’s partly reinforced by the human characters, but it’s mostly that dynamic I described above. The friendships between the dogs are partly redeeming, but Stick Dog’s relationship to his friends feels unequal in a way I can’t reconcile. Maybe this is just how this guy does comedy, but it feels very bleak to me.

I previously reviewed the Stick Cat books, and it was a similar story there: good, funny stories based around a core relationship I couldn’t quite accept.

I noticed in the bio section in the back of a book that he used to be a speechwriter for the governor of Ohio, and something about that clicked. These books seem like ones that could have been written by someone who got too burnt out and jaded by politics. With both Stick Cat and Stick Dog, friendship is the ultimate redeemer, but it’s not a friendship that makes me feel warm and fuzzy.