The One and Only Bob

“Way I’ve always figured it, end of the day, you gotta be your own best friend. Look out for numero uno. Learned that the hard way.”

This pronouncement reveals Bob’s self-centered and self-interested approach to life. His comment—that he learned this lesson “the hard way” (6)—alludes to his traumatic abandonment. This cues the reader that Bob had to fend for himself in challenging circumstances, which will be detailed later.

“Man’s best friend? No way.”

Bob is open about his skepticism and mistrust of humans. He rejects the “man’s best friend” epithet because he was cruelly to die by the “man” who was supposed to love him and keep him safe. This trauma affects Bob’s outlook significantly, and it takes significant time and soul-searching for him to trust his next human family.

“But I’m yours.”

Bob as a young puppy thought, with desperate hurt and confusion, “but I’m yours” as he was thrown from the open truck window onto the edge of the highway. This speaks to the level of Bob’s devastation at his abandonment, and it reveals the reason behind his mistrust of humans despite his new family’s unconditional love and affection.

“I knew that cars meant humans, and humans meant the possibility of living, just as much as they meant the possibility of dying.”

Bob’s trust was broken by his first owner. He now understands that humans can bring love and safety but can also bring chaos and cruelty. This quote encapsulates cars’ complex symbolism in the novel.

“We were swimming, all four of us, in a black, raging river.”

Bob has a vivid nightmare about himself, Ivan, and the elephants Ruby and Stella struggling in a raging river. This dream foreshadows the storm and flood that Bob must fight through to save Boss, the other shelter animals, and then Rowdy. It is telling that Bob is “in the lead” (36) in the dream, as this alludes to his future bravery that will save many lives.

“As usual, Snickers is dressed to the max. She’s wearing a pink poncho, a sparkly rain hat, and teensy pink boots.”

Bob expresses his enmity with Snickers. Snickers is the icon of a pampered pooch, evidenced in Bob’s description of her outfit. Bob feels resentful that Snickers has always lived in the lap of luxury when, prior to a year ago, he struggled on the streets. It soon becomes clear to the reader though that Bob seeks to define himself in opposition to Snickers because he is self-conscious that he is in fact becoming ‘soft,’ spoiled, and pampered.

“She gave me this wonderfully mushy blanket.”

Bob’s mushy blanket symbolizes his cushy life with Julia. The blanket will later contrast sharply with his long-lost sister Boss’s old towel, which lines her shelter cage. The contrast accentuates the difference in their lives.

“Being a coward.”

Bob’s greatest shame is that he feels that he is a coward. This is partly due to his coddled life with Julia, but it also stems from Bob abandoning his sister, Boss, when they were thrown out of the truck onto the highway. He heard her barks, but he was too scared and confused to know what to do. He regrets not going back to check on Boss.

“Bad stuff can happen after you climb into a car.”

Bob is clearly still traumatized by his abandonment as a puppy. He tries to play off his disobedience as all part of his roguish charm, but he fears cars because he fears being abandoned again. Ultimately, Bob doesn’t fear cars so much as he fears human cruelty; the car only represents humanity.

“Owner came out, big guy, mean-looking, gave Droolius a hard kick with his boot, yelled, ‘Shut up, you fool,’ disappeared.”

Bob cites another incident that colors his view of humans and inspires his ideas that dogs should not forgive and love their owners unconditionally. Droolius, a dog he knew when he was a stray, lived with a neglectful and cruel owner, and Bob found witnessing his mistreatment devastating and frustrating.

“When you forgive, you lose your anger, and when you lose your anger, you get weak.”

Bob’s sustained anger against his original owner is a tactic to avoid getting hurt again. He does not want to become “weak” and let another human get too close to him, for fear that they might mistreat or abandon him. Bob’s independence and aloofness from his human family is a protective façade.

“He was a majestic animal, with teeth that could shred a tree trunk.”

The reader is introduced to Kimu the wolf, who is characterized as the archetype of a terrifying and powerful animal. Bob fears and admires Kimu and will later need to attack him to save his nephew, Rowdy. This future confrontation will signify a turning point for Bob’s character as he demonstrates new courage.

“Ivan gets to me first. ‘Bob!’ He knuckle walks up the hill—knuckle runs, actually—and he looks as glad to see me as I am to see him.”

The reader is introduced to Bob’s best friend, Ivan the gorilla. Ivan is a kind and perceptive friend to Bob. Both characters are extraordinarily lucky that Julia so often takes Bob to visit his friend—an indirect characterization of Julia’s kindness.

“‘Uncle Bob!’ Ruby races over—galomph, galomph—across the broad field that’s part of the elephant domain. She’s so cute when she runs, like she’s determined not to trip on her trunk.”

The reader is introduced to Ruby the elephant. Ruby is characterized as endearingly clumsy and cute. This characterization makes her later quick thinking to save the young ape more significant, as it shows her confidence and maturity growing in the stressful circumstances created by the storm.

“I howl like a newborn puppy.”

Bob admits that he is not fearless and brave when he is blown away from Julia, George, Ivan, and Ruby in the hurricane wind. A “hero dog” would have thought only of saving his friends and family, but instead Bob howls in fear. Bob’s fear makes his bravery in battling the elements to save others more significant.

“Takes a few minutes, but I find her mom, Selma. I deposit Sylvia on a patch of wet grass.”

Bob saves the lost baby sloth, Sylvia, and returns her to her mother on his way across the wrecked park when he is search of Julia, George, Ivan, and Ruby. This selfless action begins Bob’s transition from coddled lap dog to courageous hero and proves that (despite what he claims) Bob does not solely care only about “numero uno.”

“‘I’ve got an idea,’ comes a small voice.”

Ruby emerges as another unlikely hero when she saves the baby ape, Kudzoo. Like Bob, the stress of the storm forces her to think quickly and act courageously, and she seems more confident after the storm. Her “small voice” symbolizes the unlikeliness of her heroism. Bob doesn’t feel like a “hero dog,” and Ruby does not feel like a “hero elephant,” though she is.

“I’m off into the wild, into the world filled with wind and rain, with wolves and alligators.”

Bob unexpectedly leaves the park and sets off across the stormy city, risking his life to find and save his long-lost sister, Boss. His journey through the terror of the storm will be symbolically redemptive, as this time he helps Boss, rather than abandoning her (as he chastises himself for doing when they were puppies).

“‘They call me Boss,’ says the voice, but by now I know, of course I know, and I’m howling with joy.”

Bob and Boss are reunited, and Bob’s absolute joy and elation are clear. By risking his life to find her, he redeemed himself for his abandonment of her when they were puppies. He will continue to selflessly act to save her and, later, her son.

“If I held on to that much anger, I’d never get out of bed.”

Boss tells Bob that she let go of all her anger against their first owner who abandoned them. Her words allude not simply to anger per se, but to the toxic potential of bitterness. The lesson that she teaches Bob, about forgiving others and letting go of hatred and anger, helps Bob to open his heart up fully to Julia and her family.

“‘I’ve got an idea,’ says Ivan. ‘It’ll take multiple trips, so I’m going to start with the smallest creatures and work from there.’”

Ivan proves that he is a brave and loyal friend by following Bob’s scent to the shelter to save him. He also selflessly saves the lives of all the other animals in the shelter by carrying them across the flooding road to safety. His focus on “the smallest creatures” demonstrates his consideration for those more helpless than himself.

“I’ll go find him.”

Bob bravely volunteers to go to find Boss’s puppy despite the terror of the storm and the rising flood water. This flies in opposition to his usual “numero uno” motto and proves that Bob is a brave and selfless hero. His heroism pays off: By the end of the novel, if Bob hadn’t shown this courage, he would not have his new family with Boss and Rowdy.

“I grab Kimu’s throat.”

In the climax of the story, Bob attacks the wolf Kimu to save his nephew, Rowdy. Bob proves to himself at this moment that he is not a coward, and he establishes himself as the hero of the story. It is also an ironic moment; Bob is insecure about whether his domestication forfeits his strength and independence, but here, a domestic dog defeats a feral wolf.