The One and Only Bob

Part 2 covers chapters: “dream,” “the smell of a storm,” “on the poetry of stink,” “the news,” “snickers,” “nutwit,” “spoiled” “another confession,” “cricket bully,” “trust,” “my car thing,” “click,” “options,” “full wag,” “good words, bad words,” “clock versus moon,” “the shelter,” “droolius,” “forgiveness,” “the art of human watching,” “puppy eyes,” “mr. oog,” “the park,” “change,” “my inner wolf,” “kimu,” “enrichment,” “walls and bad guys,” “gift,” “ivan,” “marriage,” “tiny but tough,” “not talking,” “brave,” “ruby,” “ruby’s family,” “ivan’s art,” “on the subject of chimps,” “a very handsome dog,” “the beginning,” “torn apart,” “no way,” “airborne,” “landing,” “bad dog,” “honest,” “stretch,” “aardvarks,” “sounds,” “smells,” “surveying the damage,” “baby sloth,” “make no sudden moves,” “mutt versus wolf,” “gorilla world,” “help us!,” “kudzoo,” “an idea,” “team elephant,” “what’s out there,” “not moving,” “xena,” “dragon,” “hugging,” “loose,” “cpr,” “no,” “miracle,” “gorilla ghost,” “wolf on the run,” “shots fired,” “jungle,” “a situation,” “never,” “one place,” “a split second,” and “on my way.”

Bob wakes from a nightmare of Ivan, Ruby, Stella, and himself struggling to swim through dark, raging water. The nightmare leaves him feeling uneasy and worried. Meanwhile, the family is preparing their home for a potential storm, or even hurricane, by taping windows and packing bags in case they need to suddenly evacuate. Bob mentions that it is hurricane season, and feels the incoming storm with his highly attuned canine senses.

Bob observes Julia walking out the front with three other dogs. Julia walks dogs as a part time job. Bob waits patiently every morning for her to finish and take him on his own “private walk.” Bob has a longstanding enmity with one of the three dogs Julia walks: Snickers. Snickers is a pampered white poodle who used to tease Bob when he was a stray living in the mall, and Bob calls out mockingly to her about her raincoat and boots as she passes the house with Julia. Nutwit, the squirrel, as well as the hamsters Minnie and Moo, argue that Bob has little basis to criticize Snickers, as he himself has become soft and pampered with Julia and her family. Nutwit derisively observes that Bob is “one step away from your own pink rain boots” (49). Bob reflects that he is indeed spoiled now, compared to his streetwise days as a stray needing to forage for scraps. Bob enjoys the luxury of his new life, but he is aware how much he has changed. Bob reveals that he is not well behaved, has little interest in commands and obedience, and feels resentful of the ridiculous rules that humans force onto their pets. Bob is particularly reluctant to travel in a car.

Julia and George (Julia’s dad) take Bob to the “park,” which is the wildlife sanctuary where George works and where Ivan and Ruby live. On the way to the park, Julia, George, and Bob pass a dog shelter, which unwelcomely reminds Bob of “bad old days” (77).

At the park, Julia convinces her dad to allow them to visit Bob’s friends Ivan and Ruby. They pass enclosures of a variety of different animals, including meerkats, wolves, and penguins. Julia puts Bob on the stone wall that separates Gorilla World (where Ivan lives) from Elephant Odyssey (where Ruby lives), and he catches up with both of his friends. Ivan is sage and thoughtful and asks Bob probing questions about his wellbeing, whereas Ruby is young and rambunctious and happily tells Bob riddles.

Suddenly the weather turns. Hail begins to fall and wind blows as a tremendous storm arrives. Bob loses his footing as he jumps off the stone wall towards Julia. Bob suddenly finds himself airborne as he is picked up by the wind and blown across the park into the giraffe enclosure.

Bob, disoriented, starts to make his way back to Julia and George. Much of the park is damaged or destroyed, and Bob hears cries of terror as well as distant wailing sirens. He finds a lost baby sloth, Sylvia, and returns her to her mother. Kimu, a wolf, has lost his packmate. Kimu has always scared Bob, who moves quickly away.

When Bob finally reaches the elephant and gorilla enclosures, there is only destruction and confusion. The storm has ripped up trees, walls, signs, and buildings. The elephants manage to save a drowning ape from a muddied moat through Ruby’s idea of making a sling using their trunks. Ruby and Bob return the young ape and see Ivan’s hand poking up from amongst rubble. Firefighters quickly arrive and tow the collapsed cement and metal that is trapping Ivan. Miraculously, Ivan is alive and well. Bob remains concerned that he has not yet found George or Julia. Sara and Maya, park employees, pick up Bob and decide to put him in the office to keep him safe. Bob hears this and tells Ruby mysteriously that “something important’s come up” (224), and he leaps from Sara’s arms and runs away.