Doglands facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Doglands

First edition
Author	Tim Willocks
Cover artist	Angelo Rinaldi
Country	Ireland
Language	English
Genre	Children's literature, fantasy
Publisher	Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication date	27 September 2011
Media type	Print (hardcover)
Pages	320
ISBN	978-0-375-96571-5
OCLC	444106080
LC Class	PZ7.W68368 Do 2011

Doglands is an exciting fantasy novel for young readers, written by Tim Willocks. It was published in 2011 by Random House Books for Young Readers. The story is told from the point of view of the main character, a brave dog named Furgul. He is a lurcher, which is a type of dog often used for hunting.

The adventure begins when Furgul is born in a home where racing greyhounds are bred. At first, everyone thinks he is a pure greyhound. But as he grows, it becomes clear he is different. His mother, Keeva, tells him he must run away with his sisters to stay safe. Furgul promises to come back for her. On his journey, he learns many new things about life. He experiences being a pet, running from danger, living in an animal shelter, finding love, and even leading a rebellion!

Doglands won a special award in 2012. It received the Montreuil Book Festival Prize for European Young Adult Fiction.

Story Summary

Part One: Bravedog

The story starts with Keeva, a blue greyhound, giving birth to four puppies. She names the three girls Eena, Nessa, and Brid, and the boy Furgul. They are raised to believe they are pure greyhounds. But as they get older, Keeva tells Furgul a secret: he is actually a lurcher. She warns him that he must escape soon because he is growing too fast, and the breeder, Dedbone, will find out and harm him. Keeva also tells Furgul to find his father, Argal. Furgul promises to return and save his mother.

On the first day of racing season, Keeva plans for the dogs to escape at the racetrack. But the Gambler, Dedbone's helper, discovers they are not pure greyhounds. Dedbone grabs his gun. Furgul bravely helps Brid escape. The other three pups are still in a box. Dedbone fires shots, but Furgul manages to tip the box, allowing them to fall out of the truck.

Sadly, Eena is badly hurt and dies right away. Furgul is only injured in the leg, and Nessa is still alive. Furgul and Nessa find shelter in a cave. Furgul hunts for food to help them survive. A day later, Nessa also passes away from her injuries, leaving Furgul alone. He imagines her spirit helping other spirits in the mountains. Furgul then leaves the mountain and follows a river. He meets a kind man named Gerry, who takes him home. After some convincing, Gerry's wife Harriet agrees to let Furgul stay. There, Furgul meets Kinnear, a friendly American Bulldog.

Part Two: The Dog Who Runs in Darkness

Furgul learns the rules of Gerry and Harriet's house from Kinnear, but Furgul doesn't like them. He plans to escape. One day, Gerry and Harriet take Furgul to the dog park. There, he meets Samantha, a black German Shepherd who shares his playful spirit. They have a fun play-fight. However, their owners misunderstand and think they are fighting seriously. They pull the dogs apart. Before they leave, Furgul learns Samantha's real name is Dervla.

After the park incident, Gerry and Harriet decide Furgul needs a medical procedure called neutering. When Kinnear explains what this means, Furgul knows he cannot let it happen. He becomes even more determined to escape. When they take him to the vet's office, he bolts as soon as his collar is off and runs away without looking back.

Out on the streets, Furgul meets Pace, a Labrador Retriever who is a seeing-eye dog and has a funny, sarcastic way of speaking. Pace tells him to go through the mall but warns him about the guards. Inside the mall, Furgul also meets eight tiny female dogs who are very excited to see him and chase him! This chaos confuses the guards, giving Furgul a chance to escape.

As soon as he leaves the mall, "The Traps," or dogcatchers, capture him. In the truck on the way to the animal shelter, he meets Zinni the papillon, Tess the beagle, and Skyver the mutt. The truck stops again to pick up another dog, who turns out to be his father, Argal! Furgul learns that Argal won't get the usual five days at the shelter. He has been labeled a dangerous dog and will be put down as soon as they reach the shelter.

At the shelter, Furgul meets Brennus, a wise Saint Bernard who taught Argal everything he knows. Before Argal is put down, he gets some time with Furgul and Brennus. Argal tells Furgul that the mysterious Doglands are inside you, and his spirit will always be with them. After Argal is taken away, Furgul becomes the new shelter leader because he is Argal's son. Angry about his father's fate, Furgul decides to start a revolt! All the cage doors are opened, and the dogs break free, refusing to go anywhere until their demands are met.

During the revolt, Furgul meets Jodi, a kind dog whisperer. She offers for all the dogs to come live at Appletree Dog Sanctuary instead of going back to the shelter. Furgul agrees because she warns him that he would be labeled dangerous, like his father, and put down if he returned. They all live peacefully at Appletree for a while. Then, Furgul hears a whimpering puppy. When he goes to help, two thieves, Tattoo and Spotty, capture him. He learns the puppy was only hurt as a trick. Furgul is called "dogmeat" and thrown in with four tough dogs: Gremlin, Lunk, Freak, and Chopper. Suddenly, Dervla appears from the shadows and bravely protects Furgul from them. Tattoo and Spotty then decide to use Furgul and Dervla to distract guard dogs while they rob houses. At the first house, Furgul meets two giant schnauzers named Cogg and Baz. He convinces them to help by promising them bacon. After the attack, Cogg and Baz join Furgul and the others.

Dervla, Cogg, and Baz come to live at Appletree, and peace returns for a short time. Furgul still wants to save his mother, Keeva. Jodi looks up racing greyhounds in the newspaper. Dedbone isn't listed because that's just his nickname. Jodi asks about racing names until Furgul remembers his mother's racing name: "Sapphire Breeze." Furgul and all the dogs then head to the racetrack.

Part Three: The Dog Bunch

At the racetrack, Keeva is leading the race and is close to winning. But then, the spirit of Argal seems to fill the racetrack, and Keeva starts to dance with joy! Soon, all the other dogs begin to dance too, and none of them finish the race. Afterward, Dedbone prepares to harm Keeva for ruining the race.

A plan is made to save Keeva. But when Furgul sees all the other greyhounds trapped in "Dedbone's Hole," he realizes he must save them all. He also discovers that Tic and Tac, the bullmastiffs guarding Dedbone's Hole, have puppies. Zinni, who is good at walking on wires, bothers the greyhounds enough that Dedbone opens the gates to see what's wrong. Then, the greyhounds charge, and a big battle begins!

Cogg and Baz, now confident in their fighting skills, confront Tic and Tac's puppies, and Tic and Tac are also overcome by other dogs. Furgul sees Dedbone driving away with Keeva in the back of his truck and races after her. Brennus bravely stands up to Dedbone to protect Keeva, getting seriously hurt while attacking Dedbone. He tells Furgul to follow "The Doglines," the paths where their ancestors walked. Then, Skyver bravely confronts Dedbone, causing him to lose his balance and fall into a deep chasm, where he is defeated.

Characters

Main Characters

Furgul is the main hero of the story. He is thought to be a pure greyhound but is actually a lurcher. Because of this, he must escape from the breeder. He promises to save his mother, Keeva, and succeeds! Furgul is also very clever and can convince other dogs to join his side.

Dervla, also known as Samantha, is a black German Shepherd and Furgul's special friend. They first meet at the park when they are both house dogs. She is later captured by Spotty and Tattoo and forced to be a guard dog.

Argal is Furgul's father and a respected leader among the dogs. Brennus taught him many things. He had escaped the dogcatchers many times. Sadly, he is put down at the shelter, which inspires the big revolt.

Skyver is a mutt Furgul meets when they are caught by the dogcatchers. He really wants to be friends with famous dogs, first Argal, then Furgul. Skyver proves his bravery in the final battle.

Brennus is a wise St. Bernard and a close, old friend of Argal. When Furgul first sees him, he doesn't realize how strong Brennus is because of his scars. But he soon learns to respect him. In the end, Brennus bravely sacrifices himself to save the other dogs.

Other Characters

Keeva is Furgul's mother. She is a top racing greyhound. Furgul goes back to save her after he escapes. She is almost harmed by Dedbone after she dances on the track, feeling Argal's spirit.

Nessa, Eena, and Brid are Furgul's three sisters. Brid successfully escapes Dedbone. Sadly, Eena is badly hurt and dies, and Nessa passes away from her injuries in a mountain.

Tic and Tac are two bullmastiffs who guard Dedbone's Hole. They have puppies that are involved in the final battle, and Tic and Tac are also defeated by other dogs.

Kinnear, also known as Crennig, is a pet American Bulldog who is happy living in a human's house. He is the one who first tells Furgul about the medical procedure he is about to have.

Milly, Molly, Mandy, etc. are eight small female dogs: a Pomeranian, a cockapoo, a Miniature Schnauzer, a Jack Russell Terrier, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, a Yorkshire Terrier, a dachshund, and a Chow Chow. They all become very fond of Furgul and cause a big commotion in the mall when they see him.

Pace is a seeing-eye dog and a Labrador Retriever who is a bit sarcastic. When Furgul escapes from Gerry and Harriet, Pace helps him get away safely.

Zinni is a papillon who was caught after a thief stole her diamond collar. Her skill at walking on wires was very important in the final battle.

Tess is a beagle who got separated from her owners and then caught by the dogcatchers. During the revolt, she reunites with her owners. She is very sad when Argal is put down.

Cogg and Baz, also known as Pumpkin and Pumpkin, are two Giant Schnauzers who work as guard dogs. They usually argue a lot, but Furgul convinces them to help him by promising them delicious bacon.

Gremlin, Lunk, Freak, and Chopper are four dogs kept by Spotty and Tattoo. Furgul is thrown in with them, but Dervla bravely saves him from them.

Humans

Dedbone is the cruel leader of a place where racing greyhounds are kept, including Keeva. When he finds out that Furgul, Eena, Nessa, and Brid are lurchers, he tries to harm them. He is defeated by Furgul in the final showdown.

The Gambler is Dedbone's helper. He is the one who realizes that Furgul and his sisters are not pure greyhounds.

Gerry and Harriet are the kind owners of Kinnear, and they briefly take in Furgul. Gerry finds Furgul injured and brings him home.

Jodi is a dog whisperer who owns Appletree Dog Sanctuary. The dogs stay there for a while after the revolt.

Spotty and Tattoo are two criminals who steal dogs. They use some dogs, like Furgul, as bait to distract guard dogs while they rob houses.

Awards

Images for kids

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  First edition