Dogtown

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of animal death.

At its heart, Dogtown is an exploration of what makes a creature alive. Through exploring the differences and similarities between organic and robotic dogs, the novel offers different definitions of life and ideas of how those definitions intersect. In particular, it suggests that biological definitions of life not only fail to capture what being alive truly means but also potentially exclude sentient, feeling creatures.

Chance and the other organic dogs (as well as Mouse and the human characters) are alive in the most limited and conventional sense of the word. They are biological beings who exhibit signs of life, such as a heartbeat and breathing. They are also subject to the pressures of life, including the need to obtain energy and the possibility of death. For example, Mouse and Chance’s hunger becomes a plot point during their adventures outside Dogtown, while anxiety about the List—i.e., of dogs slated for euthanasia—is an omnipresent reality in Dogtown. This calls into question whether robot dogs are “alive,” as they are not organic beings and do not experience the same struggles that organic beings do. Nevertheless, if the robot dogs do not exhibit life signs in the traditional sense, they do have inner circuitry that mimics the functions of the vital organs, as well as processes that are similar to natural functions, such as requiring recharging instead of sleep.