How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
My whole life was wrapped up in my dogs. Everywhere I went they went along. (10.8)
Obsession can be ugly, Shmoopers. We're thinking that this kind of blind devotion and loyalty has a negative side, too—one that makes Billy neglect his family, keep his mom up all night with worry, and make him ready to put his dogs in danger to prove how awesome they are. Sometimes it's good just to take a chill pill.
Quote #5
Old Dan, seeing the fate of his little friend, had quit the chase and come back to help her. (11.31)
It's no wonder Billy is so loyal—he's got a little furry example to show the way. Old Dan somehow knows to drop the chase and come help Little Ann, just like any loyal friend. Hey, we're not even sure our friends would do this for us.
Quote #6
"No, Grandpa," I said. "They've always been that way. They won't take anything away from each other, and everything they do, they do it as one." (15.18)
When Billy first gets the dogs, he sees them as two separate creatures. By the end, though, they've become one unit—so loyal to each other that one won't even keep on living when the other dies.