Was anyone else really bothered by the fact that Wurse was only fed horrible human food? I kept wanting to yell at Elsa "If you're so smart you would know you're literally killing your best friend." (I really liked the book regardless!)

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9 years ago
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Sonia I just came across your comment.....Yes , I was bothered! And I just asked about it minutes ago.. It may be fiction , but I hope readers of all ages better know that Chocolate can kill dogs!

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Catherine Bridgers It made me wonder if the author owned a dog. Everyone knows you don't give chocolate to a dog.

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Kelly Brown Wurse is a real dog in the same way the wardrobe grew to fit her needs, even her father at one point. Not to mention the story strongly implies that he was over 55 years old. No real dog could hold his bladder and mostly go with out food the whole time the Grandmother was in the hospital. He also pretty much read her mind, showed up at her school when she was in trouble and did everything he was told without actual commands. I thought he was told from the view point of a 7 (almost 8) year olds view. I would assume that an adult was actually feeding and caring for the real life version of the dog and that it was not the same stray that Bit Britt Marie.

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Cathy Greene Oh my goodness! People the Wurse is not a dog! It’s a magical creature. Magical creatures do not need “good food. They live on a diet of delights. If you’ve seen any of the author’s interviews you would know that he is adamant about this,

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Inge Ignat

This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)

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Cora I found a Facebook post from 2017 in which the author explains that a wurse is a wurse. It's not a dog.

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Raymond Chocolate is toxic to SMALL dogs! The Wurst was a LARGE dog!

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Rachel

This answer contains spoilers… (view spoiler)

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Marie Yes feeding the dog all that rubbish worried me too. But then I rode with the flow. It is make believe.

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Theresa Dog 101 - chocolate is poisonous for dogs. Until the end when Wolfheart reminded Elsa that the wurse was "very old" did I accept that he did not need a lot of activity and movement breaks like other dogs. That's why he was content staying in the wardrobe or the back of the Renault. Most dogs would resist being stuck in one place for too long.

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Jill Levis Why the name wurse?

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t a y r e a d s ☾ I totally agree but also I thought perhaps Wurse was from the make believe land and he eats that kind of food there :) That just helped me to enjoy reading about him eating that kind of food!

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Deborah And who did he live with in the apartment in the house? Who fed him and took care of him? The police break the door down and then nothing is ever said about where he lived again.

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Anne Yes, it bothered me the whole way through and I kept saying to myself “please feed that poor dog some real food!” But I had to let it go and realize that it’s all in the world of Elsa and likely not all that’s really going on.

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Jill Yes, but only because I view my dog and dog's that are kept as pets, as a family member. I think the author let the wurse be fed like this to intentionally to keep the character "raw," hungry, and untamed. For a dog, the wurse led a very untraditional existence.

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