Harry the Dirty Dog

Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion, pictures by Margaret Bloy Graham, 1956.

Harry, like other dogs, hates baths! One day, when he finds out that his family is about to give him a bath, he decides to steal the scrub brush! He buries the scrubbing brush in the yard and runs off into the city to have some fun and get good and dirty!

Normally, Harry is a white dog with black spots, but after a day playing with other dogs and running through construction areas in town, he’s so dirty that he looks like a black dog with white spots.

Eventually, he gets tired and hungry and misses his family, so he goes home. However, he has trouble getting his family to recognize him because he’s so dirty. Even when he does his usual tricks for them, they still don’t think he looks like their Harry.

At first, Harry fears that he’s lost his family because they don’t know who he is. Then, he realizes that what he really needs is the scrub brush and a good bath! He digs up the scrub brush again and manages to persuade his family to give him a bath.

Once he’s clean, his family recognizes him. Harry sees the benefits of getting a bath, but he still doesn’t really like them, and he still enjoys the thought of getting nice and dirty again.

The book is available to borrow and read for free online through Internet Archive (multiple copies).

My Reaction

Dogs in real life often don’t like baths, and this whimsical picture book is about a dog discovering the benefits of a bath. When I was a little kid and I first saw this book, I was really worried that Harry would lose his family because they didn’t recognize him, but really, the family would have to be pretty dense for thinking that this dog, which looks like the same breed/mix as theirs and acts like theirs and does all the tricks their dog does but is just covered in dirt, must be a completely different dog. The story is just meant to be humorous, and it’s questionable in the end whether any lessons are learned. Yes, Harry now sees that getting a bath and being clean help his family to recognize him, but he still dreams about getting dirty, and he’s hiding the scrub brush under his bed. My dog also hates baths and fears the groomer, but I have assured her that I would still know her anywhere!