Pup is lucky. He has a Boy who loves him. But he doesn't like it when Boy goes to school - he howls, loudly. His step father who is the kind of man that gives step parents a bad name, dumps pup in the street - Dead Dog Alley it is called by the bulldog that Pup meets there. The bulldog, Frenchi, takes Pup back to The Railway Den, they are led by Fifi, a small terrier.
Throughout the book we are told what The Boy is doing, firstly, he makes a clay model of Pup to remember him by.
They keep Pup with them, he's cute at the moment and is good for the crowds, as he grows he will be useful. But the Sewer Dogs led by Fang want to take their den because it is warmer and drier than the sewers.
After a fight with the Sewer Dogs in which Rex, their strongest dog who had been used for fighting by man, is hurt and Fifi dies. The dogs decided to find the lighter place, with sand and sea. They leave the den. But the fight had brought the attention of The Snatchers. Some of the dogs get away but Pup gets caught and Rex going back for him is caught too. They are taken to a animal shelter (Dogsdoom), but Rex hates it, he won't work with the humans and disappears one day when Pup is training. Fifi's brother, Roly, who is in the kennel he used to share with Fifi (she is the only dog to escape Dogsdoom) says Rex was taken through the door of no return because he was a forbidden and a biter. Saffy, the old lab from the pack, gets adopted.
But then Pup also gets adopted by a young man called Max, who he runs in the park with, waits for at home, and loves unconditionally. But one day Max runs into a lady when chasing Pup across a park. Pup soon loves the lady too. Then along comes a baby, Lena - and Max's mum comes to stay. She makes it plain they shouldn't have Pup, but his mistress is sure that Pup is safe with the baby. But when they go out Max's mum tries to take Lena out and Pup won't let her - he holds her arm in his jaws until Max comes home. Max calls the shelter, and they come to get Pup but when Max leads him out he bites Max's arm and runs away. Somehow he makes his way through the parks until he recognises the road and the houses - it's his Boy's house. He howls, and the door opens. His Boy is older, and is amazed when his stepfather says that Pup can stay. But the next day, His stepfather sells Pup while the Boy is at school, he also stands on the clay model of Pup. The Boy is distraught, and runs away.
But Pup's life becomes worse still. He understands now why Rex never trusted Humans. One night he is at his job when he realises he knows the small dog in front of him, Frenchi! He gets to him, they run as soon as they can. Frenchi takes Pup back to his human, a homeless man. But yet again something happens. And Pup goes back to Dogsdoom - this time he knows he isn't going anywhere - he's too big and a biter. In the shelter he meets Merle from the Railway pack -she also gets adopted. But Pup growls at the Lookers and the humans until.....
I loved this book and wanted to cry right at the beginning when the mum dog is telling her pups the story of Sirius in the stars.

This book .ade me cry. Seeing Pup that heartbroken and trying to survive as a street dog broke my heart. As a dog mom, I could feel the pain and his dwindling hope of reuniting with his brother, the boy and his family who left him in a alley.

Sad in places but overall this was a good read! With nowhere else to turn, Pup becomes a Street Dog - part of a misfit pack fighting for survival on the streets. Pip clings to the hope of one day being reunited with his boy. But as time passes, his hope shrinks. Will he ever know love like his boy's again?

This is a very sweet children's book about a dog called Pup. He belongs to a young boy whose parents can't cope with the responsibility and dump him in an alley. Pup becomes a street dog and this book is all about his experiences with the other dogs and humans he meets. Some of it is quite distressing and there is some animal death in the book so its maybe not for super young children.