A Dog Called Homeless

“Mom said singing is like knitting. It ties everything together, especially people.”

Music is one of the most important links between Cally and her family members. Cally is a performer and loves to sing, just like her mom did when she was alive. Cally’s dad plays the guitar but sets it aside after Cally’s mom dies. Throughout the book, music brings the characters together, and eventually, Cally’s dad himself rediscovers the magic of music.

“What I meant was you’ve had some difficult challenges. Things happen in our lives that can change us, make us unsettled.”

Cally is self-conscious of the changes in her personality since her mom’s death. She’s less attentive and more easily distracted than before, and it starts affecting her schoolwork. Mrs. Brooks tries to tell Cally to give herself some grace; grief changes people, and Cally shouldn’t be so hard on herself as she experiences these changes. This speech is an important part of the book, especially for young readers who might be dealing with grief as well.

“I felt her nearness, but I couldn’t see her.”

This thought foreshadows what Cally’s relationship with her mom will be like after she can’t see her anymore. While most of the book focuses on the moments when Cally does see her mom, these other moments assure her that her mom will always be with her even when she can’t see her. This knowledge gives Cally comfort and courage throughout the book, helping her move through her grief.

“So that was it. My best didn’t sound like much. He was just the same as all the others who didn’t think I could do it.”

The people in Cally’s life she cares most about, her friends and her family, are not confident in her ability to stay quiet for the duration of the fundraiser. When her dad says he feels this way too, it’s the last straw for Cally. This is the moment she decides to stop talking, to stay silent far beyond the day of the fundraiser.

“It was kind of like talking but not talking. I didn’t know what we were saying, but it was something nice.”

Once Cally stops speaking verbally, she becomes more aware of the nonverbal communication between people. One of these first instances is with Jed, an unhoused man, who later becomes an important character in the story. Cally can tell from how he looks at her that Jed is kind even though her father discourages her from interacting with him.

“Sometimes silence is really uncomfortable. Like trying to fit all your things into cardboard boxes.”

One of Cally’s biggest conflicts with Dad is that he refuses to talk about Mom after her death. Cally knows that talking about her keeps her memory alive, and Dad’s silence about Mom hurts Cally. In this quote, Cally draws an analogy between this hurt and the hurt of having to pack up all your things from your childhood home. Both equate to the sad and uncomfortable feelings that accompany loss.

“I leaned on Homeless and closed my eyes. Imagined it was her sitting there next to me, a kiss on my forehead, a strong, warm, breathing body next to mine.”

The book often compares Homeless, the dog that Cally frequently sees, to Cally’s mom. The dog is another way that Mom lets her know she’s still with them. In addition, the dog reveals the healing relationship that a pet can bring give someone who’s grieving.

“But we’ve got to forget the past and making up silly stories. It’s all part of growing up.”

Dad deals with his grief differently than Cally: He avoids it. Since his wife died, he has lost the imagination and music that made him such a fun dad. Consequently, it’s almost as if Cally and Luke lost both parents instead of one. The kids aren’t only grieving their mom but also the way their dad used to be with them.

“How come you can’t see stars in daytime? And she said, I was never any good at science, but I do know that lights shine best in the dark.”

This passage describes the importance of friendship and love in the midst of the deepest grief. Cally’s mom says this to her, which alludes to how Cally’s new friendships are even more meaningful, and she appreciates them more, because of what she’s facing right now. They’re like lights in her darkness.

“You know, unless someone uses these instruments, they’re just shapes of wood and plastic and metal.”

Mr. Crisp, the music teacher, notices that Cally hasn’t been speaking for a long time. Unlike Cally’s father, he talks about her mom, reminding Cally how much her mom loved to hear Cally sing. Even though Mr. Crisp talks about physical instruments in this quote, he’s hinting at Cally to use her voice again to sing and to make her mom proud.

“Forget is one of the words I hate. I know what it means: it’s when you can’t remember. And when you can’t remember, you’re not as good as when you can.”

One of Cally’s main objectives in the book is to make sure that her mom is remembered. She sees the way that trying to forget her mom has changed her dad, and she wants to find a way to make him feel okay again. Most importantly, she worries about forgetting her mom herself if others around her don’t help her remember.

“What beautiful creatures. Can you see how clever they are to find a way to speak to us like that, to speak of everything about themselves?”

This quote is about the mute swans that Cally and her family saw at a river near the yellow cathedral they once visited. Cally’s mom admired the swans for their ability to communicate what they wanted, using their necks to ring a bell when they wanted food. This is similar to how Cally learns to communicate nonverbally once she stops speaking.

“And then he found what was wrong: in the bottom of the bag was the guitar pick for strumming the guitar, snapped in two pieces like a broken heart.”

The broken guitar pick symbolizes Dad’s broken heart. Music makes him think of his wife, who is gone, so he has stopped playing guitar. Just as he avoids speaking about his wife, he avoids doing anything that reminds him of her.

“Hadn’t I tried to tell him a thousand times? If he would just let her still be here with us, just say, ‘Remember when your mom said…’ and bring her back with words.”

Cally’s own silence links to her wish for Dad to speak up about Mom. She has tried to ask him verbally to stop and remember the good times, but when he refuses to talk about it, she refuses to talk at all.

“I don’t ever remember so much rain […] The river in town will burst its banks if it goes on like this.”

The story uses weather as a metaphor for unspoken grief. The rain, like the grief, keeps coming and has nowhere to go. As long as Cally’s family doesn’t speak of their loss, the grief will keep growing until it bursts.

“Things return where they belong.”

Mom says this to Cally when she asks whether Homeless will ever come to live with them. Throughout the book are signs that Homeless is a dog that belongs with Cally’s family. At the end, the book reveals that Cally’s mom bought Homeless as a puppy and intended to bring him home to them before she died in the car crash.

“I remembered reading about dogs in the library that the reason they howled was so they could talk to their families, even the ones that had gone, even the ones a long, long way away.”

This quote is another way that the story illustrates the importance of speaking up about grief. Even dogs talk to their families who are far away, a fact that comforts Cally. She feels a connection to Homeless because of the way dogs bond and express their love for their family members, even when they aren’t close by anymore.

“Where would we be without our voices?”

At first, Cally is nervous about what Dr. Colborn might want to talk about with her. It quickly becomes clear, however, that she only has Cally’s best interests in mind. She knows that Cally has become mute by choice and is waiting for something. This quote is a challenge to Cally to use her voice again and not remain silent.

“My heart fell in with the sound and was part of the music too, part of Sam, part of everything. Rachel made us dance on the inside.”

Rachel, Luke’s friend from the playground, is another character who conveys the idea of music as a bond among loved ones. This moment happens during Jed’s performance, and the music they all make helps bring together a group of bystanders. This illustrates what Cally’s mom used to say about music knitting people together and is a testament to the communal healing of music.

“This is the lady who gave me the dog. I found her…after the car accident…I tried to help.”

This quote reveals that Jed has more of a connection to Cally’s family than they realized. He found Cally’s mom after the car crash. During her last moments, she gave Jed Homeless, as a puppy, to try to get him to her family. This is why Homeless was always around and why Jed was so invested in Cally’s family. He has been searching for them ever since he was given Homeless.

“The crumbling model wooden boat dragged out of the water and trailed behind us as we ran back across the common.”

When Cally’s dad pulls Cally and Sam out of the water, the wooden boat he used to play with as a kid mysteriously comes out of the water with them. This is one of the few memories that Cally’s dad would talk about from his childhood. When he nearly loses Cally, the floodgates open and he’s finally ready to talk about his wife.

“It was the dog that found you and Sam at the lake. I just followed him.”

Even though Cally’s dad previously voiced displeasure with Homeless being at their home, he finally realizes that he’s a good dog since he is responsible for saving Sam and Cally. After this incident, he has a change of heart and is ready to accept Homeless into their family.

“Inside the box was a new pick for his guitar. It was silver and inscribed with tiny words: Love always, Louise.”

Earlier in the book, Sam finds a broken guitar pick that symbolizes Cally’s dad’s broken heart. At the end, he receives a final gift from his wife that Jed has kept for him: a new, inscribed guitar pick. It symbolizes her enduring love for him, even in death, and a new start for him because he decides to play music again.