Template:Character infobox Mouse is Harry Dresden's dog. He appears first in Blood Rites.
Description
Caucasian Shepherd Dog [1]
Mouse seems to possess an extremely high intelligence, able to formulate complex plans and understand instructions. He is a capable fighter and fast runner, and in combat will occasionally emit a nimbus of pale blue light. His bark is capable of breaking people out of an enchanted sleep, and spur them to action. He also seems to possess an endurance and healing ability far beyond mortal dogs; a few hours after being hit by a car, he can fight a White Court vampire and his henchman.[2]
Harry Dresden hangs a tiny shield from his own bracelet on Mouse's collar so that he can track the dog should he ever need to.[3]
Mouse likes going places in the Blue Beetle, he is large enough so that he filled up the most of the back seat. It does not matter that they are headed into danger; for Mouse it is all about the journey, not the destination.[4] He also makes sure he has his own lead when he goes out with Harry or Molly. Dresden suspects this is to make people feel more comfortable around a big dog safely tethered; he's a people canine.[5]
Backstory
Mouse is one of a group of Temple Dogs puppies believed to have Foo Dog ancestry, found and rescued by Harry Dresden after he was hired by the Tibetan monk, Brother Wang. The puppies are returned to the monk, but Mouse hides in Dresden's car, the Blue Beetle, missing the flight back to Tibet, and remaining with Harry during the events of Blood Rites.[6] Dresden ultimately decides to keep the dog and names him Mouse.[7]
In the series
Dead Beat
- Main article: Dead Beat
In Dead Beat, Mouse has grown a lot, standing as tall as Dresden's waist. He also has a broad build, his coat is dark grey, marked with black on the ear tips, tail, and lower legs.[8][9]
White Night
- Main article: White Night
In White Night, when Anna Ash’s apartment building is on fire, and all of the residents were asleep because of a sleeping spell, the Ordo Lebes women were trapped in Anna’s apartment because a predator who had been stalking them is outside of her door laying in wait. Mouse lets out an extremely loud “WOOF” repeatedly and with mechanical regularity. The scale of it was similar to a Civil Defense storm warning. Harry describes it like a flood of sound, a solid living cascade that rattles your brain. All of the resident awoke and vacated safely without panic. The Ordo were able to escape with the evacuation.[10]
"Heorot"
- Main article: Heorot
In "Heorot", Mouse accompany Harry Dresden and Ms. Gard to Undertown, in the search of Elizabeth Braddock. He proves invaluable against the malks.[11]
Small Favor
- Main article: Small Favor
In Small Favor, Mouse races through three feet of snow like he was on a race track and tackles one of Torelli's goons just before he's about to shoot Harry.[12]
Turn Coat
- Main article: Turn Coat
In Turn Coat, Mouse saves Molly Carpenter by putting himself between Molly and Morgan's bullet. She pulls it out, crying. As soon as Molly leaves the room, he is up and walking normally, having faked it to make Molly feel her error more. As a Foo Dog, he is strong, and probably didn't need the medical care.[13] He saves her again when Samuel Peabody releases the Mistfiend at Morgan's trial when he's outed as the real murderer and the Council's traitor. [14]
Later, Mouse identifies Peabody as the the one who came through the Ways into Chicago. Ancient Mai declares Mouse a Foo Dog and therefore able to give testimony at Morgan's trial at White Council headquarters in Edinburgh, as did several of Aleron LaFortier's Asian supporters. Ancient Mai says, "Where did you get such a thing and why are you allowed to keep it?" To which Harry replies, "He sort of picked me."[14]
Changes
- Main article: Changes
In Changes, a faint blue nimbus of light surrounds Mouse when he attacks the Ik'k'uox. The Ick threw Mouse by his tail, he hit the ground hard, letting our a cry of pain. Harry blasted the Ick with Soulfire saying “get off my dog”.
Thomas Raith comes to after his encounter with the Ick, then Thomas and Mouse team up. Thomas tells Mouse, "this time we do it smart", he got its attention so that Mouse can get its hamstrings. Faint blue light surrounds Mouse again and they take off zero to cheetah in a second—Mouse lets out a battle roar.[15] Mouse is referred to by the Red Court vampires the Eebs as a "Mountain Ice Demon from the Land of Dreams".
While Harry's raiding party is transformed into hounds by Leanansidhe so that they can traverse the jungle to Chichen Itza more quickly, Mouse talks to them. He leads the pack saying, "Follow me." He later threatens to bite Lea's ass off if she doesn't change them back to humans. Acting indifferently, Lea, says that Mouse is far from his source of power, implying that he might not win such and engagement with her. Mouse replies, "I live with a wizard. I cheat."[16]
Ghost Story
- Main article: Ghost Story
In Ghost Story, Molly told Harry that "Chewbacca is with her" meaning Mouse was with with Maggie.[17] Later, Uriel the archangel takes Harry to the Carpenter home where Mouse lives with Maggie Dresden referred to as "Little Brother" and reassured Harry that Temple Dogs have been known to live for centuries.[18]
Recognition
Several times during the series there are intimations of Mouse' divine origin. On occasion folks who understand Mouse' real nature are incredulous that Harry has him.
In Proven Guilty, after succumbing to Mouse, one villain declares, "That isn't a dog!". ~ Madrigal Raith posing as Darby Crane.[2]
In White Night, Elaine Mallory exclaims "Hell's bells, Harry. Is that...? Where did you get a real Temple Dog?" [19]
Word of Butcher
Jim Butcher has stated that the breed that Mouse most closely resembles is the Caucasian Mountain Dog[20].
Jim has also noted that, though it may never come up in the series, Foo dogs traditionally draw their power from the threshold of their home, and that Mouse became much more powerful when he moved into the Carpenter household as a result. Mouse, he notes, had been forced to learn to draw from "other kinds of power" due in part both to Harry's tendency to flaunt convention and the comparatively weak threshold of Harry's old apartment.[21]
References
- ↑ Jim Butcher Tweet
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Proven Guilty, ch. 28
- ↑ White Night, ch. 25
- ↑ Dead Beat, ch. 3
- ↑ Changes, ch. 09
- ↑ Blood Rites, ch. 1 & 2
- ↑ Blood Rites, ch. 42
- ↑ Dead Beat, ch. 1
- ↑ Dead Beat, ch. 2"
- ↑ White Night, ch. 12
- ↑ "Heorot"
- ↑ Small Favor, ch. 19
- ↑ Turn Coat, ch. 34
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Turn Coat, ch. 47
- ↑ Changes, ch. 25
- ↑ Changes, ch. 41
- ↑ Ghost Story, ch. 11
- ↑ Ghost Story, ch. 50
- ↑ White Night, ch. 12
- ↑ Jim Butcher 2010 Bitten by Books Q&A
- ↑ [1]