3rd Rock from the Sun Dog Names

One of the main characters from the 3rd Rock from the Sun is Harry, the good-hearted kind soul of an alien who tries to fit in the society as a human. In more ways than one, Harry is a classic doggo; he is loyal, he is chipper, he is sometimes confused, and continuously learns how to do things that us humans consider to be normal. He tries his best to cheer up the people around him, just like another Harry that we are talking about today, the famous Harry the Dirty Dog. 

Harry the Dirty Dog is a children’s book from the 1950s, written by Gene Zion. The book tells a story of a sweet little dog named Harry who has just had enough of baths, showers, and cleanliness. He loves playing in the backyard, loves exploring the vast outdoors surrounding his house, and enjoys rolling around in the grass. He just loves getting dirty! He takes matters into his paws and get rid of the pesky old bath scrub by burying it into the ground and running away from the warmth and disinfected scent of his home.

Harry was once a white doggo with black spots on his body, but the life on the road and the constant rolling around in the mud completely changes his appearance! His fur turns black with occasional white spots, changing his image significantly. Harry has loads of fun away from home, but at one point, starts to miss his family and decides to go back to them. However, since he does not look like Harry anymore, his family does not recognize him, and it is up to him to convince his humans that he is indeed their beloved Harry and not some random doggo in their backyard.

One of the most significant motifs of this book is appearance. Us humans are programmed to use visual recognition to identify the world around us. Even though Harry is essentially the same dog, his family fails to recognize that because his appearance changed so drastically. Sometimes, our eyes can fool us, and in those times,  we have to let our hearts speak and see the person, or in this case, a dog, in front of us. However, another question arises from this. Is Harry indeed the same dog? Do you change who you are when you go away for a long time and come back looking completely different? We can compare this to long travels many humans go on, only to return home with longer hair, colorful clothes, and a suitcase full of memories. Are we the same or are we a different person?