Cool Things To Do Before I Cack It
Number One: Have real sexual intercourse with a girl (preferably Michelle Malloy and definitely NOT on a train or any other mode of transport . . . if it's possible at her house).
Number Two: Fight heaven and earth, tooth and nail, dungeons and dragons that people stop slagging my mate Amir because he smells like a big pot of curry. And, help him find a new best bud.
Number Three: Get dad back from the war before . . . you-know-what . . . happens.
Dylan Mint has Tourette's. For Dylan, life is a constant battle to keep the bad stuff in - the swearing, the tics, the howling dog that escapes whenever he gets stressed. And, as a sixteen-year-old virgin and pupil at Drumhill Special School, getting stressed is something of an occupational hazard.
But then a routine visit to the hospital changes everything. Overhearing a hushed conversation between the doctor and his mother, Dylan discovers that he's going to die next March.
So he grants himself three parting wishes: three 'Cool Things To Do Before I Cack It'.
It isn't a long list, but it is ambitious, and he doesn't have much time. But as Dylan sets out to make his wishes come true, he discovers that nothing - and no-one - is quite as he had previously supposed.
A story about life, death, love, sex and swearing, When Mr Dog Bites will take you on one *#@! of a journey . . .
I loved Dylan Mint. He made me laugh out loud and his tenacity had me rooting for him from the first page (Stephen Kelman)
It's the F-word - funny, foul-mouthed, fantastic! (Charlie Higson)
Conaghan conveys Dylan's quirky worldview with a variety of stylistic tics ... Through harrowing scenes of bullying Conaghan evokes the way in which outsiders in society are often judged negatively by their peers. In the end, Dylan comes to terms with his difficulties and looming death in a fashion that's so surprising and charming it would be hard not to feel a little uplifted (Observer)
Energetic, confident and compassionate ... There's a genuine exuberance about it ... [Conaghan] is one to watch (Scotland on Sunday)
What a rip-roaring ride it is! Sixteen-year-old Dylan Mint has Tourette's Syndrome which leads him to shout unsavoury - and sometimes downright obscene - things in moments of stress. In the back of his mind Mr Dog growls and the more the stress the louder Dylan barks. So if you enjoyed Curious Incident or My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher then keep your eyes peeled for When Mr Dog Bites (New Books Magazine)
I loved, loved, loved this story. Loved it ... I loved Dylan. I loved his mum. I loved his best bud Amir. I loved Michelle Stroppy Malloy. I loved Dylan's incredibly honest and incredibly politically incorrect use of language outside of his Tourette's - it's meaning, not words, that do the hurting ... I won't forget Dylan Mint in a very long time (TheBookbag.co.uk)
Entertaining (Big Issue)
A fun read that still manages to tackle issues of disability, race and poverty (RTE Guide)
Brave and ambitious (Daily Mail)
One of the book's most engaging characteristics, its often hilarious (and often scatological) humour . This is a portrayal of young male bonding, complete with all the lively banter of true camaraderie, at its most tender and affectionate (Irish Times)
