40 Fun Facts About Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

What girly-sounding name does Greg's mom give the family's new male dog in the book Dog Days?

Sweetie is short for Sweetheart, the name Mom chose after ruling out Greg's tougher ideas. Rodrick was then sent to buy a bowl with the name printed on it and came back with one that said Sweaty.

What stalks the victims in the horror movie Greg and Rowley watch at a sleepover in Dog Days?

A muddy hand crawls around the country in Hello, You're Dead, a film the boys dig out of Rodrick's drawer. They end up asleep in the bathroom with the lights on.

Which country club drinks land Greg and Rowley with an $83 tab from Mr. Jefferson in Dog Days?

Smoothies were the culprit: the boys kept writing Mr. Jefferson's account number on the tab, unaware anyone would have to pay. Greg's mom later takes his birthday money to settle it.

What is the two-button cell phone Greg Heffley gets for his birthday in the book Dog Days called?

Ladybug is the phone's name, and it can only call home or the emergency services. Greg had hoped for something far better and writes it off as junk.

Which boardwalk ride does Greg long to go on all summer in Dog Days, only to feel sick on it?

Cranium Shaker is the ride Rodrick calls a rite of passage into manhood. Once it starts flipping him over, Greg cannot make the operator hear him over the music.

In Dog Days, where was Greg's dad told as a boy that his missing dog Nutty had run away to?

A butterfly farm was the cover story Greg's dad had believed since he was a boy. At a Father's Day meal, Grandpa finally admits he ran the dog over by accident.

Where do the Heffleys forget Greg's mom on the drive home from the water park in Dog Days?

A gas station is where she got out to use the bathroom, having been lying in the back with a headache. Nobody noticed she was missing until the family had driven all the way home.

What summer business do Greg and Rowley start to repay Mr. Jefferson's country club tab in Dog Days?

Lawn mowing is the plan, sold under the V.I.P. name, though neither boy has ever used a mower. Their only customer refuses to pay because Greg steered wide circles around every dog mess in her yard.

Which fish does Greg Heffley buy at the mall pet store in Dog Days, only for Rodrick's to eat it?

An angelfish is Greg's pick, while Rodrick chooses a fish labeled aggressive and Manny buys fish food, which he eats. Mom later puts both fish in one bowl, with predictable results.

Which Game Hut prize does Rowley pick over a place in the national playoffs in Dog Days?

Chocolate-covered raisins, a giant box of them, are what Rowley carries home. He had won 15-0 only because Greg's thumb was too sore to work the controller.

Which town pool lifeguard does Greg Heffley wait on in the book Dog Days, hoping to win her over?

Heather Hills is a high school student and the older sister of Holly Hills, and she barely seems to notice Greg. He gives up after a child is sick by her chair and she seems to expect him to clean it up.

Who takes in the Heffleys' troublesome pet in the book Dog Days and goes on to spoil him rotten?

Gramma agrees to take the dog, with Greg's dad supplying a week's worth of food and water. By a later book she has fed him so many table scraps that Greg barely recognizes him.

What is the name of Uncle Joe's big black dog, which eats much of Greg's birthday cake in Dog Days?

Killer gets to the cake first, so Greg's mom simply cuts away the parts the dog did not touch. Greg loses his appetite when the dog throws up birthday candles under the table.

What does Rodrick convince Greg their dad is secretly planning to do with him in the book Dog Days?

Sell him is exactly what Rodrick claims, pointing to a note he has faked in their dad's planner. Greg panics and calls the police; the real plan was a father-son outing.

Which classic novel does Greg's mom assign him in the summer book club she runs in Dog Days?

Charlotte's Web is the pick, and Greg guesses that either the girl or the pig will not survive to the final page. He is made to sit at the kitchen table until three chapters are done.

What does Rowley use to whack Greg while the two camp outside the Game Hut overnight in Dog Days?

A mallet comes down on Greg after he reaches through the tent flap to give Rowley a fright. The injury costs him the video game contest that follows.

What does Greg Heffley call himself at the start of Dog Days to justify a summer of video games?

An indoor person is how Greg sees himself, happiest with the shades drawn and a controller in reach. His mom has other ideas and keeps pushing him outdoors for family time.

Which newspaper comic strip do Greg and his dad loathe and count down to the end of in Dog Days?

Li'l Cutie is due to end in August when its creator retires, and the two even consider throwing a party. Their hopes are dashed when the creator's grown son decides to take over.

What color is the cover of Dog Days, the fourth book in Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid series?

Yellow fits a story that never leaves summer vacation: the diary runs from June to August and ends before school starts again.

What does Greg snap against Rowley's arm on the beach trip in the book Dog Days, getting sent home?

A rubber band leaves a red mark that makes Rowley scream and tell his parents Greg burned him. Greg's dad then has to make a four-hour round trip to collect him.

Which video game do Greg and Rowley play head to head in the Game Hut contest in Dog Days?

Twisted Wizard is Greg's favorite game, and earlier in the summer he even prays to get past its third level without using his bonus health packs. He loses the contest to Rowley anyway, without scoring.

What animal does Rowley dream is hiding under him when he wakes Greg on the beach trip in Dog Days?

A chicken hiding beneath him is Rowley's nightmare, and it jolts Greg awake in the bed the two boys are made to share. The rental also turns out to be five miles from the sea.

What do Greg and Rowley poke up through a gap in the boardwalk to trick passers-by in Dog Days?

A dollar bill is the bait in a trick Greg learned from Rodrick: yank it away just as someone bends down. It ends when one quick kid grabs the money and refuses to give it back.

What name does Greg's mom give the book club she starts for neighborhood boys in Dog Days?

Reading Is Fun is the club's name, and Mom starts it after catching the boys with a horror movie. Every member but Greg soon drops out, Rowley included.

What ends the Heffleys' half-price day at Slipslide Water Park soon after they arrive in Dog Days?

Rain starts just after the family has put on sunscreen, and that is the end of the outing. Greg had already talked his mom into renting a double stroller so that he would not have to walk.

What does Greg's dad give the police officers who answer Greg's emergency call in the book Dog Days?

Baseball tickets were meant for a father-son day out that Greg's mom had arranged. After a long talk with the officers, his dad no longer felt like going.

Why does Rowley's family stop inviting Greg Heffley to their country club early in Dog Days?

He kept complaining, even about a sauna that was too hot and a drink served without its tiny umbrella. Mr. Jefferson, who heard every grievance, soon ended the invitations.

What has fallen on the ground at Greg Heffley's feet on the front cover of the book Dog Days?

His ice cream has melted onto the ground, leaving Greg with an empty cone and his trademark frown. He is dressed for the pool in swim shorts and sandals, a towel over one shoulder.

Which part of the town pool does Greg Heffley dread having to walk through in Dog Days?

The shower area has to be crossed to reach the water, which is why Greg resists going with his mom and little brother. He goes back willingly only once a crush is working there.

Which fruit at the Fourth of July picnic in Dog Days does Greg fear because of a tale from Rodrick?

Watermelon is handed out free at the picnic, but Rodrick once told Greg that a swallowed seed would grow into a whole fruit in his stomach. The fear has stuck with him ever since.

Which Diary of a Wimpy Kid book follows Dog Days as the fifth in Jeff Kinney's series?

The Ugly Truth picks up the story with Greg and Rowley still on bad terms after their summer falling-out, leaving Greg to start the school year without his best friend.

Which actor plays Greg Heffley for the third and final time in the 2012 film Dog Days?

Zachary Gordon and his co-stars made Dog Days their farewell to the series. By the next film, five years later, the young cast had outgrown their roles and new actors took over.

Which other Diary of a Wimpy Kid book supplies part of the plot of the 2012 film Dog Days?

The Last Straw supplies the military school threat and Greg's pursuit of his crush, while most of the film comes from the fourth book.

Who directed the 2012 film Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days?

David Bowers had made Rodrick Rules, his first live-action film, a year earlier, and he returned to direct The Long Haul in 2017.

Which animals star in the TV commercial that the Heffleys' new pet barks for in the book Dog Days?

Gophers pop in and out of their holes in the ad, and after Greg's dad asks where they went, the barking at the television only stops when the ad airs again.

Which snack on his dad's breath does Greg credit for a first kiss from the family pet in Dog Days?

Potato chips are Greg's theory for the breakthrough, since the dog had dodged every earlier attempt. The one family member the pet truly adores is Greg's mom, who barely notices him.

Which vegetable is hidden in the brownies Greg is served on the Jeffersons' beach trip in Dog Days?

Spinach in the brownies ruins dessert for Greg after a dinner he had actually enjoyed. The house also has nothing to do but read, which he likes even less.

What does Greg call the advice-giving comic he enters in a newspaper cartoonist search in Dog Days?

Hey, People! lets Greg tell the world how to behave, from ordering faster at fast-food counters to keeping surgery stories private. One strip is aimed squarely at his own dad.

What did Rodrick's group Löded Diper get from a water park instead of stage smoke in Dog Days?

A bubble machine was what the park set up beside the wave pool, a year before the events of the book. The memory is one reason Rodrick is so unhappy about the family's return visit.

Where does Greg's mom take him for a haircut in Dog Days, a place he comes to love for its gossip?

A beauty salon called Bombshells wins Greg over with its tabloids, televisions and town gossip. He later asks to go back without needing a haircut, just to catch up on the talk.