Read the excerpt from "As Good as Gold."Meanwhile, Sam tried to ignore his brother’s fuss. He glanced over at the dog working on what would have been a week's worth of breakfasts and felt nothing but pity. The dog looked too small and thin to be out alone in the northern wilds. As Sam stared at the dust-colored mutt, the dog noticed and gazed back at him, one ear up and the other ear in what seemed to be a permanent flop. Sam couldn't help but chuckle as he helped the grumbling Jake clean up.
Sam feels pity for the dog because it is small and thin, and the dog is eating a large amount of food. The description suggests it is hungry but not threatening; Sam even chuckles at its floppy ear while helping Jake clean up. “Hungry and harmless” best describes the dog, unlike “wild and ferocious.”
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