Wolfie Burrows, a border-collie, has just been born and duly deposited in a pet shop.

The problem is, Wolfie does not think he's a dog. How could he? All intelligent creatures are human, and he's certain he is too. Not the sub-human version of the species, the ones he has to live with every day, the idiots who stumble through life on little to no intelligence. He is part of the elite, the real ones he's never seen, the 'owners' the other dogs bark about. He cannot understand why the world had wronged him and why he's been left in such horrible and inadequate surroundings. It's a dire mistake someone will have to pay a heavy price for. He deserves much better. Something has to change, and when it does, it's not what Wolfie expects. It never is.

What with sub-humans and their silly sound competitions, wheel rooms breathing like a lion roars, and quite a few mistake accidents, life does not turn out like he's planned. Nothing does. No one can understand his eloquent language, floors refuse to be walked on, and doors are very stubborn and claw-proof. Throw in an abduction, a new family of sub-humans that do not realise they're his servants, and Wolfie has many challenges to overcome.

Not that he cares. You don't when you know you're always right. He's too smart for it to last forever, and none of it is his fault. As he sees it, it's the world that is wrong. There's only one persistent nag that keeps troubling Wolfie. Every dog he meets, and he's forced to meet quite a few, they all insist he's a dog. And a cat agrees.They can't all be wrong, can they...