A Dog's Purpose Chapter 17 Summary

How It All Goes Down

  • "Cars are fast" (17.1) is the opening sentence of this chapter, so get ready for Bailey to get hit by one.
  • Bailey chases a car until he hears a train.
  • Uh-oh. Dog's going to get hit by a train…
  • No, Bailey survives. Whew.
  • Bailey says goodbye to Ethan again, but Grandpa takes him home.
  • It's lonely on the Farm. Mom moves in—without Dad—and sometimes Ethan visits.
  • But Bailey's only friend is Jasper the donkey.
  • Time passes, and Bailey gets old and sick.
  • Now it's time for Bailey to die. We knew it was going to happen in this chapter.
  • The family takes Bailey to the vet, who is going to put him down.
  • Ethan shows up right before Bailey dies and says, "I'm going to miss you, doodle dog" (17.74).
  • Nothing like being called stupid right before you die, but it makes Bailey happy.
  • The end.