The novel is told from the perspective of an adult called Christopher Nix who recounts the story of his family's move to Florida from New Orleans when he was four.

The purpose of their move is so that his father can open a tourist attraction that exhibits every breed of dog recognized by the American Kennel Club.

The story focuses on his father's "color-blind" approach to racial segregation and various controversies that occur in his life because of it.

[3] Paul Di Filippo similarly declared that Dogland "succeeds remarkably on a number of levels as mimetic autobiography .

[4] Kirkus Reviews described it as "Compelling, absorbing, hard-edged work, lit by glimpses of another, more fantastic reality".