The merchant goes through an assortment of magical items which the dog all deny, including a fish that speaks twelve languages, a goose that lays golden eggs, and a mirror in which you can see what anybody is thinking about.
This time, the girl called him "Sweet-as-a-honeycomb" and the dog invited her on his back and walked for forty miles before reaching a stile.
He was utilizing this information to prove his personal theories about witches being spirits of the dead, citing eye-witness accounts in the countryside of fairies wearing large shrouds and ghost sightings as similar.
His intention was based on the directive of writing and recording new folk-tales given The Folklore Society he had joined in 1895, according to him was focused entirely on republishing and reprinting old works rather than seeking new ones.
[9][10][11][12] The story itself was gathered in Derbyshire alongside other tales from York, Lincoln, and Nottingham, and was many of the places where Addy lived and worked publishing articles for larger companies.
In a compilation of medicinal practices that Addy gathered from the area, he relayed that it was considered good if a dog licked your wounds, henceforth explaining its inclusion within the story as the merchant was recovering.
[13] However, the message could also be regarding empathy and being kind to others as well as keeping promises given the repeated emphasis on how the word 'Sweet-as-a-honeycomb' impact the dog's demeanor, and the girl being taken again and again because of her crying.
In multiple instances, the girl's weeping is what inspires the dog to trek the long distance back towards the merchant's home again and again.
In addition, the dog wagging its tale and the resolution of the piece are both times of emotional openness that ultimately leads to the conclusion of the story.
This could have some relation to the popular practice of Physiogomy at the time, wherein the study of faces and facial expressions are the resolution of the story therein.
The girl also regards the dog as the patient one towards the end, despite her absence of agency, In doing so, the tale is less inclined to believe that the titles of Beauty and the Beast and pursuer and pursued can be used interchangeably.
The girl is passive and compliant within the tale, and it is only through the dog's actions that the plot progresses, but it is her words that ultimately lead to a resolution.
There is little romantic interest shown between the girl and dog, but nonetheless her relationship with the canine is integral to the removal of his bestial nature.
Within the text, words literally and figuratively have the power to heal and hurt, and the romantic interlude between the two is a result not of development, but of an obligation and resolution often found in this tale and other animal bridegroom stories such as The Frog Prince.
[15] The book received positive praise at its unveiling at the Seattle Public Library,[16] and was one of MacDonald's many works that accounted for fairy-tales and folktales from across the world.
Interestingly, they also resume their game of fetch, indicating signs of a lasting relationship and meaningful connection in contrast to the previously abrupt marriage at the end of the original tale.