The following version of the book was used to create this study guide: Pilkey, Dav. Dog Man: Mothering Heights. Scholastic Press, New York, NY, 2021. Kindle AZW file.Dog Man is a heroic cop who lives in an incredible doghouse with a kitten named Lil' Petey and a robot named 80-HD. As the novel opens, Dog Man was injured while drinking from the toilet. He must wear the “cone of shame.” Then, Lil' Petey and 80-HD invent the Cone of Destiny that transforms into the ultimate superhero suit. Dog Man quickly puts a stop to the teasing from other cops by showing off this suit.

Meanwhile, Lil' Petey's papa, Petey, announces that 80-HD must repair Petey's house, which doubles as his lab. Petey is preparing for an interview with the world-famous journalist, Sarah Hatoff, to tell his life story. He believes people will be interested in why he became a villain and why he changed into a good guy. While Petey is giving his interview, his father (known as Grampa) is looking for a way to break out of Cat Jail. Big Jim, a villainous cat, is also in Cat Jail. He is trying to build a robot he can use in his hero role as Commander Cupcake.

Big Jim inadvertently helps Grampa escape. Grampa is working on an evil plan of his own, but he needs two ingredients – living spray that brings everything to life and cannery grow which makes everything get larger. These items are no longer being produced, but Grampa finds some in Petey's house, which was once his evil lab. Grampa accidentally sprays two sippy cups with both ingredients, making them huge, living cups.

Dog Man's boss, the Chief, has a crush on the Nurse Lady. He rushes to her aid the moment she calls for help. At the hospital, he vows to help the Nurse Lady while Dog Man uses his Cone of Destiny to fight the sippy cups. The Chief is thrilled that he gets to hold hands with the Nurse Lady as they leap out of the hospital to join the fight.

Predictably, good triumphs over evil. The sippy cups are easily defeated. Petey tells his story and returns home to discover his entire lab has been destroyed. All is not lost because he finds his mother's ukulele, which reminds him of the importance of love.