The narrative emphasizes classic themes of redemption, loyalty, nature versus nurture, and choosing to be good, with Li'l Petey rejecting villainy despite his origins and Dog Man adopting the kitten. These align with longstanding children's storytelling traditions rather than contemporary activist framing.

The provided book description highlights universally positive messages of empathy, kindness, persistence, and being true to oneself, presented without lectures or identity-based conflicts. No established characters undergo race, gender, or sexuality alterations, and the anthropomorphic animal cast serves the humorous premise organically without injecting social justice elements.

Dav Pilkey's later 2021 decision to pull an unrelated earlier title over stereotypes reflects post-publication sensitivity, but this 2017 volume contains no such content or creator intent tied to DEI or identity politics. External academic critiques of the police-dog motif exist but do not reflect baked-in messaging in the story itself.