“The Dog and the Sailor” is an ancient, magical folktale first documented in the Nineteenth Century. It is listed in the Aarne-Thompson-Uther (ATU) Tale Type Index as Tale Type number 540,“The Dog and the Sailor”(previously"The Dog in the Sea").

During a Masters degree, P. J. Wood began researching LGBTQ+ folklore in search of a queer fairy tale. In autumn 2019 he self-published his findings and his final dissertation in a little book of essays entitled "Queeries: Essays on Queer Theory and Fairy Tales". The book was selected as a finalist for the Katharine Brigg's Award; the British Folklore Society’s annual award for folklore research. The essay collection detailed his sources, his research into "The Dog and the Sailor", and his translation of its variants from around Europe. In his essay “Where is my Prince Charming? On Queer Visibility in Fairy Tales" he analyses how "The Dog and the Sailor" could be viewed academically through a queer lens, rich in LGBTQ+ symbolism and subtext, with a positive portrayal of a protagonist who could be read as gay, bisexual, asexual, aromantic or queer. The book was published as a limited edition and is no longer in print, but is listed in the British Library catalogue. 

At this stage Wood initially reached out to publishers and literary agents hoping to publish a version of "The Dog and the Sailor" as a children's book, but was told that there was "no market" for a book of this kind. When 2020 began and the Covid 19 pandemic subsequently derailed his final degree show, he decided to do an exhibition online and created his adaptation of "The Dog and the Sailor", presumed to be the first retelling in the English language, based on a fusion of versions collected by the Danish folklorists Jens Kamp and Nikolai Christensen in the 1800’s. Wood joined forces with his cousin, sound designer Joe Dines, and actor Dino Fetscher to create an audiovisual experience during the Covid19 lockdown and the charming fairy tale finally resurfaced for a new generation. As a former animation student and Disney fanboy, he lamented the fact there were no gay Disney princes in the animated movies of his childhood. He therefore drew the images for the exhibition in a Disney style, his dream being to one day see "The Dog and the Sailor" retold on screen as an animated musical feature. In separate homes in Kingston, West London and Cornwall the three lads created a virtual gallery featuring the story and its accompanying artwork and music, produced, written and illustrated by Wood, narrated by Fetscher, with an original score by Dines.

Celebrities including Sir. Ian McKellan and Russell T. Davies shared the story of the discovery of the tale with their followers. The story of Wood’s rediscovery of the tale and how he adapted it as a virtual exhibition and book was first featured in 2020 in Forbes by journalist Jamie Wareham. In its initial 2 month run, the exhibition had over 10,000 visitors. A 32 page hardback children’s book was created by Wood to accompany the exhibition, limited to 1000 copies which soon sold out.

A new version of the story was included in Wood’s anthology of queer fairy tales "Tales From Beyond the Rainbow" (Puffin Classics, 2023) and a picture book from Puffin "The Dog & the Sailor" (2024), written and illustrated by Wood, is now available in book stores!