In Fire Sea (part 3 of The Death Gate Cycle), why doesn't Haplo hear through the dogs ears?

Question

In the third part of the Death Gate Cycle; Fire Sea, at some point the dog is thrown into a boiling puddle of mud, presumed dead. A while later the dog reappears to Alfred. The dog is witness to a lot of conversation which I would assume Haplo (being captured and poisoned) would hear through it's ears. Why doesn't Haplo hear through the dogs ears in this piece of the story?

Answer 1

While this isn't explicitly stated until very late in the series, there's strong hints - such as when the dog is presumed dead - that it isn't a real, physical dog. It can do a great many things that normal dogs can't, and Haplo can direct it mentally.

Later in the series, it's made more explicit what exactly the dog is:

The physical embodiment of all the parts of Haplo's mind that he tried to get rid of when he left Marit, back when they were still inside the Labyrinth. If I recall correctly, it included his love for her, and at least some of his sense of loyalty.

When the dog dies (or at least appears to), Haplo doesn't have a clue what the dog is, so he really believes the dog is dead. Mentally, he "disposes" of it - but the dog (rather, what created it) can't be gotten rid of so easily. So it follows its last command, despite Haplo having cut himself off from the dog at the conscious level: Watch Alfred.

If Haplo had believed the dog survived, then there's a very good chance he would have been able to continue hearing what the dog heard.