Road Trip by Gary and Jim Paulsen 114 pages

As the foreword tells us, this started not as an intentional book-writing endeavor, but just a father and son having fun and telling one another a story.  I'm very glad they did.  The book is actually told from the perspectives of a teen boy and a border collie, a very smart dog indeed, alternately.  Ben is pretty upset when his dad announces that he's quit his job to flip houses.  Especially since it means that the sports camp he'd been looking forward to is now not a done deal.  His father is impetuous and spontaneous, Ben and his mother are not.  One more spontaneous gambit is that his father tells him that they are going on a long road trip.  Why?  Because there's a homeless border collie puppy out there that needs them and the shelter is several cities away.  Ben's pretty okay with the new puppy idea, but he's still angry with his dad about the rest of the drastic changes in their lives.  So, he invites his "bad influence" friend to come along.  This is kind of a, well, road trip kind of book.  They have a series of happenstances that makes their group keep growing.  Atticus is the most observant and the most knowledgeable about human behavior, but he's a dog, so only the reader gets to know what's in his head.  All's well that end's well, and while this one was wrapped up pretty tidily, it was a nice trip getting there.

Scent of the Missing: Love & Partnership with a Search and Rescue Dog by Susannah Charleson 285 pages

I have a weakness for books about dogs.  Just look at that face!  How could anyone resist?  A patron recommended this book to me (thanks, Grace!) and I really enjoyed it.  Susannah Charleson lives in Texas and has been a search and rescue assistant for sometime when she is inspired to qualify after the Oklahoma City bombing.  The hours are long, the pay non-existent and the results can be heart-wrenching.  So what drives these volunteers?  They must be physically fit, willing to volunteer  long hours under grueling conditions even though they have regular jobs, pay for the care and feeding of their dog, travel all over the country, the list goes on an on.  These are truly dedicated people with special dogs. Often times the dogs are asked to search a sector just to prove the victim is not there.  Other times, the search team may not know the outcome.  But all in all, the connection between the handler and the dog is what makes it all worth while.  Next time I see a search and rescue canine team on TV, I will look at them in a whole new light.  This book is a great read.

Woof at the Door by Laura Morrigan 295 pages

 

 

This paperback is the 1st in a new series," A Call of the Wilde Mystery".  Grace Wilde is blessed (cursed?) with being able to telepathically communicate with animals. She finds that most domesticated animals can actually communicate with language, but sometimes, she must project feelings to control them. In this novel, basketball star and son of the governor, Mark Richardson, has been murdered and the only one who may have witnessed the crime is his doberman pincher, Jax.  Grace is called in to help on the case, but in the mean time, she is distracted by the hot surfer-boy detective, Kai.  Will Kai understand her ability or will he think she is looney?  This little book has lots of twists and turns. Nothing is ever simple for poor Grace.  Not a bad book to curl up on the couch and read while you snuggle with your own pooch.

Dogtripping: 25 Rescues, 11 Volunteers, and 3 RV's on a Canine Cross-Country Adventure by David Rosenfelt 278 pages



 

Just let me say, my dog loving friends, that you need to read this book!  You will be so jealous of the 11 volunteers who got to make this trip with the wise-cracking author David Rosenfelt. He even made the poop-scooping sound, well, maybe not like fun, but like something you would be willing to do.  I must confess, I am not normally a non-fiction reader.  I love Rosenfelt's ( may I call him David?) mystery series featuring Andy Carpenter, the attorney, dog-resucer, and philanthorpist. So, when I saw this book, I knew I had to read it.  You will enjoy reading about the planning, the road-trip itself, and how David and his wife acquired each and every dog who made the trip.  Just think of all the dog hair involved! Not to mention other logistics like food! You will find pictures of the trip and more information about David's Golden Retreiver Rescue group, the Tara Foundation, on his website.  He claims Tara is the best dog in the world.  Well, she may have been the best Golden, but my dog Max, a black lab, is the best dog in the world!