Dog Child

A coastal summer is turned upside down by a violent murder, and a quest for lost pirate treasure turns into a hunt for the killer. Jax Wendyll is the crown's dog. As punishment for the unspeakable crimes that torment him to this day, his life has been conscripted to the Empire Solaris. However, in an empire afflicted by peace, his duties are relegated to unquestioningly aiding the antics of the youngest prince, Baldair.

Although my dog Scamp is the lead actor in this book, it is not a book about dogs. Children are the real focus, and the content is addressed to their grown-up handlers — the parents and teachers who guide them out of their blissful state of infant irresponsibility, through the challenges of childhood, and into their own unique, self-determined biographies. Mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, caregivers, or anyone working with children, I thought, might want to partake of lessons Scamp taught me.

Judy Moody is in a mood. A sleuthing, Nancy Drew kind of mood. So what’s a WBMS (world’s best mystery solver) to do? Go find a mystery, that’s what! And she doesn’t have to snoop for long: when Mr. Chips, a beloved crime-dog-in-training, goes missing, Judy Drewdy and her chums, agents Dills Pickle (Frank), Spuds Houdini (Rocky), and James Madagascar (Stink) find themselves smack-dab in the middle of a real-life, scare-your-pants-off whodunit. Was Mr. Chips stolen by dirty dognappers? And why are chocolate-chip cookies disappearing all over town?

When Hank is attacked by a Headless Cowboy, he knows it's going to be a tough day defending the ranch! But when Slim discovers Sally May's watermelon patch has been raided by raccoons, things get serious. Slim, Drover, and Hank are entrusted with the job of a nighttime stakeout to catch the raccoons in the act. Will Hank save the day? Or will busted watermelons prove Hank is a bust as the Head of Ranch Security?

Anytime Josie Shilling’s large family gets too chaotic, volunteering at the local animal clinic is the one place she can escape - and she loves working with the animals. But when a box mysteriously appears on the clinic’s front steps, Josie suddenly becomes responsible for seven adorable puppies! Taking care of her pig, Hamlet, last fall was a bit harder than she thought. So how is she ever going to handle a whole litter of mischievous pups and find the right homes for them all?

For only a dollar, Thunder is a terrific bargain! But, what does a boy do with a dangerous 2,500-pound buffalo that can break out of any corral ever built? Nathan Riggins has to find some way to keep Thunder from killing someone or being killed. He finally decides to donate his buffalo to the Carson City Zoo. But getting him there will be a problem. Thunder has already destroyed one rail car and damaged the train's engine. The railroad refuses to ship him again. The answer comes in a surprising way.

Get ready for laughs when you listen to these excerpts from ten of Hank's stories. Performed in the style of an old-time radio show, complete with sound effects and a unique voice for each character! You will hear Hank as he bargains for a priceless corncob, learns about manners from Wallace the Buzzard, runs into Rip and Snort the coyote brothers, taunts a raging rottweiler, gets into trouble with Sally May the rancher's wife, and more!

No self-respecting Head of Ranch Security would be caught dead sleeping on the job...so when Slim catches Hank asleep, not once but TWICE, Hank knows something sinister is afoot. And, if that's the case, then odds are that Pete the Barncat is involved. Later that day, the case takes an interesting twist when Hank learns that Pete has been missing for two days! Worried about her precious kitty, Sally May asks Slim and Hank to find and rescue Pete from whatever trouble he might’ve found himself in.

A dangerous beast is on the loose in Marisol Rainey's neighborhood! At least, Marisol thinks it’s a dangerous beast. She's never actually met the neighbor’s dog officially, but surely a big German shepherd can’t be anything else. That’s why she and her BFF Jada nicknamed him “Daggers.” When the Missing Dog posters around town reveal that his real name is Gregory, Marisol's fears don’t ease up one bit. He may be Gregory at home, but when he’s freely roaming the neighborhood with nothing to hold him back, he’s Daggers and nothing else.

Pete the Barncat isn’t known for his reliable story-telling, but when his report about a strange, tree-devouring creature is corroborated by another source - namely J. T. Cluck, the ranch’s head rooster - Hank decides to investigate. However, just as the plot begins to thicken, Pete claims that it was all a joke and that the creature, a Three-Toed Tree Sloth, was really just a porcupine! Fortunately, Hank realizes that that’s just what a sneaky cat would say to throw him off the trail.

Of all the mysteries Hank has faced in his illustrious career as the head of ranch security, the only one that still has him truly stumped is the key to unlocking Miss Beulah's heart. Why on earth would she go for a bird-brained bird dog when a specimen like Hank stands ready to sweep her off her feet? Could there be more to this problem than meets the eye?

Join Kate, and her friends, Max and Charlie, on an adventure to visit Grandma! Kate’s grandmother has a special surprise waiting for everyone. It wags its tail and barks loudly! Follow along as Frank, Grandma’s new dog, meets everyone and passes a special place on his walk home.

When Ginger, a hearing-ear dog, begins to go deaf herself, her owner must find another dog to help them both. Her owner pays a visit to the pound and finds Leo! To her dismay, though, he doesn’t seem to know when he should bark to alert them of someone’s presence. Will he be able to help them hear?

Jill and Charlie want to turn Max into a dog show champion! No matter how much they try to train him, though, Max won’t listen. Is Max destined to be the worst of breed? Or will he prove to be something even greater?

Jonathon Jones and his friends are Interplanetary Private Investigators. Together, they solve every crime under the sun! When a prize show dog is kidnapped from Mercury’s Dog Star Kennel, these young detectives must work together to solve the mystery. Was it the dog’s owner? The trainer? The competition? Follow along and find out!

Albert Payson Terhune's story of Bruce, the collie, who starts out life as an ugly, ungainly type and grows up not only beautiful, but incredibly smart. Bruce protects The Mistress from evildoers and becomes a decorated war hero (WWI) before returning to The Home Place for a leisurely retirement amid the lovely trees and lakes. Bruce's story is told from the dog's perspective as well as the Master’s. We join in the adventures as well as share in a few sorrows. One of Terhune’s best that will bring a smile as well as a tear.

Ash is so excited to get a NEW PUPPY! He is full of energy and ready to play, but every game Ash chooses ends in disaster! Whatever will Ash do?

Even after an exhausting morning defending the ranch against a vicious one-eyed robot, Hank the Cowdog, Head of Ranch Security, still has energy left to supervise Little Alfred's fishing trip.

Slim Chance is in a bad mood. In fact, he’s been in a bad mood for a few months now, and it looks like it might become a permanent condition. The ranch has been in the middle of one of the worst droughts it’s ever seen, and when the clouds do finally decide to let down a little rain, the last thing Slim wants to hear is that Deputy Kile got more rain than he did. Things are looking pretty bleak until Little Alfred asks his dad to take him fishing, and Slim winds up having to go in Loper’s place.

Jiji and her mother take Fida, their three-month-old German shepherd puppy, to his first veterinarian visit.