Martha has lost her collar and ended up at the local animal shelter. It falls to her to organize a pound break for all her new doggy friends but she soon discovers freedom isn't much without a family. When Martha's owner finally comes to take her home, she realizes that she can't leave her shelter friends behind. Martha, Helen, and her friends cook up a spectacular plan--Wagstaff's first Top Dog Show--to find families for all of the pound pooches! The book will include a cast of characters introduction and two pages of word-fun activities.

A collarless Martha lands in an animal shelter and makes new animal friends on whose behalf she organizes a dog show to help them find families.

A heartwarming story about the growing bond between a child and a new pet—inspired by the author’s experience with a rescue dog of the same name. When a young boy and his father move from one house to another, they decide to adopt a dog from the local rescue shelter. But their chosen dog, Toby, is having a tough time adjusting to his new life outside the shelter—howling all night, hiding fearfully from his new humans, forgetting where to go to the bathroom, and chasing a ball through the flower bed. The boy has promised to train his new companion, and he’s trying his best, but Dad is starting to get exasperated. Will Toby ever feel comfortable with his new family and settle into his forever home, or will Dad decide he’s not the right dog for them after all?

This hard-hitting story lights up the world of animal rescue with engaging characters and their pets, bringing hope out of personal tragedies. Danny Sandoval, a character from the author’s previous book, “Prairie Dog Blues,” joins up with his friends to take on Norma Jean Lawson and her Safe Sanctuary No-Kill Rescue Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Danny accuses Safe Sanctuary of negligent animal care, claiming they do more harm than good. Undaunted, Norma Jean puts up a fierce fight through her attorney, and sues Danny for libel and slander. Danny fights back, and both Danny and Norma Jean struggle with their own internal demons as they attempt to rescue dogs and cats, innocent creatures that sometimes bring a mysterious transforming power to broken lives. Their battle shows that bad motives often end in darkness, and that animals and a clean heart can reveal pathways to God’s healing. “Dog Shelter Blues” takes these beaten, everyday people on a breathtaking journey that ends with an astonishing triumph of good over evil. MARK CONKLING--teacher, homebuilder, realtor, finance manager, retired Methodist pastor--returns to writing with this second novel, the first being “Prairie Dog Blues,” also from Sunstone Press. Mark lives in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, works with his wife Patricia (Meadowlark Family Healthcare), walks his dog in the Bosque near the Rio Grande, frequents the recovery community (AA), writes fiction, and seeks daily peace of mind. His short fiction was published in the Minnetonka Review and Diverse Voices Quarterly. Years ago, as a university professor (PhD, philosophy and psychology), Mark published several academic articles in existential philosophy and psychology, including “Consciousness and the Unconscious in William James' “Principles of Psychology,” (Human Inquiries), “Sartre's Refutation of the Freudian Unconscious,” (Review of Existential Psychology and Psychiatry), and “Ryle's Mistake About Consciousness” (Philosophy Today).

Martha worries that her recent bouts of bad luck might be contagious! Uh-oh. Martha walked under a ladder—and then she broke a mirror—so now she thinks she’s jinxed! Helen tries to explain that all the accidents are just coincidence. But when a nearby toddler stumbles and a waiter takes a clumsy spill, Martha worries that her bad luck might be rubbing off on everybody else. Will Martha be spreading bad luck for seven whole years? Includes a "Test Your Knowledge" activity on common superstitions.

Learn to communicate with your dog—using their language “Good reading for dog lovers and an immensely useful manual for dog owners.”—The Washington Post An Applied Animal Behaviorist and dog trainer with more than twenty years’ experience, Dr. Patricia McConnell reveals a revolutionary new perspective on our relationship with dogs—sharing insights on how “man’s best friend” might interpret our behavior, as well as essential advice on how to interact with our four-legged friends in ways that bring out the best in them. After all, humans and dogs are two entirely different species, each shaped by its individual evolutionary heritage. Quite simply, humans are primates and dogs are canids (as are wolves, coyotes, and foxes). Since we each speak a different native tongue, a lot gets lost in the translation. This marvelous guide demonstrates how even the slightest changes in our voices and in the ways we stand can help dogs understand what we want. Inside you will discover: • How you can get your dog to come when called by acting less like a primate and more like a dog • Why the advice to “get dominance” over your dog can cause problems • Why “rough and tumble primate play” can lead to trouble—and how to play with your dog in ways that are fun and keep him out of mischief • How dogs and humans share personality types—and why most dogs want to live with benevolent leaders rather than “alpha wanna-bes!” Fascinating, insightful, and compelling, The Other End of the Leash is a book that strives to help you connect with your dog in a completely new way—so as to enrich that most rewarding of relationships.

Nothing makes author Peg Gould smile like seeing Duke, her iron hulk of a dog, bound into the enclosed fields of the dog park near home with true hound-dog swagger, tail held high and wagging wildly. His velvety black hair and droopy jowls often are noticed and appreciated by onlookers as though they were sighting Elvis himself. Hound Dog Blues follows much of her reflection about life and death after she learns Duke has a terminal disease. Over the next weeks and monthsin trying to serve Dukes needs for exercise, rest, stimulation, and purpose, but also for effective anxiety and pain managementthe author is reminded of the early death of her mother from heart disease decades before. Ultimately, she is persuaded that our pets, with their shorter life spans, show us the way and have much to teach us about love, acceptance, and graceful loss. This is especially so if you are willing to uncover the depth of an animals anchoring role in your lifeand mourn the passing of a true companion.

Robo, a beloved Great Dane, is tricked out of the embrace of his human family and then is horribly altered by a scientist who rebuilds him with technology never seen before. It leaves Robo a genius, almost immortal and with powers beyond explanation. But the suffering Robo experiences changes him--driving him insane with the sole mission to destroy all humans, especially those who have tortured and hurt dogs. Meanwhile, Blue, a scrappy alley dog, is trapped in a shelter, when she captures the attention of another scientist desperate to stop Robo from his path of destruction. Her mission: save human civilization and the packs of dogs she's grown to love.

Mom wants to fix each of her children's problems--Jeff's gambling, Ida's promiscuity, Junior's drinking--and to create a normal family. She convinces Pop to sell the family land and give $500,000 to each child, believing the money will solve their woes. However, hundreds of prairie dogs and the City Council's animal ordinance stop the sale. The prairie dogs come up out of their holes and into each of the Corleys' hearts, mysteriously softening their hard edges, helping them to find healing deep in Mother Nature.