Outskirts Press, INC.

Gutsy Border Collie Mix Shows Her Strengths

In this, her fifth novel about the dogs and humans at the Riverview Animal Shelter, Helen A. Bemis details the training of canine service dogs, while she tells the story of the first years of an experimental Kids’ Camp at the Shelter. The challenges to training these dogs and their young handlers are added to by the worrisome presence of a stranger, the visit by a possibly rabid fox, the loss of a pet cat, Pretty Girl, and the revised plans of two teenagers who find themselves in love with each other after years of friendly competition at the Camp. Tippie, offspring of a Border Collie and a venturesome neighboring mixed-breed dog, puts her combination of smarts and bravery to good use in this installment. This is the fifth in this multi-book series, following UNDERSTANDING SASSIE; UNDERSTANDING SASSIE, II; UNDERSTANDING CHAMP, and UNDERSTANDING TRIXIE. Readers can enjoy each without having read the others. All five novels combine upbeat personal stories with insights about training dogs with love.