Children's Choices for 2000, CBC/IRA 2000-2001 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List 2001-2002 Mark Twain Award Master List 2002 Children's Crown Award Runner-Up 2001-2002 Sequoyah Children's Book Award Master List 2002-2003 Volunteer State Book Award Intermediate Master List 2002-2003 Iowa Children's Choice Master List 2003 Sasquatch Reading Award Master List 2002-2003 Land of Enchantment Young Adult Master Reading List 2003-2004 Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Awards Master List From the award-winning author Peg Kehret comes a collection of true stories about the amazing lives of eight shelter dogs. Many of these dogs were unwanted because of their size, behavior, or medical condition. All of the dogs found owners who loved and cared for them and ultimately helped change their lives in tremendous ways. The dogs have changed the owners' lives, too. Children's Choices for 2000, CBC/IRA 2000-2001 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List 2001-2002 Mark Twain Award Master List 2002 Children's Crown Award Runner-Up 2001-2002 Sequoyah Children's Book Award Master List 2002-2003 Volunteer State Book Award Intermediate Master List 2002-2003 Iowa Children's Choice Master List 2003 Sasquatch Reading Award Master List 2002-2003 Land of Enchantment Young Adult Master Reading List 2003-2004 Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Awards Master List "Animal lovers will enjoy these eight short stories about shelter dogs going on to do great things…Kids will find the heroics appealing, but the book's greatest achievement may be its potential for increasing adoptions from shelters."― Booklist "The writing is clear and straightforward, letting the drama and pathos of the dogs' triumphs, and the owners' dedication, carry the stories…These short stories should appeal to reluctant readers because of their length and irresistible subject matter, they will be popular with animal lovers, and they may even inspire families to adopt a shelter dog." ―School Library Journal A collection of true stories about the amazing lives of eight shelter dogs. Many of these dogs were unwanted because of their size, behavior, or medical condition. All of the dogs found owners who loved and cared for them. Peg Kehret has written more than forty-three books for young people, and many have won numerous awards. Her books include mysteries such as Earthquake Terror; Five Pages a Day, the story of her life as a writer; and Shelter Dogs: Amazing Stories of Adopted Strays. Shelter Dogs Amazing Dogs of Adopted Strays By Peg Kehret, Greg Farrar Albert Whitman & Company Copyright © 1999 Peg Kehret All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-8075-7336-5 Contents Acknowledgments, Introduction, 1 ZORRO THE CHAMPION THAT NOBODY WANTED, 2 TRACKER MOVIE-STAR DOG, 3 KIRBY ONE WORD SAVED A LIFE, 4 JOEY INTERNATIONAL SERVICE DOG, 5 DANNY OVERCOMING FEARS, 6 TYLER THE DOG WHO COULDN'T SEE, 7 IVAN FIRE-ALARM HERO, 8 BRIDGETTE SEIZURE-ALERT DOG, CHAPTER 1 ZORRO THE CHAMPION THAT NOBODY WANTED Zorro, a great dane/mixed breed dog, was eight weeks old when he first came to the Humane Society. His original owner "couldn't find homes for all the puppies." Like most puppies, Zorro was lively and lovable. Unlike most puppies, he had kennel cough and had to be confined to the medical ward until he recovered and could be put up for adoption. Jet black, with white paws, chest, and throat and a bit of white at the tip of his tail, Zorro was a long-legged beauty. As he lost his cute puppy look, it was clear to even the most inexperienced dog person that he was going to be a mighty big dog. He had huge paws and soon weighed forty pounds. When he recovered, he was moved to the adoption building, which has individual kennels down both sides of a wide walkway. Whenever visitors arrived, Zorro leaped eagerly against the front of the wire kennel, his long tail waving wildly. Nobody wanted to adopt such a big and rowdy dog. Weeks went by, Zorro grew and grew, and no one chose him. Finally, when he had been at the shelter for three months, he was adopted by a family who said they wanted a big dog and were prepared to give him the care he needed. Zorro galloped away from the kennel, tugging on his leash, his tail flapping like a windshield wiper. His happiness did not last long. Seven months later, the family returned him to the Humane Society. They said they didn't have time to exercise him, so they kept him shut in the house. Bored and restless, Zorro had begun to chew on the furniture. The family did not want a destructive dog. By then, Zorro weighed seventy pounds, and his head reached the countertop at the adoption center. His energy level matched his size, and since he had never been taught any manners, he was now extremely hard to handle. Of course, no one knows for sure what went through Zorro's mind as he was brought back to the Humane Society where he had already spent so much time. But he must have wondered why he was again left alone in a