For Adults

Best Hikes with Dogs North Carolina
by Karen Chavez

Do you enjoy hiking with your furry best friend but not sure where to go? This book has great tips and advice. It describes a number of trials from the western North Carolina mountains to the eastern piedmont/coastal region along with hiking tips for dogs and people. There's a chapter on Good Canine Trail Etiquette, Trail Hazards, A Doggy First Aid Kit just to name a few. The chapters describing the trails tells you how long each trial is round-trip, the hiking time, best times of the year to take each trial, the highest point, difficulty, rules and fees (if any), where to get a map and contacts. This is a wonderful book for experienced and inexperienced hikers alike who are considering taking their dog with them on future hiking trips!

I Am Dog
by Anne Santos

Baby Ben is a Border Collie pup who knows only darkness and hunger, having lived all of his short life locked away in a gloomy, dirty shed.

Then comes daylight, the joy of birdsong and the sweet smell of grass as he is set "free" to begin his new life as Seth, where he'll learn the importance of being biddable towards his new master.

I am Dog brings to the forefront the sadness and injustice of animal cruelty. However, it is also a story of hope, trust, love and peace - beautifully told (with hand drawn sketches) through the eyes of Seth as he takes his journey through the seasons of his life.

A Dog Year - Twelve Months, Four Dogs & Me
by Joh Katz

In his popular and widely praised Running to the Mountain, Jon Katz wrote of the strength and support he found in the massive forms of his two yellow Labrador retrievers, Julius and Stanley. When the Labs were six and seven, a breeder who'd read his book contacted Katz to say she had a dog that was meant for him - a two-year-old border collie named Devon, well bred but high-strung and homeless. Katz already had a full canine complement - but, as he writes, "Change loves me. . . . It comes in all forms. . . . Sometimes, change comes on four legs." Shortly thereafter he brought Devon home. A Dog Year shows how a man discovered much about himself through one dog (and then another), whose temperament seemed as different from his own as day from night. It is a story of trust and understanding, of life and death, of continuity and change. It is by turns insightful, hilarious, and deeply moving.

Nop's Trials and Nop's Hope
by Donald McCaig

The cool thing about of these books is that you can know nothing about sheepdog trialing, and still enjoy the stories. The characters are people you know and their struggles are recognizable. In Trials, McCaig describes the strong bond that develops between the shepherd and his/her number one dog. The sequel, Nop's Hope, tells of a young woman's struggle to put her life back together after the loss of her family. The story unfolds with the nation's traditional sheepdog trialing season as the backdrop. Many of the nations' historical trials and best handlers are documented within the context of this rich story. These books are accessible to anyone who enjoys a good story.

For Children

Only One Woof
by James Herriot

"One nice thing about a country vet is that there are so many interesting things to see when I visit the farms..."

The captivating story told within these pages is certainly one of the most entertaining that this vet has ever encountered. Gyp is the sweet but silent sheepdog who is separated from his favorite puppy playmate at a young age. The two are reunited later-with a surprising response from Gyp.

Floss
Just Like Floss
by Kim Lewis

The first book tells of the importance and value of the working dog to a sheep farmer. In the second book, the farmer's children are faced with picking a pup from a litter. The gem in this story is the children pick the pup who can work the best.

The Miss Bindergarten Series
by Joseph Slate

Get a pillow to splint the stomach, because these two books are funny. If Mr. Slate doesn't have a Border Collie, he sure understands. These stories depict a Border Collie in the form of a kindergarten teacher who redefines hyperactive, compulsive, driven, while remaining affectionate, motivated and loving. The illustrations are great and seem more like 40's cartoons in bright colors.

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