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Muttley is a German Shepherd and Walker Hound mix puppy at the Caring Paws Animal Shelter where Lizzie Peterson and her friends volunteer at. Lizzie had started a club for other volunteers at the shelter called the Caring Club. Her family takes Muttley home as a foster puppy for a week. The wonderful, but sleepy puppy springs into action and becomes a hero saving the lives of the only family he knew. Lizzie’s family is also in charge of find a “forever home” for Muttley. Lizzie has the perfect person in mind, but can she convince his parents or will Muttley’s actions speak louder?

I loved this story! I also agree with the author that every dog has their own personality. I have two puppies who are both from the same mother; however, they have totally different personalities and barks/howls. I am glad that an author is bringing this to children’s attentions. I liked how there were little comments of what Muttley may have been thinking after his actions or someone else’s actions. In the back, it says the story of the heroic dog is not true, but the personality and breed was based off her neighbor’s dog. The story may not have been true in real life, but I can see it really happening. Every animal and person has the potential to be a hero whether they are trained for it or not. I also can relate to Lizzie. I love animals so much that I have never gone a day in my life without one, whether it was a dog, a bird, a hamster, etc. One set of my grandparents have show dogs and I would help take care their dogs and everyone else’s dogs as well. The most interesting breed I had found was the Dobermans. They can play tug-a-war and fall asleep that way. I don’t really have a favorite breed of dog, but have had almost all types, mix or not, as a pet whether it was only for an hour or for thirteen years. However, I still am not sure if I would work in a vet’s office or a shelter. I would love to help animals, but I hate to see the animals that were abused or hurt. These animals always make me cry and I still can not figure out why anyone would hurt another living thing. My uncle used to be a foster parent to dogs who needed extra care and extra help getting back to heath, but had to stop when he moved for a job. Whenever he called or talked to my other relative, he would tell me, or I’d hear from another relative, of the different dogs he would bring home, which was great to here that someone else out there is actually helping and caring for the unwanted and lost animals. Before my uncle had told me of this, I had never known that foster parents for animals were possible. Every time someone dumps a dog around my house, it comes to me. It hurts me every time when I can not find its rightful owner or a new home. There is not a humane society around here anymore, so I am forced to take the dogs to the pound and hope for the best. I dislike the time limit placed on their lives, but there is nothing else to do. My sister and I helped a dog a few weeks ago. He was part of the Great Pyrenees Rescue Center and had finished his treatments for mange. He found his “forever home” in a place far north, so we came up with a t-shirt design for him and made it just for him based on what we had been told of his personality. One of our dogs had mange before, so we knew what he was going through, even if we had not met him. This was the first Puppy Place book I read, but after reading this book, I will be looking for more and spreading the word around about this series for others to know about.

If I were a teacher and had to use this book in a classroom, I would have the children write their own reviews and their viewpoints on animals then have them send a letter to the author, telling her how they liked the book, what they thought of it, and the animals in their own lives. They could also thank her for the stories of the animals if they wanted. I may also have the kids read another book in the series and tell about it when they finished reading it. They could compare and contrast the different dogs, their stories, breeds, and personalities. ( )