The Dog Patrol: Our Canine Companions and the Kids Who Protect Them

The headings in the above excerpt are typical of those headings that Rob Laidlaw uses. They speak directly to kids. He asks a question that most kids will answer with a definite YES — or at least want an answer to. And then he provides information to help young people learn new facts or make wise decisions.

Laidlaw applies this approach in The Dog Patrol: Our Canine Companions and the Kids Who Protect Them, a well-illustrated book that begins with the author's experience when he was an inspector for the Toronto Humane Society. It was then that Laidlaw found a dog tied to a bulldozer, realized it was not being taken care of properly, and researched to find the owner in an effort to ameliorate the situation. By talking to the owner, Laidlaw realized that the dog was not being purposefully neglected. The problem was ignorance. The owner did not know or understand what dogs need.

In The Dog Patrol, Laidlaw makes sure that young readers are educated in a gentle and thorough way about canine needs. The book introduces the history of the canine and how the original gray wolf developed into hundreds of modern dog breeds, each with its own unique characteristics. It discusses how intelligent dogs are, their social needs and the wisdom of adopting a dog, particularly an older one, from a reliable shelter.

Laidlaw provides practical advice. How can you judge a shelter? Pages 25 and 28 include a checklist you can use to test. (Pages 26 and 27 provide a foldout poster showing the body parts of a Jack Russell.) The pages that immediately follow describe the adoption process, what to consider about purebred dogs before choosing one, how to get along with your new dog, and what behaviours to avoid.

Young readers will be particularly enthused by the number of young canine protectors introduced under “The Dog Patrol” heading. These include girls as young as six, but up to high school age, and one boy who is a high school sophomore. My only disappointment was to see so few male role models.

But everyone — male and female — can willingly take the Dog Lover's Pledge on page 48. It starts:

1. I will treat all dogs with respect, compassion, and kindness.

As well as this 12-point pledge, The Dog Patrol: Our Canine Companions and the Kids Who Protect Them ends with a list of useful “Further Resources”, a helpful “Glossary”, and an “Index”.

Though The Dog Patrol definitely belongs in elementary school classrooms or libraries, students in primary grades may need assistance in reading it.