Series: Spectacular STEAM for Curious Readers
Published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers on February 25, 2025
Genres: Children's, Children's Educational
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A thrilling story of a dog who found the perfect job and a loving home, based on the real heroes of Working Dogs for Conservation.
Tucker the dog never means to be trouble: he just loves to play. But at the animal shelter, every visitor says he’s too much trouble—until Laura. Laura thinks Tucker might be just right for a very special job. Could all his energy make him an amazing conservation dog? Laura trains Tucker to track down Gila monsters, endangered flowers, even grizzly bear poop. His first assignment is in Hawaii, searching for invasive rosy wolf snails hidden under leaves. Where will his nose lead him next?
With colorful, endearing art and dashes of humor, Trouble Dog invites children to join scientists—and their canine colleagues—in their work to save wildlife around the world. Readers will cheer for Tucker’s inspiring journey from shelter dog to eager trainee to confident globetrotter. The story concludes with photos and further information about the real dogs and trainers of Working Dogs for Conservation, the world’s largest and oldest conservation dog organization.
Up until reading this book I had no idea that conservation dogs existed. Of course, I knew that dogs could be taught to track and find things—that’s how a lot of breeds were bred, after all. I just didn’t know that they could be this specialized. Trouble Dog is the based-on-a-true-story tale of a dog named Tucker and how some good training took him from overenthusiastic shelter dog that nobody wanted to a world traveler and important part of the conservation process.
Written by journalist Carol Foote, Trouble Dog is the result of conversations Carol had with members of Working Dogs for Conservation. The book is also a reminder that everyone has the place they fit. Tucker didn’t fit in normal households. He loved to be played with. The problem was that, left alone, he could be a bit chaotic. Over and over, he was returned to the shelter for being a “bad dog.” It turns out that a so-called Trouble Dog just needed to find his purpose.
Laura train Tucker to track and find all sorts of things—invasive snails in Hawaii, mountain lions in Chile, elephants in Myanmar. He learns to sniff out invasive species to be removed, endangered species to be protected, and more. Because of his nose, conservationists are able to learn more about the wildlife they’re trying to protect. And when Tucker sniffs out his target, he gets to celebrate.
The end of Trouble Dog overs four panels (with photos!) of the real-life stories of conservationist dogs Pepin and Wicket, tells readers a bit about the dogs live, how they are trained, and what they do. Interesting and eye-catching, Trouble Dog is a perfect look how dogs can be used for the furtherance of conservationist efforts. And in the background is the story of how those who don’t fit in need to be given an opportunity and place to stand out.