I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Trouble Dog: From Shelter Dog to Conservation Hero is such an important and heartwarming story that is based on the true stories of 2 ex-shelter dogs.
In the book, we follow a dog called Tucker, who has been adopted numerous times and returned back to the shelter just as many times for being destructive. Everyone passes him by I the shelter and he's labeled as trouble and looked over time and time again. That is until Laura sees him. She takes Tucker home and spends time playing with him and training him to become a conservation dog. Tucker still has moments of destruction when left to his own devices but takes to the training quickly and begins his new journey as a conservation dog doing important work tracking animals that need our help.
This book is so inspirational. I've never heard of conservation dogs before and found the information in and at the back of the book fascinating. This is such a great book for children and adults alike and brings attention and awareness of shelter dogs, unique uses that don't fit the norm just like these beautiful animals (who all deserve a second chance) and also for the unique lesser known ways we can help save animals that are endangered.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
I love this book! Dogs are exceptionally awesome animals and this book shows how a "unwanted" shelter dog can turn into a very valuable asset when he finds the right owner. I enjoyed the illustrations and the pictures of the conservation dogs. The Q&A is very informative. I highly recommend this book!

While I knew what a scent dog was, I wasn't familiar with the term conservation dog. Not to mention the countless miles they may travel to do their job. Pretty amazing to think a shelter dog, one returned for being destructive and just too much to handle, could thrive in such a position. Tucker, the star of this story, is actually based on two real dogs, so be sure to read the after matter that discusses conservation dogs in greater detail. There are even real photos there.

Given a second-chance by Laura, who not only has a goal but seemingly the patience of a saint, Tucker takes to the training and is pictured on several trial runs during training as well on real missions. His energy (not to mention the destruction he left in his wake early on) is nicely portrayed in the colorful illustrations. Kudos the Larry Day, the illustrator. I liked that Tucker was shown working in various sites in different ways. This helps illustrate the diverse set of skills such a dog must learn as well as the diverse cast of humans around the world they may work with. Tucker definitely proved his skill more than once.

There's much to take away from this book aside from learning something about conservation dogs. Maybe most importantly it shows us not to cast a dog aside because it isn't the right fit for a situation, whether that be simply as a loving pet or a working dog who travels the world. Let's face it, some dogs have way more energy than others, hence usually subtle hints to potential adopters to consider their situation before adopting a dog simply because it's cute or reminds you of another pet or whatever. We can all learn a great deal from how Laura handles a difficult but lovable dog.

The book is well written and flows nicely, with the illustrations adding greatly to our understanding. The addition of the true stories of the dogs Tucker is based on at the end with ample info on not just conservation dogs but how smell is used and what might make a dog a good fit for the position was a bonus. Thanks #WmBEardmansPublishingCompany for allowing me this sneak peek at how some dogs' natural abilities are being used for the good of all. I loved the illustration used at the top of the selected reading suggestions, too, of Laura curled up with a book with Tucker sprawled on her lap. My rescue corgi mix gives this one four paws up and many tail wags.

I really enjoyed this story and it shows the importance of shelters and rescues so that doges can be given a second chance at life and finding their forever homes/careers.

I grew up with having a dog around and one thing that all dog owners will know is how different their personalities can be, some people will find them fun and funny, others naughty and disobedient.

Some dogs need a lot of exercise, some only a little, they come in all shapes and sizes and a huge variety of breeds and this book does an excellent job of showing where some of the dogs that are a bit more highly strung, ball or toy obsessed that want to play all the time (my mum had a Border Collie just like this) and that they can still do fantastic jobs, but may not necessary be suited to a standard home life. In the story, Tucker is the dog used to show this.

The book is based on the story of two dogs, Pepin and Wicket who were both adopted and given a second chance at life. They both travelled the world using their amazing sense of smell to detect endangered plants, rare of hard-to-find wildlife, invasive species and even snares. These dogs can be a fantastic support and their speed at finding things can massively shorten the time it would take if it were down to a human as they have super senses of smell. The books shows how keys these are to Working Dogs for Conservation - the world’s largest and oldest conservation dog organization.

The book is well written, easy to follow and I loved the additional parts at the end. It is 5 stars from me for this one, very highly recommended!

I received an ARC on #TroubleDog from #NetGalley

After adopting a dog a few years ago, these four legged creatures got highlighted in my life. Although a dog might be "naughty", it is special in its' own way, and Tucker no less. Some dogs behave correctly in a home, but some with more energy needs more exercise. And some humans took them in because they're cute, or they're needed to guard their homes. Nevertheless, a dog is always special, if you are smart enough to get to know them better. And surely this adventure in a book is somewhat special, learning how special dogs got their special place.

Love this book! Plan to purchase this book for my nephew! Have a reminder on my calendar to do so ... why? Great text. Beautiful illustrations. My nephew wants a dog and loves non-fiction books. And I've never heard of "Conservation Dogs", dogs that help the environment by using their keen sense of smell. A beautiful story. Love the pictures of the real life heros highlighted at the end of the book. The text by Carol A. Foote is perfect for children ages 5-9. The illustrations by Larry Day are beautiful and incredible.

Love, love, love Trouble Dog.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Eerdmans Books for Young Readers an imprint of Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Grand Rapids, Michigan for approving my request to read and review the advance read copy of Trouble Dog in exchange for an honest review.

48 pages, publication date is Feb 25, 2025.

This book is so heartwarming! I have no doubt that many kids, from all over, will love this book and will love learning about adopted conservation dogs. There is a healthy amount of information in this book that will educate kids, interest them, and not overwhelm readers. It is impressive how the author perfectly found this balance in this book, and it is crucial. Additionally, young readers of this book might be inspired to train dogs, adopt dogs, learn about dogs, etc after reading this book. That makes this book memorable and (obviously) inspirational, and this story will stick with readers long after they read the final page. Even further, the plot was clearly well-though-out and made a lot of sense. It had a good structure and the story moved at a perfect pace. Lastly, the illustrations accurately represent the emotions between a dog and its owner. This is mainly what made this story so heartwarming and impactful. Major kudos to the illustrator for paying so much attention to emotion and details within each illustration throughout this book.
Bravo!