Dogs with Jobs
Dogs with Jobs
Max Hamilton
Albert Street, 2025
32pp., hbk., RRP $A19.99
9781761181016
Serendipity can be a strange thing. First my FB feed begins to fill with ads alerting me to the upcoming release of Runt and the Diabolical Dognapping, the sequel to the outstanding, award-winning, made-into-a-movie, must-read Runt; then I receive a review copy in the mail; then the magical Elise Ellerman shares her wonderful free resource relating to books that students might like to read if they enjoyed Runt in preparation for revisiting Upson Downs. Not one to be backward about coming forward, I suggested she also include some links to books about working dogs to satisfy those who like NF, and then this book comes to the top of my review pile!!! If ever it was meant to be read, reviewed and shared, this seems to be its moment!
While young readers might be familiar with the family pooch who just offers love and companionship, enough in itself, and they may have encountered guide dogs, companion dogs, even farm dogs, they may not realise that there are many other ways humans use dogs – like having them protect penguins, jump out of helicopters to rescue people at sea or even sniff out whale poo so scientists can monitor the health of orcas!!
Each double-page spread spotlights a real-life dog doing a real-life job somewhere around the world – like Bear who can detect the scent of koalas that need to be rescued after a bushfire. And for every “bear” there will be others doing a similar role. By using this approach of ‘personalising’ each occupation, young readers engage with the text and then perhaps explore further to stories like the series about Mr Walker, the ambassador for Guide Dogs Australia at the Park Hyatt hotel in Melbourne, dig deeper through books like Amazing Dogs with Amazing Jobs, or enjoy watching Oddball and know that his amazing work continues despite his death in 2017. And just so we don’t leave our littlest readers out, they need to meet The Inside Dog, and George, who goes to the farm!
It is superb books like these that are the true reading adventures, IMO – leading reader (and reviewer) down rabbit holes to new discoveries! That, in itself, is enough to make this a must-have. Learning how and why dogs are truly “man’s best friend” is a bonus.
This is Elise Ellerman’s resource to accompany Runt. There is a full pdf version available via the link above, or click on the image. Not only will it take readers on a range of reading adventures but it could also be a model for them to create their own to share with their peers. (Used and shared with permission.)