Review by Booklist Review
K-Gr. 2. Through a relaxed narrative and pictures taken in a dramatic Wyoming setting, Urbigkit's photo-essay introduces children to guardian dogs--a category of working dog that is less well known than Seeing Eye dogs and herders. As Urbigkit explains, ranchers accustom future guardians to spending time around sheep by lining the puppies' beds with fleece; the rest, from warning away coyotes to playing babysitter at lambing time, is second nature. The book's 10-by-11-inch dimensions accommodate generously sized photos, allowing children to easily distinguish the white dogs from the sheep they closely resemble. Photos of the various guardian-dog species described would have made the author's note, which also explains the history of guardian dogs in the U.S., even better. But kids will still come away impressed by the unique closeness that can develop between two species and will want to return again and again to the heart-tugging images of shaggy puppies nuzzling their charges. --Jennifer Mattson Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-A charming photo-essay on guardian dogs. Accompanied by clear, full-color photos, the simple, informative text describes the raising of these sheepdogs and their natural proclivity for guarding "their" flocks. From placing fleece in the newborn puppies' beds, the canines are socialized with the sheep-and vice versa-until full bonding is achieved. Urbigkit's narrative and photos are perfectly matched. A final page describes the six main breeds used by Rocky Mountain sheep ranchers, and the ecological benefits of such guardian dogs but, strangely, no photos are provided. This is a gentle introduction to a valuable, useful crew of working dogs, providing protection for ranch stock in an environmentally sound manner.-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Primary) With quiet impact, the reader is ushered into the world of guardian dogs. For hundreds of years essential to shepherds in the rural areas of central Europe and Asia, guardian dogs are a fairly recent introduction to the United States, where they are fast gaining in importance and need as native predators encroach on domestic livestock. Urbigkit explains how puppies are first introduced to sheep by smell -- they sleep in beds lined with fleece. When they are a little older, they are introduced to actual lambs and, when ready, to older sheep. Because these dogs have such strong maternal/paternal instincts, this socialization does not take long. Through hundreds of years of breeding, guardian dogs have developed the essential characteristics of loyalty, independence, and hardiness they need to protect their herd. Urbigkit seamlessly weaves a multitude of information into the story she is telling. Her photographs are clear, focused, and appealing, reflecting and enhancing the text. They capably demonstrate each aspect of the pups' growth, introduction to sheep, and final graduation to working guardian dog. An appended author's note (unfortunately without photographs) describes six of the better-known guardian breeds and discusses how the Endangered Species Act necessitated their import. Well-told and engagingly photographed, this book is sure to be a hit with all dog lovers. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Along with a set of beguiling, intimate color photos of puppies and parent dogs, lambs and adult sheep lying down together, touching noses and comfortably mingling on a wintry prairie, Wyoming rancher/journalist Urbigkit describes in terse captions how guard dogs are "socialized" with their ovine charges from birth. That is, she writes, virtually the only training they receive or need to develop a sense of mutual dependency. Closing with a list of common breeds of American guard dogs and a bit of historical background, this will not only replace George Ancona's out-of-print Sheep Dog (1985) in libraries, it will rivet young dog lovers in general. And it makes a great lead in to the likes of James Herriot's Only One Woof (1985), illus by Peter Barrett or, for older readers, Jon Katz's Dogs of Bedlam Farm (2004). (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-9) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
