Trouble Dog: From Shelter Dog to Conservation Hero

Reviewed by Sandy and Tom Farley

December 1, 2025

By Carol A. Foote, illustrated by Larry Day. Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2025. 48 pages. $18.99/hardcover. Recommended for ages 5–9.

Trouble Dog is a composite story taken from the lives of two real, exceptional dogs who shared the same characteristics: playfulness, tenacity, obsession with a particular toy, unstoppable energy, and curiosity. Carol Foote bases her depiction of trouble dog’s dedicated trainer on the two actual dog handlers she interviewed.

In this book, Tucker, the trouble dog, is returned to the shelter several times as unsuitable for adoption, because he is so energetic and destructive. A conservation worker named Laura recognizes these traits as ones that could be harnessed for good. Laura works with Tucker for several months teaching him to recognize scents ranging from snails to bear scat, and then to find them in more and more difficult situations.

Trouble Dog is richly illustrated in watercolor and ink by Larry Day, who captures the energy and playfulness of Tucker and contributes to making him a truly lovable protagonist. Foote and Day show us Tucker working for conservation organizations to search out endangered species and invasive critters in far-flung places around the world. Tucker follows his nose to rosy wolf snails in Hawaii, endangered turtle nests buried underground, and cheetah scat in Zambia.

We find in this story a metaphor for appreciating people who don’t quite fit into the ordinary school and work situations. Someone needs to recognize their natural skill sets and direct them toward suitable niches in society so they can be valued for who they are. Our son’s sophomore year math teacher was one of those people for him. Children with ADHD may particularly identify with Tucker and find hope in his story.

In a four-page addendum, Foote gives the source stories of the two dogs and their handlers, who are two of the four co-founders of the nonprofit Working Dogs for Conservation (wd4c.org). She answers common questions about conservation dogs and the work they do, sharing interesting facts such as what makes a dog’s sense of smell so special (it’s tens of thousands of times more sensitive than any human’s) and a list of animals they have helped to protect (anteaters, bees, gorillas, iguanas, rhinos, salamanders, among others).

A Trouble Dog activity kit for educators is also available from the publisher, complete with prompts to create your own hero dog, reflect on the feelings in the story, and take a quiz to test your knowledge.

Sandy and Tom Farley are members of Palo Alto (Calif.) Meeting’s San Mateo Worship Group and coauthors of the Earthcare for Children curriculum. Many dogs are walked past their house and stop to greet them and Shira, their resident garden cat.