A Home for Dakota

by Jan Zita Grover, Nancy Lane (Visual Art)

Dog No. 241 lives in a crate in a cold, dark barn that is stacked with hundreds of other caged dogs in a puppy mill breeding operation. She has never known human companionship, exercise, or decent care. One night, rescuers arrive and take her and the other dogs away to lead new and happier lives. Soon, despite her fears, she finds herself in a warm, secure foster home, being bathed and groomed and loved by a young woman named Emma. At first, she is too frightened to respond; all she wants is to return to the familiar dark. Eventually renamed Dakota, she learns to love and trust Emma, and her foster home becomes a friendly haven. But then a new challenge arrives in the person of a young girl, Sweetie, who is recovering from a misfortune as deep as Dakota’s own. Sweetie and her parents come to look at Dakota as a possible pet. Initially, Sweetie rejects hairless little Dakota, but later she returns to offer Dakota a home, and Emma recommends her for adoption. With Emma’s reassurances, Dakota goes to her forever home to become Sweetie’s true partner in recovery. Jan Zita Grover , author of North AIDS and Other Clear-Cuts (1997) and Northern Waters (1999), both from Graywolf Press, has worked in canine rescue since 1973, specifically with discarded puppy mill breed dogs. Dakota is modeled on one of Jan’s own rescued dogs, Pixie.

Genres: Picture Books, Dogs, Childrens, Animals

24 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2008

Reviews

[Margaret Welwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a serious little story about a puppy mill rescue dog and an angry young girl who is undergoing chemotherapy. But it has a happy ending and bright pictures, which enabled me to tell it to the kindergartners in a way that they could enjoy it. I can see it serving as a catalyst for older children to volunteer at an animal shelter, and to suggest that their families get a dog from a shelter or rescue group.

[Natasha North · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great choice for talking about kindness to animals, shelter dogs, and getting through tough times.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

The subject of puppy mills is not one often addressed in picture books, for obvious reasons. A Home for Dakota, however, comes closest to discussing a tough topic without being overly upsetting to youngsters. There are still a few potential tear triggers, however, so parents of especially sensitive children will want to review the book first.

Dakota is a puppy mill dog who is rescued from her confines and fostered by a caring and gentle woman named Emma. Dakota has lost most of her fur, has accidents on the floor, and is painfully shy, but Emma sees something special in her. So does the special little girl who eventually adopts her.

The end of the book has a section for parents with further in-depth discussion of the puppy mill industry and ways to avoid supporting it. I was immensely pleased to see this--how many parents head to the local pet shop when their child begs for a dog? However, this choice dooms real-life Dakotas.

I purchased this book for my library.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: Dog No. 241 lives in a crate in a cold, dark barn that is stacked with hundreds of other caged dogs in a puppy mill breeding operation. She has never known human companionship, exercise, or decent care. One night, rescuers arrive and take her and the other dogs away to lead new and happier lives. Soon, despite her fears, she finds herself in a warm, secure foster home, being bathed and groomed and loved by a young woman named Emma. At first, she is too frightened to respond; all she wants is to return to the familiar dark. Eventually renamed Dakota, she learns to love and trust Emma, and her foster home becomes a friendly haven. But then a new challenge arrives in the person of a young girl, Sweetie, who is recovering from a misfortune as deep as Dakota's own. Sweetie and her parents come to look at Dakota as a possible pet. Initially, Sweetie rejects hairless little Dakota, but later she returns to offer Dakota a home, and Emma recommends her for adoption. With Emma's reassurances, Dakota goes to her forever home to become Sweetie's true partner in recovery.

Written by Jan Zita Grover
Published in 2008 by Gryphon Press

Recommendations/Awards: My recommendation

Audience: Read together or read alone: grades K-3

Genre: Picture Book

Illustrations: The illustrator did a great job of portraying the dog in the story. The detail and characteristics of the job make the reader's pay attention.

Uses: This book would be a great book to use for independent reading. Children will be able to read this book on their own, and they would learn a lesson about humanity. Many children are interested in animals, and this story is great at showing how people should not treat their animals.

[Pamela Kramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Home for Dakota by Jan Zita Grover and illustrated by Nancy Lane is part of the Sit! Stay! Read! series published by Gryphon Press.

This book is about Dakota, a female breeding dog rescued from a puppy mill. In a world where many adults don't know what a puppy mill is, this book is a great introduction to children about why puppies should never be bought from a pet store.

A Home for Dakota explains where those adorable pet store puppies come from in language that young children can understand.



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[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book that shows children the reality of puppy mills and the positivity of animal rescue, without being brutally descriptive or scary. For those interested in educating people at a young age about how important it is to be kind to animals, this is a great book for serving that purpose.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful illustrations!
strong anti-puppymill message. dakota, a puppy mill dog is rescued loved and brought to health and offered to a teen girl w/cancer (she still doesn't have her hair after chemo, dakota is still growing his back after being abused). the girl rejects the "imperfect" dog but changes her mind.

this would be a great discussion book in elementary school/jr. high.

[Natalie Hoist · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heart-warming story about the empathy that an adopted dog and a sick young girl feel for each other. This story almost had me in tears, with every page filled with emotions and and a beautiful story. I would highly recommend this book to anyone facing any kind of physical disability, and to anyone at all.

[Erin B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: contemporary realistic; grades: 2-5. This book was such a cute book. The start was sad, but it had a great message to it. It can be a very relatable book for any child who is adopted (even though this is a story about a dog). It's important to have books students can relate to, and I think this would be a fantastic one to have.

[Jeshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Contemporary Realistic
Grade: 3rd-6th
This book gave me the feels, giving this hairless dog a home. instead of saying ew its ugily, the lady said, This dog can become beautiful. this is a concept must people don't think of. They tend to look at the now, and not the future. Then she gives the dog to a girl who whent through kemo, as a theropy dog. This was a good book

[Cindy Ojczyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish everyone who thinks about buying a puppy from a breeder* or pet store* would read this first. I'm a long-time foster who has cared for puppy mill dogs. A Home for Dakota is a spot-on tale of the hardship dogs endure at the hands of humans who place profit before compassion. The book blends engaging illustrations with careful words to engage young (and old) readers in the devastatingly real world of puppy mills. Hope is provided through the hard work of rescuers and the love from adopters willing to give breeding dogs opportunity for a better life.

*These references are to pet stores that buy puppies from puppy mill breeders. Puppy mills are often defined as breeders with more than four breeding females. Many puppy mills have hundreds, if not thousands, of breeding dogs stacked in cages no bigger than the dog themselves. There is no human interaction given to these dogs or their puppies. There is very little regard for nutrition and veterinary care. Responsible breeders focus on socialization of breeding dogs and puppies and provide routine and life-saving care.

[Bri Feltz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: contemporary realistic fiction
Grade Level: PreK-3rd
This story is very near and dear to my heart since my first dog’s name was Dakota. I think there is so much application for this book. Not only does this book showcase a character with what we assume has cancer, we also see aspects of foster care, adoption, and caring for a pet. I think this book would be really awesome to talk about the process of adoption and foster care and what that may look like for one of our students if they experienced this. This book would also be great for the introduction of a new pet or family member.

[Makenna Eash · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contemporary Realistic Fiction
Grades Pre-K-2
This book tugs on the heartstrings A LOT! I really liked this book, especially because of its potential use in bibliotherapy. This book addresses a variety of fears or worries, such as abandonment, adoption, and illness. The illustrations really made this book come to life. I will definitely keep this book in my arsenal for future use in helping students overcome their fears with the help of books!

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Touching

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book for teaching children about rescuing animals. A page for teens and adults describes the harm of puppy mills, and offers suggestions to help.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dakota’s life began in a puppy mill where she was badly treated. She was rescued and taken care of by someone who looked after her health and comfort and gained her trust and affection. Dakota found a loving home with a young girl who was recovering from cancer, so they both had to build their strength and regrow hair. The illustrations are lovely. The author lists resources at the end of the book where readers can find out more about puppy mills.

[Tina B · Rating 3 out of 5]

"animal abuse, dogs, volunteers, cancer"