Dogs at Work: Good Dogs. Real Jobs. – A Fun Educational Picture Book About Therapy and Service Animals for Kids

by Margaret Cardillo, Zachariah OHora (Illustrator)

A clever picture book about all the real jobs dog have, by popular author Margaret Cardillo (Just Being Audrey) and bestselling artist Zacharia OHora (Wolfie the Bunny).

Have you ever wondered what dogs do all day when their people leave for school or jobs?

What if they went to work, too . . . ?

This clever picture book describes all the real jobs that dogs do. From a therapy dog to a mayor dog and even a lobster-diving dog, the possibilities will surprise you!

But, of course, there is one job that dogs love more than any other: being a best friend.

Genres: Picture Books, Dogs, Childrens, Animals, Storytime, Humor, Juvenile

40 pages, Hardcover

First published June 22, 2021

Reviews

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man’s best friend works. Imaginative drawings of dogs going to work and leaving the children and the cat behind. Dogs help kids read, search for truffles, detect danger and disease, and comfort the sick and distressed. There are search and rescue dogs, herd dogs, service dogs, and guide dogs. They provide independence to the disabled. There is even a dog in Minnesota who was elected and reelected as mayor.

I saw the video of the author at the 2021 Miami Book Fair. She said that around 2004, she volunteered for Puppies Behind Bars, where prison inmates train seeing-eye and therapy dogs. This and her dog companion inspired her to write the book. She did a lot of research. For budding authors she recommends that you read, rewrite, and rehearse and write as often as you can to practice.

Dogs deserve our respect and love. My cats may disagree. A great book for children to learn about the capabilities of their canine companions

[Becky Loader · Rating 4 out of 5]

What do dogs do all day when their people leave for work?
Sleep? Play? ??
What if, THEY went to work?

The dogs all leave for work--many by bus. The people feel awfully abandoned without their dogs.

Meanwhile, the dogs go to work as therapy dogs, hearing and service dogs, guide dogs, truffle-sniffling dogs, soldiers, herders, search and rescue dogs, fire service dogs, and don't forget: mother dogs!

The people worry. But the dogs come home to a joyous welcome!

The author has included a listing of many jobs dogs do at the end of the book, and she also includes a bibliography for further reading.

[Binxie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't surprised when I saw that the illustrator is one of my favorites. This longer picture book shows all kinds of working dogs at their jobs. Their owners wonder about what they do all day and are comforted when each dog returns to those they love. It reassures its readers that when work is done, families return to each other.

[Blanco Meyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first opened this book to a random page, I thought that the dogs were just supposed to represent parents at work. (And "yes", I did read the title, which was why I was initially disappointed when I thought these were dogs pretending to be humans)

But these are actual dog jobs!
I knew there were therapy dogs and herding and rescue dogs, but I did not know that there are lobster diving dogs!
The fact that these are real dog jobs made me like this book so much more.

And I am already a fan of the illustrator Zachariah Ohora because "Wolfie the Bunny" is one of my favorite books.

I'm looking forward to reading this with my tiny human who is now 2.5 years old (in human years).

[Megan Sanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved Zachariah Ohara's dedication, which was, "To Waffles, who needs to get a job." I can relate and agree!!

[Maeve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute book! Loved how it flipped dog experiences with people while still showing kids what dogs can do.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, I know I'm the only one so far giving a 2, but I was disappointed. I really like Cardillo and this has been her only book I've not liked so far. There's very little text and it doesn't SAY what the dogs do (it just shows them in weird illustrations). The back has a spread where it actually talks about the jobs dogs have that were shown in the book, but it's too wordy. The pictures and main portion of the book seem geared towards 2-4 year olds. The message, idea, and actual explanations are more for 6-9 year olds.

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many good boys but could be better.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the perspective Cardillo takes in this story: looking at what working dogs, or even pets, do through an imaginative lens. Perfect for an inquisitive child who loves animals.

[Myles Wolfe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two children ponder the hidden lives of dogs when they are away from home. The illustrations present real life jobs that dogs are trained to do but circles back to the thing they love best. BEING YOUR FRIEND! Colour in the illustrations is a bit muted which makes the detailed images easier to digest for those who are more sensitive to vibrant colours. The images are also full page which makes them easier to look at. Simplified single sentence text implies the job that the dog is doing in the illustration. The text relies more on indirect implications, some of which, may require a bit of unpacking with your youngster. A great one for storytimes where you point and ask questions. Ages 3 to 5

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What if humans stayed at home during the day and our dogs went to work instead? What sort of jobs would they do? This book points out the feelings children might have when left alone at home. Dogs are shown doing various real jobs for which they are suited. At the end, the dogs are heading home and the young humans are delighted to see them. Factual information is included at the back of the book about jobs dogs actually do. A list of resources is also included with both books and online sites for those who want to know even more.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

When dogs leave their homes to go to work, their families (children) are sad and wait for them to come home. I like how the children are the ones waiting for the dogs to return home each day, like how many of our pets do each and every day. Discusses all the different jobs that dogs can do and includes backmatter on specific examples of jobs and famous dogs. Would be great to use for a storytime about community helpers, pets, or dogs. It would also be a good one to use in a reading with dogs program or a humane society partnership.

[Kelly]

I was a bit weirded out by the dogs all standing up on two legs. Their privates are not there, and it's just a bit weird. But otherwise I thought it was cute and showed a lot of different kind of dogs, like service dogs and more, listed at the end. You also got a dog with a veteran in a wheelchair prominently featured on one page, not just stuck in the background.

[Thomas Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the idea, and it was fun, but the book itself didn't really teach kids about dog jobs. The afterword at the end did, and I really enjoyed that. The mayor dog was pushing it though - a number of animals have been elected to official office, but it is more of a publicity stunt than anything. That dog didn't actually do anything.

[Vanessa Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids love this book! We just got a dog and we always wonder what they do all day ;) It's a super fun daytime read. It's the kind of book we read on the weekends and just every once and a while they go and grab it, pick it up and we're all charmed by it all over again.
--Vanessa Garcia, author What the Bread Says

[Emily Carlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

“They’re here! I knew you would come back! I was never worried. Not for one single second.”
My heart squeezed up a bit reading this? What if dogs were the ones that went to work each day? Oh wait, some do! Check this out.

[Triston Dutschke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dogs at Work is a super enjoyable read. You could introduce this to your classroom as a down time. Many people are dog lovers but wonder what they do when they leave them at home. The book goes through the many important jobs that some dogs have. Such as therapy service or even being the mayor!

[Elisabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book tried to do too much, I'm afraid. a book about dogs doing real dog jobs OR a silly twist of dogs going to work like humans, and humans being left home like dogs would be less confusing than trying to combine the two.

[Renee Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A twist on a view of the different jobs dogs actually have with the dogs leaving home to go to work and the humans staying home to await their return home. Young readers, though, can learn about the real life jobs of these fur babies and appreciate how industrious they really are.

[Jennifer Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book, clever concept. I do like the illustrations.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clever look at the real jobs that dogs do, from a therapy dog to a mayor dog and even a lobster-diving dog. Who knew? Great illustrations by Zacharia Ohora.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do people do all day? This book puts people into the position of dogs and what they must think while we ate at school and work all day. Very cute!

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Nessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute picture book about dogs leaving thier owner to do their job for the day. We see lots of dogs doing various jobs like fire fighter, hunting, service dog, and much more!

[Kaitlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute book where the roles are swapped and the humans are the ones waiting for dogs to get home from work everyday.

[Bailey Novinbury · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very minimal text and it doesn't actually describe what dogs do until the back, which was the whole point of the book. Plus the text we do have is super short. I loved the illustrations though.

[Chrissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a while to figure out what was going on in this book. It's a little confusing at the beginning. But still fun.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really sweet, would make a good story time read since it isn't overly wordy and can prompt discussions.

[Susan Foster · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ooh, I love this. Dogs are the best.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's all in the illustrations! Take your time with this one.