Squirrel and I were the only surviving puppies in our litter.  My mother, whose dog name was Stream, had given birth to three others, but only my sister and I had lived.  Mother had waited until she saw that we were strong and then she had given us our names - Bone and Squirrel, two things of vital importance to her.

Bone and Squirrel live with their mother in a shed in the countryside.  Their lives are mostly happy even though they are strays. They are very careful to keep themselves hidden from the family that owns the property and especially from the man with the gun.  Just as the puppies are beginning to be old enough to fend for themselves, learning how to hunt small animals and raid a nearby garbage heap for food, their mother disappears. 

No longer feeling safe, Bone and Squirrel move on.  They are eventually taken in by George and Marcy who soon dump them in a parking lot because the puppies are “too much trouble.”  Bone is rescued by a young woman, but because she does not want two dogs, Bone is separated from Squirrel and never sees her again. 

Bone’s life is secure for awhile, but he eventually becomes a stray again. 
In a parallel story, a young boy named Henry has wanted a dog for a long time.  For some mysterious reason, his parents have not granted his request even though he keeps asking for a dog on his Christmas list.  The situation seems hopeless.  But Henry is determined, and he has a plan.

If you love dogs, don’t miss Everything for a Dog.

Other books you might like:

• A Dog’s Life: The Autobiography of a Stray by Ann M. Martin (a companion book about Squirrel)
• The Leanin’ Dog by K. A. Nazum
• Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary
• Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
• Hachiko Waits by Lesléa Newman
• My Life in Dog Years by Gary Paulsen