Dog Sense

by Sneed B. Collard III

Thirteen-year-old Guy tries to make the best of a difficult situation with the help of his beloved dog and a new friend.
Montana is a long way from California. Guy and his mother have moved in with his grandfather after his father’s “unannounced departure.” Back home, Guy skateboarded, surfed, and played video games with his friends. Here the kids only seem to talk about cars, fishing, and hunting.
Life at Big Sky Middle School is also a disappointment. Guy is bored in math class and over his head in English. He quickly becomes a target for Brad Mullen, class bully. But at least Guy has his beloved Border collie, Streak, and eventually he makes a friend, his classmate Luke Grant. Soon Guy and Luke hatch a plan to train Streak to compete against Brad Mullen and his dog at the town’s Frisbee catching competition. But the rivalry between Guy and Brad escalates until an impulsive wager pits the boys head to head and places Streak in jeopardy.
Sneed B. Collard II offers young readers an affecting, realistic portrait of an adolescent boy who must learn to cope with conflicts and challenges in an unfamiliar environment and to accept changes in his life that are beyond his control.

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Dogs

192 pages, Hardcover

First published August 30, 2005

About the author

Sneed B. Collard III (see also "Sneed B. Collard") is a biologist, world traveler, speaker, and author of almost one hundred books for young people, including the 2024 Orbis Pictus Award winner, Border Crossings (Charlesbridge Publishing). His other recent science titles include Fire Birds; Hopping Ahead of Climate Change; Little Killers; Waiting for a Warbler; Beaver & Otter Get Along . . . Sort of; and the upcoming picture book, Like No Other. Collard holds science degrees from the University of California at Berkeley and U.C. Santa Barbara. He lives in Montana.

Reviews

[Anna Walston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a boy named Guy. He and his mom move from California into their grandpa's house in Montana after Guy's dad leaves them. Guy has a dog named Streak and he is his best friend. Guy makes a new friend named Luke. Luck has had a very tough beginning of his life but he has gotten through it. There is also a bully that has been bothering Guy and Luke. His name is Brad Mullen. Brad and Guy both enter their dogs into a frisbee contest and make bets about who is going to win and what will happen if one wins. I think a possible theme of this book is to kill people with kindness. Even though Brad would always slam Guy into lockers and trough his books on the ground, Guy always was nice to him and always offered to help him in all situations. Sometimes, Guy would be too nice and he would bother Brad.

[Cydney Thompson]

This story is very interesting. I enjoyed it because the conflict between a town to a bully to a best friend to a boy and his dog. The boy, Guy moved in with his grandfather and mother. He was new to Montana and was origanally was from California. He faced many struggles, but in the end he let his struggles go and everything became better. I would say this is a book to read if you like good uprising stories that have you at a heart racing moment waiting to see what happens.

[Ian Cangini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dog sense by Sneed B. Collard III contemporary fiction.
This book talks about a boy that was from California and moved to a new city. In this new city he meets a boy called brad mullen that is like the bully of the school, in the book he throws the boy to a rock and starts to underestimate him because he is from california. But not everything was bad for the boy because in school he meets a friend called Luke that is also bullied by Brad, but Luke hides a secret about her family that the boy dont know yet.Also in school he gets in love with a girl and starts to observe him all the time, the boy have a boy called streak, he is avery talent dog that have fairy to everything so Luke and the boy decided to put streak to compete the fall fair.Will Streak did it or not ?
I like so much this book because is a very complete and organised book and have a perfect balance of dialogs and test,otherwise the book have some boring parts like when the principal character is talking about the girl that for me is very strange .But in general this book have very funny scenes and I recommend you to read it.

[Kaylea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recommend this book because it was funny and the author put really good details and how they were feeling and what was happing at that moment. The author put in really good dialog when they were talking about what was happing next.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really good and had a lot of unexpected things in it. Like when he lost the competition. It was a sad book because he lost his friend because he moved away and than his new friend moved away.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book, it's about a conflict between a person name Guy and Brad Mullen, there are twist and turns in this book, Guy moves from California, which Californians are hated in the town. I won't say much else due to spoilers, but I recommend this book!

[Allison Sirovy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book about a boy, his dog, and a bully. Easy read and has some good life lessons in it.

[Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

gucci gang

[DOGLVR · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've ever read.

[Brandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Guy Martinez is the new kid at Big Sky Middle School, having just moved from his home in California to his grandfather's house in Montana. His first day starts with a bully pushing him up against a wall and threatening him, and the day doesn't show many signs of improvement. He does make a friend (Luke, another bullied kid), and the two of them enjoy playing with Guy's Border collie, Streak. Luke mentions an upcoming frisbee-catching competition at the town fair, and they train Streak in an attempt to beat the bully and his dog. What starts as a competition turns into a wager with everything on the line.

The bully is almost a cartoon: He's not smart, and he's bigger than all the other kids because he's been left back a few times. His clumsy attempts at verbally abusing classmates consist of going straight for "your dad's gone" and the like. There's no subtlety here. The story is more about the frisbee-catching dogs and the wager than the how-to-deal-with-bullies, which is fine but not what I'm looking for.

Confession: yeah, I'm just skimming these, mostly. Open to any recommendations for an 8th-grade summer reading book, when the 7th grade has already called dibs on James Preller's Bystander and there's nothing else even close to as good.

[Pamela Kramer · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Dog Sense" by Sneed B. Collard III is the story of a new kid in a rural Montana town. Moving during eighth grade of middle school is a tough time for any kid, but for a kid whose father disappeared after suffering from depression, it's tough trying to live with a grandfather and to make friends.

Guy Martinez finds that Montana is really different from California. Kids call their teachers "ma'am" and "sir," as he was told the first day of school by the principal. His grandfather is a crusty old coot, embarrassing as can be, but obviously someone who cares about Guy and his mother. His mother left her well-paying job to move to this new town called Coffee and take a minimum wage job.

Guy's biggest problem (aside from missing his father and feeling somehow at fault) is that Brad Mullen, a delinquent who failed eighth grade twice, is gunning for him. Guy befriends the only friendly face, a guy named Luke with a mysterious past.



Read the whole review at: http://www.examiner.com/review/dog-se...

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for reluctant readers. A 13-year-old boy and his mother move from sunny California to Montana. Needless to say, Guy finds that things are slightly different in Montana. Finding himself the immediate target of the class bully, Guy tries to find ways to stay out of his way. However, when his new friend Luke convinces him to enter his Border Collie into the annual Frisbee-catching contest, Guy finds himself and his dog the only thing standing between the class bully and the contest trophy.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why does your dog behave as he does? How does he think, what does he sense, how does he see and smell? Every dog owner should read this book,if for no other reason than to disabuse themselves of the Cesar model. The author is an English dog researcher who sites lots of studies including his own to come to the conclusion that dogs have adapted perfectly to live with us. Of course we did know that, but this explains concepts that are not true that we may be laboring under, like the pack mentality and the alpha wolf.

[Elisa M · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another book that I imagine would appeal to fifth and sixth graders- particularly boys, and more particularly boys who like dogs. I found Guy's voice believable, and I think that many kids can relate to his problems with his family and with the school bully. I enjoyed the ending- it wasn't exactly unexpected, but I thought it wrapped everything up nicely, and I like that, especially in a kid's book.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guy just moved to Montana with his mom. Now they live with Guy's grandpa. They live in a nice town called Coffee. The school is Guy's least favorite place. On the first day, he becomes the new target for the school bully. He does something dangerous. He makes a bet with Brad, the school bully.

Reasons I like this book-

Reason 1- There are dogs in this story.

Reason 2- I couldn't stop reading.

Reason 3- I could imagine everything perfectly.

[Barb Keltner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really a good book about how a new kid in school deals with the bully with a challenge involving their dogs and a frisbee catching contest. I thought it was going to be a great read-aloud for my students ... right up until the ending which went on just a little too long and then just stopped. Good book for the most part, though!

[Lynda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a mildly entertaining dog story combined with bullying and a child of divorced parents. Seeming like it was taking on too much, but it was pulled off all right. The frisbee catching border collie helps! Though a little sad, it has a realistic, but up-beat ending.

[Katie Fielding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written first novel by a fantastic biologist and children's book author. Guy (protagonist) reminded me very much of one of my students. This little book is excellent for a quick, quality read. I highly recommend it to anyone, especially those in Middle School!

[Donnie]

I read the back of this book and it looks really good.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome!

[Grace Van Dyke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really a fun, easy, read. I found it cool that I could relate well to the characters.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the book but the ending was a little bit excepted.
I liked how in the middle of the book the author made you think he was going to quit the competition.
It was a good book overall.

[Dana Carmichael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This realistic fiction follows a California transplant into Eastern Montana. Funny how one best friend, a dog, and family support can readjust your attitude about life changes.

[Kelly Krause · Rating 4 out of 5]

City kid living in a hick town. Amazing frisbee-catching border collie. A bully. A bet. A showdown. And it's in Montana. What's not to like?

[Anna Sobczak · Rating 5 out of 5]

No Words available can describe the inspiration this book brought to me.....

[Lexi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed it, immensely! I can think of at least 3 boys who will enjoy it too!

[Ashley]

#
CompNtBk
Own in hardback.

FS: "My body hits the wall like a feed sack."

LS: "Whether I like it or not, Montana is start to feel like home."