Terrified Penny Jane, brassy but filthy Dixie Lou, tough-guy Dingo and the crazed, nippy jester, Walter Joe. These are not your average cute-and-cared-for, well-trained pups, these are shelter dogs. Scared, aggressive, so painfully shy that they can’t look you in the eye, they have languished so long without attention that they are slipping into a dark place, and soon will no longer be able to bond with people.

A member of the elite corps of volunteers at Boston’s Animal Rescue League, Amy Sutherland began walking shelter dogs in 2001 and has patiently helped train canines with serious behavior problems. Rescuing Penny Jane is the story of her adventures with these remarkable dogs, from working at a shelter, helping dozens of animals discover that the right person can give them love, hope, and a whole new life, to adopting two rescue dogs of her own and fostering half a dozen more. In addition to her touching, funny and insightful anecdotes, Sutherland travels the country talking to leading shelter experts, animal behaviorists, and activists.

An affecting, entertaining portrait of the relationships between shelter dogs and those that care for them, Rescuing Penny Jane is a book that dog lovers and all who care about animals will treasure.