Red Dog by Louis de Bernieres

This is a wonderful little book! It is an account of a real dog's life, as well as can be pieced together for this dog without boundaries. He lived in the undeveloped outback of Australia, my guess is the 60's or the 70's? And he was a dog with a reddish coat, yellow eyes, and tons of personality. He made friends with everyone, traveled the trains, buses and cars of the area for years, crisscrossing from the sea shore to the mines. Known by most folks as "Red Dog". The one man he came closest to claiming, died unexpectedly in a motor cycle accident, and Red Dog was then claimed by all and owned by none. The little drawings in the book are charming, and Red Dog is an amazing critter. This is not a tear jerking "Marley ad Me" type story. This is better. Great read for you and your kids.