WELCOME HOME, RESCUE DOG

AN INTERACTIVE GUIDE & KEEPSAKE JOURNAL

by Wendy Lyons Sunshine ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2026

Journalist Sunshine presents an upbeat guide and workbook for new owners of rescue dogs.

The author, who’s co-written articles and books about parenting difficult and/or traumatized children, brings gentle advice to the topic of adopting rescue dogs. Integrating any pup into a new family involves a period of adjustment, but rescue animals carry with them unique challenges, due to their often troubled histories; many bear the scars of their pasts—sometimes physical, more often emotional. Most of the time, their earlier lives are a mystery to new owners or, at best, only vaguely known. Some have been removed from their mothers and littermates too early, before having a chance to develop appropriate social behavior (such as learning to bite softly); others have been picked up by animal control while wandering the streets or rescued from a dangerous and abusive situation. In all cases, new owners must offer security, which will allow the animals to reveal their true, loving nature, Sunshine says. This guide adheres to the “HEARTS” framework that’s frequently followed by agencies placing at-risk and/or traumatized children with adoptive parents. The acronym stands for six steps that lead toward a rewarding adoption: “Heal the body,” “Enrich the brain,” “Align the environment,” “Relate with kindness,” “Teach compassionately,” and “Support the individual.” Sunshine writes, “Imagine being sent to a place where you don’t know anyone and you don’t speak the language. Every sound is unfamiliar. Every smell is strange. You have no idea if you’re safe, or if you will soon need to move again.” It takes patience, determination, and careful observation of which actions are distressing to the new family member, and which are supportive. To this end, Sunshine has created an interactive guide that is reminiscent of traditional baby books, with blank pages to chart the newcomer’s progress and milestones, complete with pertinent questions, writing exercises, and suggestions that may help one build a lifelong bond with their pet.

Due to its clear, accessible prose, composed in a voice that stresses positivity rather than pedantic instructions, the guide will be appropriate for both adult and adolescent dog owners. Throughout the book, Sunshine addresses potential stumbling blocks and offers gentle science-based methods for providing reassurance. She reminds readers that “Dogs communicate and share information through body movements”; it’s also the way they understand their new owners, she points out, by reading their humans’ body language. Kelly-Liviolette’s sweet line drawings accompany every chapter and illustrate how dogs “politely” signal their distress or feelings of security. Over the course of the guide, she also provides intriguing and helpful tidbits of canine-related information, such as “Dogs have remarkably sensitive necks—their trachea, thyroid, skin, and spine are all vulnerable there.” Hence, one must choose collars or harnesses with comfort as well as safety in mind, Sunshine asserts. Occasionally, she employs light humor, as when she discusses dogs’ extraordinary sense of smell, through which they learn critical information about their environment: “The smellier the better! From dirty laundry to dead squirrels or another dog’s rump, odors fascinate your dog.”

An engaging book that’s packed with helpful tips for creating a loving human-canine dynamic.

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2026

ISBN: 979-8234006677

Page Count: 166

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2026

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

FAMILY & RELATIONSHIPS | SELF-HELP | GENERAL NONFICTION