Ribbon the Border Collie

Ribbon is a beautiful black and white Border Collie who loves to herd sheep, cattle, goats and even the family cat. Her owner, Allison, believes Ribbon has the special abilities to become the number one champion herding dog in all of North America someday. Then that dream ends abruptly. Ribbon is hit by a car and injured while trying to protect a herd of "weed-whacking" goats in the Colorado high country.

When things look bleakest, Allison's mother suggests that Ribbon has what it takes to become a Therapy Dog, visiting patients in hospitals, rehab centers and nursing homes to cheer them up and give them hope. Allison is unsure. Her mother shares a favorite Erma Bombeck clipping about using every talent you were given. The question the book asks is in its subtitle: can Ribbon go from herder to healer?

Open Library files the book under dogs, Border collie, training, brothers and sisters, and children's fiction. It runs 144 pages and was first published in 2008 by Western Reflections. A retailer lists it in the Children of Colorado series, for readers aged 9 to 12.

Ribbon the Border Collie suits readers around ages 9 to 12, the range a retailer gives for it, and anyone who loves dogs. It will mean something to children who have had to change a big plan after an injury or illness, or who know someone in a hospital or care home. Parents and teachers can use it to talk about adapting without giving up. At 144 pages it is a proper chapter book rather than a picture book.

Lyn Bezek, who also wrote Daisy, The Cripple Creek Donkey, is credited with this book. The author note on a retailer's page says she and illustrator Su Hand are both nurses in Pueblo, Colorado, and that they know accidents or illnesses can keep us from our goals while other talents remain. We have little else in the way of biography to share. Her author page lists every book we carry under her name.

More about Lyn Bezek →

The Border Collie is a herding breed. Wikipedia says it originates in the region of the Anglo-Scottish border, descends from traditional sheepdogs found across the British Isles, and is mainly kept as a sheep-herding dog or as a companion. Working dogs can take direction by voice and whistle over long distances, and their herding instinct is also used on cattle, poultry and pigs. That is the background Ribbon comes from in the book.

Therapy dogs do a different job. Wikipedia defines a therapy dog as one trained to offer affection, comfort and support to people in places such as hospitals, nursing homes, schools and disaster areas. Unlike service dogs, which help one person, therapy dogs work with all kinds of people, not just their handlers. Wikipedia lists a calm, social temperament with strangers and tolerance of loud noises and sudden movements among the qualities a candidate dog needs, and certification often ends with supervised visits to facilities.

Source: Wikipedia: Therapy dog