The inside dog by Pip Harry and Carolyn Davis

Cuddles is an inside dog. He loves being where it is warm in winter and cool in summer, where he has a snuggly bed, can sleep on the lounge, have tummy rubs and is given wonderful food. But one day as his family packs to go away on holiday, Cuddles is taken to a farm for his holiday. He is most put out, as he usually goes to a doggy daycare centre where he expects to get a hair cut, shampoo, and nails clipped.

But as the car turns into a track to an isolated farm house, he is dismayed to see other dogs and none of the comforts he is used to. The first night he scratches at the door, only to be told that here he is an outside dog.

Cuddles remembers advice he was given, to give things a try, and so scoots off running across the paddock. But he gets very tired. The three other dogs are good with the sheep, but Cuddles cannot make them do anything he wants. Their food is hard, and he finds it difficult sleeping on their rough hessian beds.

He finds a paddock of alpacas, and decides to herd them, heeding the advice to give things a try. They bare their teeth at him and he is forced to move away, getting a seed impaled in his paw. The three farm dogs appear. They take no time herding the alpacas away from Cuddles. They take him to the house paddock where they lick the seed from his paw.

Sleeping together that night, Cuddles feels warmed by their bodies, and is safe and secure. He gets up with the sun and finds their food more to his liking. The three teach him how to herd the sheep, how to find shade for sleeping, and when his family turns up to take him home, he is not so sure. Back home he is still an inside dog, but now he has retrieved the ball thrower and the leash which he had hidden some time ago, and is ready for outside adventure too. He feels brave enough to do more than being just an inside dog. 

Wonderful illustrations will be closely perused by the readers as they spot the different facial antics of Cuddles, reflecting his feelings. Children will sympathise with the dog, affronted at being somewhere totally new and having to adapt, and watch his transformation through the illustrations. I love the shadows, the lovely sofa, the creepy alpacas, the cute farmhouse, and Cuddles sleeping with the other dogs. Each page made me stop and think, pondering situations where change was imminent and how it was accepted.

Children will think about changes in their own lives and how they reacted, how they adapted to the change and whether they accepted it and rolled with it, or found it difficult. The words given to Cuddles stands out as a rule to live by, ‘give it a try’. 

Themes: Change, Adaptation, Humour, Dogs, Farms, Bravery.

Fran Knight