Story about dogs for kids
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Read the best free books about dogs and stories about our beloved family pets, here at Storyberries.
5 Min Stories Age 4-6 All Animals Dogs Feelings and Emotions Friends Picture Books Picture Books Senses
Baxter the Puppy loses his beloved Oliver in Paris. He will have to follow his nose to find him!
ABCs Age 4-6 Animals Art Dogs Jobs
Learn your ABCs with this adorable menagerie of dogs with jobs!
5 Min Stories Age 4-6 All Animals Dogs Picture Books Picture Books
An introduction to some of the street dogs of Mumbai - who they are, what they love and dream about.
Age 4-6 Animals Dogs No-Words Stories Picture Books
When a dog's owner goes to school, his adventures are just beginning! A No-Words picture book.
5 Min Stories Age 4-6 All Animals Dogs Early Readers Early Readers Friends Funny Funny Stories Picture Books
Floof the dog really, really wants a phone... even if he can't use one!
5 Min Stories ABCs Age 0-3 All Alphabet Animals Baby Books Cats Dogs Early Readers Early Readers Picture Books Picture Books
Learn your ABCs with Storyberries' free alphabet book, filled with animal antics!
5 Min Stories Age 4-6 All All Fairy Tales Animals Dogs Fairy Tales Fairy Tales Famous Fairy Tales Feel Good Fairy Tales Picture Books
Little Red Riding Hood is going to enjoy some delicious food with her Grandma.
.. but meets big slobbery Oscar on the way!
5 Min Stories ABCs Age 4-6 All Animals Cats Dogs Picture Books Rhyming Stories
A delightfully illustrated ABC book of cat and dogs portraits in funny rhymes.
5 Min Stories Age 0-3 Age 4-6 All Animals Baby Books Dogs Early Readers Early Readers Phonics Books Picture Books Picture Books
Spotty dog is stealing socks! Learn to read the letter 'o' with this free phonics early reader!
5 Min Stories Adventures Age 4-6 All Animals Australian stories Dogs Helping Heroes Picture Books Picture Books
A story about a friendship between a fire-fighter and his dog during the Australian bushfires.
10 Min Stories Age 7-12 All Fairy Tales Dogs Fairy Tales Fairy Tales Gardens Japanese Fairy Tales Japanese Stories
An old man loves his dog, who brings him tragic heartache and good luck.
5 Min Stories Age 4-6 All Animals Dogs Early Readers Picture Books
Timmy and Pepe are best friends. They also know where all the parts of their body are!
5 Min Stories All Fairy Tales Animals Dogs English Fairy Tales Fairy Tales
Clever Jack has a menagerie of animals to outwit a robber gang!
10 Min Stories Animals Dogs Seasons
Rosco the friendly German Shepherd has more adventures in the Fall.
..
Age 7-12 Animals Chapter Books Dogs Middle Grade
Plucky puppy Sparks is lost... and Mandy thinks it's a leprechaun's fault !
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Lassie, Old Yeller, and More
There are some books that become rooted in our collective memory, spanning decades or centuries, and are beloved by a whole new generation of children over and over again. These 13 classic stories (listed in chronological order) about dogs and the humans who care for them may kick off a lifelong love of dogs for the little ones in your life.
We’ve put together a list of books to get you and your child reading to and about dogs.
Having your child reading to a dog has never been easier than now, with the AKC B.A.R.K (Be a Reading Kid) program and app.
Through the program, children are welcome to read to a dog they know such as their own dog or a friend or neighbor’s dog. If they don’t know a dog they can read to, AKC will provide a database of Canine Ambassadors that are ready and willing to volunteer their dog. The parent or guardian will assist the child in logging the hours they read on the AKC website.
Children will receive incentives based on the number of hours read. Dog owners will also be able to log the number of hours their dogs have been read to and they will be recognized with a certificate.
“The Call of the Wild,” Jack London
Although it was written for adults, this classic — first published in 1903 — has become a fixture on school reading lists. It’s set in the 1890s, during the Klondike Gold Rush, and tells the story of Buck, a dog stolen from his family and sold as a sled dog.
The harsh Alaska environment forces Buck to fight for survival, so he gradually sheds domestication and reverts to a feral state. London spent about one year in the Yukon, which gives “The Call of the Wild” and his other classic dog book, “White Fang,” an immediacy and authenticity that make them timeless.
Buy here.
“Lad: A Dog,” Albert Payson Terhune
Before there was Lassie, there was another heroic Collie named Lad. Albert Payson Terhune, who was well known for his classic dog stories, wrote the novel in 1919. The fictional dog was based on the real life, rough Collie owned by the writer’s family. A “thoroughbred in body and soul,” Lad protects and defends his people and others of his own species, often putting his own life at risk.
Buy here.
“Lassie Come-Home,” Eric Knight
The world first met rough-coated Collie Lassie in 1938 in a story published in the Saturday Evening Post. Later, Knight expanded it into a novel and gave birth to a classic.
It became a benchmark for many future tales of challenge, love, and loyalty between a dog and her human family. Interesting fact: the hyphen in the title refers to the phrase “come-home dog,” which is a dog that runs away and returns to her original owner, no matter how many times she’s sold or how far away she’s taken.
Buy here.
“The Poky Little Puppy,” Janette Sebring Lowrey
Individuals of a certain age grew up on the Little Golden Books, like this one. Published in 1942, it tells the story of a curious puppy and the world he discovers during his adventures. Written for very young kids, “The Poky Little Puppy” has sold nearly 15 million copies, and its popularity endures to this day.
Buy here.
“Big Red,” Jim Kjelgaard
Kjelgaard wrote more than 40 books, many of them about dogs, and “Big Red” was his first to focus on an Irish Setter. The combination of the relationship between boy and dog and the vivid outdoor settings have captivated children since the book’s publication in 1945.
Buy here.
“Old Yeller,” Fred Gipson
Published in 1956, the story takes place in the 1860s and centers on a “dinghy yellow” dog taken in by young Travis Coates on his family’s Texas ranch. The dog proves his value again and again, saving family members from every imaginable peril. Like many children’s books, “Old Yeller” is more about the circle of life and the lessons we learn along the way.
Buy here.
“The 101 Dalmatians,” Dodie Smith
Before the beloved movie, there was the book, first published in 1956. Even kids who already know the story of Dalmatians Pongo, Missis (it’s Perdita in the film), their puppies, and the dreaded Cruella de Vil, can enjoy reading it over and over again.
Buy here.
“The Incredible Journey,” Sheila Burnford
The author based this book on the relationship she observed between her own pets: a Bull Terrier, a Siamese cat, and a Labrador Retriever. Perhaps that’s what makes the bond between the fictional characters so believable and touching.
Published in 1961 and adapted into the Disney film “Homeward Bound,” the book is a perennial favorite to this day.
Buy here.
“Where the Red Fern Grows,” Wilson Rawls
Published in 1961, “Where the Red Fern Grows,” which features one boy and two Redbone Coonhounds, joins the list of classics passed down through the decades. It’s been adapted for film twice, and the novel is often found on school reading lists.
Buy here.
“The Phantom Tollbooth,” Norton Juster
This funny, allegorical fantasy, about a boy named Milo and an oversized talking dog, has entranced children and adults alike since it was published in 1961. In 2017, TriStar Pictures announced that a “live-action/hybrid” film adaptation was in the works.
Buy here.
“Go, Dog. Go!,” P.D. Eastman
Featuring cartoons and simple language, this beloved 1961 book is often used to teach children to read. It’s part of the Beginner Books series, which was started by Theodor Seuss Geisel (aka Dr.
Seuss).
Buy here.
“Clifford the Big Red Dog,” Norman Bridwell
Clifford and his human pal Emily Elizabeth have dazzled young readers for decades with their shared adventures. The first book featuring the popular canine debuted in 1963 and elevated Scholastic to a premier publishing company. In fact, Clifford is the official Scholastic mascot.
Buy here.
“Because of Winn-Dixie,” Kate DiCamillo
Some books become instant classics, like this heartwarmer published in 2000. The story follows a young girl and the scruffy dog she adopts while exploring themes such as friendship, healing, and the power of community. It won the Newbery Medal in 2001 and was adapted into a feature film in 2005.
Buy here.
Logging Your Hours
As your child reads as part of the B.A.R.K. program, make sure to log their hours! Many rewards and prizes await, along with the joy of spending time with a canine companion.
Stories about dogs for children
They bark, lick legs and arms, trying to hit the tongue and on the cheek.
They wag their tails when we arrive and whine when the door closes behind us. They are dogs. And they teach kindness, friendship, devotion. And they also want to live with the owner, and not on the street.
Dogs are almost the main characters in children's literature. Probably, if we could count the texts dedicated to dogs, we would find that there are no less of them than about children. Why? Therefore, there is nothing happier than the combination of childhood and a dog.
Hundreds of authors have written and continue to write about dogs, not only giving children and their parents the pleasure of reading, but also forming the right attitude towards pets. And, if you remember, each of us “collects” in our memory a dozen of our favorite children's stories about dogs. Perhaps we will begin, and you pick it up!
A.P. Chekhov, "Kashtanka" // Formaslov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov in the story "Kashtanka" speaks of devotion and kindness. Shows us little by little what to do if we see a lonely animal.
Surely, it is someone's ... But he needs help either to return to the old house, or to find a new one. So back at 19century, a social problem was solved, except that there were much fewer abandoned and lost animals than now. But back to Kashtanka - she got lost and ended up in the house of a circus performer, who taught her circus tricks and brought her to the arena under the new name Aunt. But Kashtanka in Tetka was recognized by the miraculous owner who happened to be there. And she admitted - rushing with all her might to her beloved old friend. That's devotion! Dogs don't forget theirs. The story has another important task - to show that indifferent and inattentive treatment of an animal can lead to trouble.
“A young red dog, a mixture of a dachshund and a mongrel, with a face very similar to a fox, ran up and down the sidewalk and looked around uneasily. From time to time she stopped and, crying, raising now one chilled paw, then the other, tried to give herself an account: how could it happen that she got lost?
She remembered very well how she spent the day and how she ended up on this unfamiliar sidewalk.
The day began with the fact that her owner, carpenter Luka Alexandrych, put on a hat, took some wooden thing wrapped in a red scarf under his arm, and shouted:
- Chestnut, let's go!
A.P. Chekhov, "Kashtanka" // FormaslovHearing her name, the dachshund-mutt cross came out from under the workbench, where she slept on wood shavings, sweetly stretched herself and ran after her master. Luka Alexandritch's customers lived terribly far away, so that before reaching each of them, the carpenter had to go into the tavern several times and refresh himself. Kashtanka remembered that on the way she behaved extremely indecently. For joy that she was taken for a walk, she jumped, rushed barking at the carriages of the horse-drawn iron, ran into the yards and chased the dogs. The carpenter now and then lost sight of her, stopped and shouted angrily at her. Even once, with an expression of greed on his face, he took her fox ear in his fist, patted it, and said with an emphasis:0012
“May… you… out of… dead… la, cholera!”
(Anton Chekhov, Kashtanka)
L.
N. Tolstoy, "Bulka" // Formaslov Don't be like Luka Alexandrych. Watch your chestnut.
Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy also often addressed the topic of dogs. Several stories are dedicated to Bulka, a dog with an unusual muzzle. By the way, the narrator says the same about the dog - the muzzle.
“I had a face… Her name was Bulka. She was all black, only the tips of her front paws were white.
In all muzzles, the lower jaw is longer than the upper and the upper teeth extend beyond the lower ones; but Bulka's lower jaw protruded so far forward that a finger could be placed between the lower and upper teeth. Bulka's face was broad; the eyes are large, black and shiny; and white teeth and fangs always stuck out. He looked like an arap. Bulka was quiet and did not bite, but he was very strong and tenacious. When he used to cling to something, he would grit his teeth and hang like a rag, and he, like a tick, could not be torn off in any way.0012
(Leo Tolstoy, "Bulka")
Lev Nikolaevich writes about dogs, showing their life, character, relationships with people.
Like Chekhov, Tolstoy speaks of the devotion and purity of the dog's soul - in the story "Bulka" the dog runs after his master until he catches up with him.
Leo Tolstoy has a number of children's stories about dogs recommended for reading: "The Lion and the Dog", "Fire Dogs", "Pheasants" and a series of stories about Bulka.
A.A. Kuprin, "White Poodle" // FormaslovBefore moving on to more modern authors, we need to recall the "White Poodle" by Alexander Kuprin. Probably one of the most beloved and famous texts about dogs. A touching and love-filled story of friendship and selflessness with a happy ending. In fact, despite the fact that the plot revolves around the dog, it is not the main one here. The main ones here are the values that the author carefully places in the reader's head.
Vitaly Bianchi wrote about dogs - "The First Hunt", for example. He generally liked to write about animals. His stories open up the world to us in a completely different way. Therefore, if you urgently need great stories about dogs, you can safely open the Bianchi collection.
Mikhail Prishvin gave us Limon - the smallest dog in the world, which was covered with fine hair and for some reason trembled all the time. "There is a lot of squealing, little wool!" - the main character of the story spoke about Lemon.
Squealing is fine, but how much love! "Lemon" is a kind and instructive story for children of all ages.
Stories about dogs were written by Korney Chukovsky (“The Kingdom of the Dogs”), Boris Zakhoder (“The Barrel of Dogs”), Mikhail Zoshchenko (“Three Years Later”) and many others. But I would especially like to mention Bobik and Barbos, remember?
Why especially? Yes, because Nikolai Nosov somehow showed us the dogs in a completely different way. It seems to be, like the rest - through values, through the introduction of the world of dogs into the world of people and vice versa, through giving dogs additional "chips" like speech or even a profession, but it was Bobik and Barbos who managed to win the absolutely incredible love of the public.
And now, if you ask any Russian-speaking person to name a story about a dog, he will name “Bobik visiting Barbos”. A chic cartoon has certainly contributed to this popularity.
“Once upon a time there was a dog Barboska. He had a friend - the cat Vaska. Both of them lived with their grandfather. Grandfather went to work, Barboska guarded the house, and Vaska the cat caught mice.
Once grandfather went to work, the cat Vaska ran away for a walk, but Barbos stayed at home. Having nothing to do, he climbed onto the windowsill and began to look out the window. He was bored, so he yawned around.
« Our grandfather is well! thought Barbosca. — He went to work and works. Vaska is also not bad - he ran away from home and walks on the roofs. And here I have to sit, guard the apartment " .
At that time Barboskin's friend Bobik was running down the street. They often met in the yard and played together.
The watchdog saw his friend and was delighted:
— Hey, Bobik, where are you running?
“Nowhere,” says Bobik. Yes, I'm just running. Why are you sitting at home? Let's go for a walk"
(Nikolai Nosov, "Bobik visiting Barbos")
E.N Uspensky, “How to Love Dogs Properly” // FormaslovEduard Uspensky also left us a wonderful story about friendship, family and caring for each other — "Uncle Fyodor, a dog and a cat." But not only her! Now few people remember the cycle of his stories called "How to Love Dogs Properly". Here are collected easy, instructive and kind stories about different breeds, which makes the book also developing horizons. By the way, Ouspensky himself said that dogs always lived in his house, and this helped and inspired him to write stories about them.
This is a hint, yes, yes. Suddenly, not only stories about dogs, but this article will encourage you to get to know your new best friend.
After all, dogs really teach love. At least the endless list of absolutely beautiful stories about them confirm this.
Stories about dogs for children
Watchdog
In the deep autumn I had a rest on the Volga near Saratov. A huge shepherd dog lived loosely at a nearby recreation center. Every morning she ran to the house where I lived to get "breakfast" from me. She knew that I would always have food for her.
One evening I was walking past the base where this shepherd dog lived, and I saw that she was lying not far from the road and was carefully watching me. I called out to her as if greeting her and continued to walk towards my house. When I caught up with her, she suddenly got up, jumped on me and bit me painfully.
All evening I wondered about the reason for such an ungrateful act. And he was completely surprised when he saw the dog again the next morning at his door. Then, it seems, he understood yesterday's incident: despite a close acquaintance, the shepherd dog strictly observed its watchdog functions and vigilantly guarded the territory entrusted to it.
Thief
I'll tell you about another dog that lived with my friend. This dog was very beautiful and smart, but when left alone in the house, it became uncontrollable. Left to her own devices, she tore curtains, gnawed furniture, ruined carpets. The hostess understood that this was how her pet expressed her anger at the forced loneliness, and could not do anything with her.
For some time now shiny small things began to disappear in the apartment: gold rings, chains, earrings. Even the little gold watch was gone somewhere. There were no strangers in the house, and the search did not lead to anything.
Meanwhile, further living with the dog became unbearable and the woman decided to give it to other hands.
After the new owner took the four-legged friend, the owner decided to do a general cleaning in the apartment. Under the carpet that lay on the floor, she discovered all her losses.
Rich is a jealous dog
Rich is a huge dog with thick black hair.
At the bottom of his paws are painted light brown and it seems that he put on beautiful socks for style. He has an unusual pedigree: his mother is a real she-wolf, found in the mountains as a small animal and raised at home, and his father is a shepherd. Despite such formidable parents, Rich is generally a kind dog. She always treats my arrival kindly and even wags her tail as a sign of special disposition.
One day I came to the owner of the house for her birthday and she hugged me in joy. "Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr" came a sudden sound behind me. I turned around and saw a menacing grin growling at me. Apparently, he did not like the too warm welcome given to me by the hostess, and I had to calm him down.
Rich followed me all evening, and when everyone sat down at the table, he settled down at my feet. Peace was achieved only when I treated him to something delicious.
The next time Rich saw me, he growled again. Noticing, however, that no one was showing warm feelings towards me, he quickly calmed down.
Why do you think he acted like that? He was jealous of me for his mistress.
Puppy
When I was still at school, we were given a wonderful puppy. He had a wide muzzle with large eyes, thick short legs and dark thick hair.
Our new tenant was very fond of boiled potatoes and milk. After the meal, he minced on his mat. After a while, he began to respond to the name that we gave him. The puppy grew quickly, and became so fat that it looked like a barrel.
One day he was whining all morning, and then he lay down in his place and fell silent. I thought he choked on a bone and opened his mouth, but he bit my finger. And he didn't make another sound. After a while he died.
They took the miserable dog to the veterinary hospital. There, the doctor opened the body and found that the entire abdomen was full of worms. And four long worms stuck out even in the throat. They strangled the poor puppy.
Damka
When we lived in the town of Starodub, in the Bryansk region, we had a small garden with fruit trees.
So that the ripened fruits would not be stolen, the garden had to be guarded, and for this purpose we were given a dog. Or rather, a puppy. On the same day I built a wooden kennel for him, set it up in the yard, and tied the puppy to it for the night. In the morning he was not there. They stole it.
Of course, we were sad, and in the evening we went to visit relatives. We told them about our loss, and they offered us their dog, nicknamed Lady. The lady was small, similar in muzzle and red fur coat to a fox.
They brought her home, tied her up, and went into the rooms themselves. After a while I go out to visit - there is no Lady. A rope with a collar is lying on the ground - which means that she herself got out of the collar and ran away. However, she soon returned, and we fed her. And the next time, when she wanted to take a walk, she easily left her collar and again ran back.
The lady was a quiet dog, did not bark, but we wanted her voice to be heard far beyond the fence.
At night, however, she slept peacefully, and we had to guard the garden.
One day, however, the Lady broke off her leash, rushed at an elderly woman and tore her dress. But that only brought us trouble.
Sometimes our “guard” would run away for a few days, and then she would appear thin, hungry and wagging her tail guiltily. Somehow she ran away once again and did not return - we did not see her again.
Angry dog
It happened in Kazakhstan, where I used to live. I had to get into one house, but a huge angry dog lived in his yard. No matter how much I knocked on the window that overlooked the street, no one answered. From the house, meanwhile, came voices. What to do, how to enter the house?
I thought that dogs, no matter how evil they are, also have fear, like humans. He opened the gate and entered the yard. The terrible dog with a wild bark rushed at me, but the chain holding him made it impossible to approach me. However, I still could not go into the house - then I would have to close the distance between me and the dog, and she could grab me with her teeth.
But I made up my mind: I began to approach the house very slowly. The dog got even angrier. Before him there was very little, and I came closer and closer. And suddenly he... backed away from me! I took another step. Now the dog could bite me if he wanted to, but he continued to move back. Until I drove him completely into a kennel.
After that I went towards the front door of the house. The dog continued to sit in the kennel and did not even make an attempt to prevent me. Here is the front door. He knocked and, having received permission, entered the house. There were a lot of people in it, they were very noisy and therefore did not hear my knock on the window. But the owners were terribly surprised how I could walk through the yard past their angry dog.
Having finished his work, he went to the exit. The mistress delayed me to tie the dog to a short chain. When I walked across the yard, she again rushed and barked loudly, but she could no longer do anything to me. I safely reached the gate and went out into the street.
