Many dogs, including Toby, are subsequently euthanized. Not long after, animal control service agents arrive with orders to shut down the place due to poor sanitation and welfare conditions. A new dog arrives, named Spike, who is very aggressive towards the other dogs, and injures Toby.

One day, many of the newer dogs at the Yard are whisked off to a building (a veterinarian office). The narrator, named Toby by Senora, adjusts to his new lifestyle. The dogs arrive at a place called the Yard, where dozens of abandoned dogs reside under the guidance of a gentle old woman whom the narrator calls Senora. A few weeks later, after being nursed by their mother, a feral as well, the dog and his siblings Fast, Sister, and Hungry go outside of their den to explore the woods around them. The narrator first starts out as a feral puppy. A film of the same name was released in January 2017. The film rights of the book were bought by DreamWorks. A sequel followed in May 2012, titled A Dog's Journey, following the same dog after the events of the previous book. The novel stayed a New York Times bestseller for forty-nine weeks, garnering critical praise from such sources as Temple Grandin, famous for her study of cattle behavior Kirkus Reviews and Marty Becker, resident veterinarian on the early-morning television show, Good Morning America.

A dogs purpose book