THE DOG WHO SAVED THE BEES

Dogs can handle all sorts of jobs, but even so, Mack’s line of work is most unusual.

Being chief apiary inspector for the Maryland Department of Agriculture, Cybil Preston is charged with certifying that commercial colonies of honeybees are free of the infectious disease called “foulbrood.” Visual checks are one way to do that, but because the job would go far more quickly with help from a dog trained to sniff out the malady’s distinctive smell, Mack comes into her life. This true story is partly a heartwarming tale of a lonely pooch finding a home, but, a professional animal trainer herself, Gibeault also lays out in loving, precise detail the systematic series of humane challenges and rewards that turned a rowdy, distractable dog who at first wouldn’t even sit on command into a dependable and responsive worker. A yellow Lab whose big personality shines in Hohn’s illustrations, Mack will easily win readers over as he passes each test and gets to work, then goes on with the light-skinned Cybil to earn a public service award and even enjoys a fling with media stardom. Following a final turn proudly trotting past piled-up beehives, Mack poses in backmatter snapshots using his expert sniffer and working alongside his own successor.

Would-be animal trainers will find this engaging addition to the working-dog shelf of particular interest.