Shiloh is a beagle dog that Marty holds dear. He managed to wrangle him from the town bully, Judd Travers, by blackmailing him about his hunting misadventures. Judd grudgingly agreed to allow the boy to take the dog. Dogless by no means, Judd still owns three vicious hunting canines. It is the town's job to attempt to keep everyone safe and deal with his cantankerous attitude towards seemingly everything.

Marty aspires to become a veterinarian, and he learns everything that he can about animal physiology, husbandry, and medical issues. 

His sisters Dara Lynn and Becky keep the family entertained. Marty also has a grandmother who refuses to remain out of other residents' room in her nursing home, and she has a pesky habit of swiping other people's teeth.

Shiloh Season by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, 1996

• Books about dogs