Everyone went very still. A few of them were shaking their heads. Then Teresa spoke.
“I know how hard everyone has worked to get here, and I’m sorry if it’s all for nothing. Let’s just do our jobs and hope that Shelby does hers.”
Every single person turned to look at me. I wagged a little nervously. What was going on?
“Shelby, you’re so sweet,” Teresa said fondly, rubbing behind my ears. “Guys, we have to talk about something else. She’s picking up on our anxiety, and that won’t help her perform.”
People turned away. Teresa held my collar. “Go, Gusto!” Once more Gusto bounded out, sniffed, and pawed furiously at the snow.
I quivered with eagerness and anxiety, too. I wanted to do Dig right. I wanted praise and a treat and for Teresa not to be worried anymore. But I hadn’t been able to do it right yet. What if I got it wrong again?
“Shelby, Dig!” Teresa told me, releasing her hold.
The buzzer sounded. But now it was in the right place, just where Gusto was clawing at the snow. I knew what to do! I leaped forward, bounding through the snow, and plowed right into the hole that Gusto was making. That was okay, though. He dug and I dug and snow was flung into the air and we got closer and closer to the buzzer and the treats.
Then, suddenly, two men came lumbering across the snow, running clumsily in big, heavy boots. They threw themselves down next to me and Gusto and started to do Dig, too, scooping at the snow with mittened hands.
I backed away. Usually just Gusto and I did Dig! Did these people want treats, too?
I knew I was not supposed to eat food that belonged to people. Teresa had made that clear to me. Food on the floor was for dogs. Food on tables and plates was for people.
Maybe these people didn’t know the rules, though. Maybe they didn’t understand that the treats down in the snow were for dogs. Maybe they were so hungry they didn’t care.
I remembered being hungry like that, when I was younger. Should I let the men have the treats? I looked over at Teresa.
“Shelby, Dig! Get in there!” Teresa called out.
“Dig Dig Dig!” Bruce echoed.
Well, okay. If Teresa wanted me to do Dig, I would. But I hoped I wouldn’t get in trouble for taking treats away from hungry humans!
All four of us—me, Gusto, and the two strange people—dug and dug at the snow. Then something new happened that made me pull my nose out of the snow in surprise.
We were getting close to the treats; I could smell that. But my claws had scraped something strange. It was a person! A person in a puffy coat with a hat on his head, buried under the snow with the treats and the buzzer!
But it was not a real person, not at all. It did not move and it did not smell alive. It smelled fake and rubbery, kind of like that strange object I’d had to Pick It Up and Put It in There a few days ago.
The treats were under this not-person, so I snatched up my share and backed away just as someone called out, “Cut!” The men sat back on their heels, grinning. They did not seem to want any treats after all. So why had they been digging?
But I had a bigger worry at the moment. I looked over at Teresa in concern. She wasn’t going to tell me to Pick It Up this person and Put It in There, was she? It was even bigger than the furry thing with legs had been!
Teresa did not say, “Shelby, Pick It Up!” Thank goodness! Instead, she called me and I got a whole handful of treats and lots of praise.
“That’s a wrap, everyone!” someone called out.
“You did it, Shelby!”
“Good girl!”
People were smiling and laughing. Lots of them came over to praise me, including the men who’d helped us do Dig. I knew I was a good girl; I could already tell from how happy Teresa was. But I always liked to hear it.
“I don’t even know why they use a buzzer anyway,” Bruce said while he petted me. “Why not a doorbell? My dog Tucker always barks when he hears a doorbell.”
Nobody answered him. People often had more serious jobs to do than answer Bruce.
“Shelby was perfect,” Cathryn says. “We got the shot.”
“Shelby,” Bruce said. “You saved the movie!” He held down his hand and he had a piece of Teresa’s steak in his palm. I gently took it from him.
This time, I decided, it did make sense to pay attention to Bruce.
* * *
I’d been such a good dog that I got to go for a long car ride with Teresa the next day. At first Teresa let me have my squeaky toy, but after I’d curled up on the backseat with it and given it a thorough chewing, Teresa stopped the car and leaned over the seat to take the toy away from me.
“Sorry, Shelby, but there’s no way I can listen to that all the way home,” she said.
We drove and drove and drove. I took a long nap, and when I woke up, the air that poured in through the open window of the car was warmer.
Soon I could lean against the window and sniff hard and pick up smells that I recognized. The car turned a corner and I knew my nose had been right. We were back where we’d started! We were at Teresa’s house!
Teresa let me out of the car and I raced around her front yard in circles before running to the gate that led to the back. I could hear my pack welcoming both of us. Bode and Luke, Hercules and Angel, were all barking their happiness on the other side of the fence.
When Teresa opened the gate, I charged inside. My pack sniffed me all over, learning from me where I’d been and what I’d been eating and how many other people and dogs I’d met. I sniffed them, too, led us all in a race around the pool, and returned to Teresa, panting with happiness. I wagged and looked at Teresa, busy hugging Hercules and stroking Luke’s back and scratching Bode’s neck and making sure little Angel was not being forgotten.
This was the first time I’d ever come back to a place I’d left. When I’d gone away from the yard where I’d been born, I’d never seen it again. When I’d left the place of plastic bags or the building with pens and dogs and Megan, I’d never returned.
But I’d come back to Teresa’s house.
The place of plastic bags had been a lonely place. Even when my stomach had been full—which wasn’t often!—I’d had no sister to stay warm with, no pack to play with, and no person to love.
Then Megan had come to be my first person, and she’d taken me to my pen with bowls of food and a roof overhead. There I wasn’t hungry or lonely anymore. That had been a good place. But it wasn’t a home.
I hadn’t understood that then. But I knew it now.
My home was here, where I had a person and a pack and a job to do. Even when Teresa and I left to do Training in other places, we would always come back here.
That was such a marvelous idea, I had to chase a lizard out of sheer joy. It scuttled away under a rock. Lizards never understood that their job was to be caught.
But I did my jobs well.
I thought back to all the jobs I’d done—digging with Gusto in the snow, doing Pick It Up the bag of groceries, running up the ramp so that I could jump out of the hole and get my squeaky toy from Teresa, finding my mark over and over again. Being a good dog and making all those people so happy.
I’d loved doing all those jobs. Well, except dragging that big, heavy, rubbery long-legged thing out of the hole in the ground. But even that had been worth it, to please Teresa.
And now that all my work was done, I got to come back home. I’d never been so happy. The only thing that would have made it better was my squeaky toy to chew.
And some of my new friends to see. It was great to be back, but what about Gusto? What about Brian and April and my other human friends? Even Bruce. Would they ever come to see me again? Would they watch me do my jobs and be a good dog?
I hoped so.
But long days went by, and they didn’t come. I wasn’t sad, though. I was busy playing with my pack and chasing lizards and making sure Teresa stayed close to me. Also, I had to watch that bird in a cage. A lot.
So I didn’t
have too much time to miss my friends.
Then a day came when Teresa gave me a bath and brushed my fur until it was glossy and smooth. I didn’t like getting wet, but I loved the extra attention and the feel of the brush in my fur. It was almost worth the water and the dreadful taste of the soap and the way I didn’t smell like myself afterward.
“You have to look your best. We’re going to the premiere of A Dog’s Way Home,” Teresa told me.
I recognized a few of the words in that sentence—“Dog’s” and “Home.” I licked her nose. Yes, I was a dog. Yes, I was home. I didn’t know why she needed to tell me that, but I was happy to hear her voice anytime she felt like talking to me.
Then I got to go for a car ride with Teresa! Just her and me, of course. The way it ought to be.
When she stopped the car and we got out, we were in a very strange place.
It wasn’t home, with the backyard and the pool and the lizards and my pack.
It wasn’t a snowy mountain, either.
It was a place with a soft rug on the sidewalk. I sniffed at it. Lots of people had been walking on it. More were standing around the rug, talking loudly and smiling. Some were holding small black boxes up in front of their faces. The boxes made flashes of light.
“Bella! Bella!” the people called.
I was glad Teresa and I were connected with our leash. It was all very strange.
We walked together down the carpet and into a big building. And there, inside the building, were all my old friends!
I saw Bruce and Cathryn! I saw Brian! Next to Brian was April, and April was holding a leash with Gusto on the other end!
I ran to them, greeting Gusto first. He licked my cheek and I licked his ear. Then I hurried to April and Brian, Bruce and Cathryn, my tail wagging so hard it swatted them on their knees and legs.
Everybody petted me and talked to me and to Teresa and each other. I sat down and looked at Gusto with expectation.
When were we going to Dig? When I was with Gusto, we always did Dig. And all these people had come to watch us! It was going to be so much fun!
But the people seemed to have forgotten about Dig. Instead of taking us somewhere there was sand or snow or dirt, they took us into a dark room with many, many chairs.
The people sat down in the chairs. Gusto and I sat together on the floor. After a little bit, the room went dark. Some lights flickered and moved on a big wall, but I could not smell them, so they weren’t very interesting.
Gusto and I curled up together on the floor. I put my head on my paws and shut my eyes. Since the room was dark, it was probably time for a cozy nap.
Even if we weren’t going to do Dig, I was glad to be here with Gusto and Teresa and my other friends. I was glad that there were so many interesting things for me to do with Teresa, and so many people to watch me be a good dog.
And I was glad that, when this was over, I had a home to go back to, a home with a dog pack and lizards and food in bowls and a roof to keep the rain away.
I loved all of those things. I loved all of my friends, especially Teresa.
Together Teresa and I had been in rooms with beds and parks and up on the side of a mountain. We’d gone to a beach and the bank of a river and a place where a campfire burned and men sat beside it, sharing ham.
I couldn’t wait to find out where Teresa and I would go next. As long as we were together, it would be marvelous.
Shelby’s Movie Star Biography
Shelby’s first big break in the movie business was her starring role as Bella in A Dog’s Way Home. In the movie, Bella is separated from her owner, Lucas, and sets off on a journey to find him. She travels over snowy mountains and through city streets, scavenging food where she can find it. Along the way she meets up with an orphaned cougar she calls Big Kitten, helps to rescue a skier from an avalanche, joins a pack of loose dogs, and always remains true to her purpose of finding Lucas again.
Shelby’s own life story is nearly as adventurous as Bella’s. As a young dog, she lived as a stray and was found scavenging food from a landfill. Rescued by an animal control officer named Megan, she was taken to a county shelter. While waiting for adoption she met Bruce Cameron and his wife, Cathryn Michon. Bruce is the author of the novel A Dog’s Way Home, and Bruce and Cathryn cowrote the screenplay that transformed the book into a movie.
Bruce was delighted to meet Shelby, who looked exactly like the photograph of Bella on the cover of A Dog’s Way Home. But Shelby was a stray who had never had even the most basic training. Could she really learn to do all of the things a movie dog needs to know?
Shelby could! With the help of her trainer, Teresa, Shelby mastered all of the skills she’d need to portray Bella on the screen. Along with her fellow actors, Ashley Judd, Edward James Olmos, Alexandra Shipp, and Jonah Hauer-King, she delighted audiences with her performance as a loving dog who risks everything to find her owner once more.
After her star turn as Bella, Shelby moved on to a new challenge. She is being trained to act as a comfort dog, visiting children who are in hospitals and helping to cheer them up. If a sequel to A Dog’s Way Home is ever made, however, Shelby will be back at work on the movie set with her friends!
Shelby’s Story is based on Bella’s life, but it is fiction. Not every episode in the book is true to life. But Shelby did get rescued from life in a landfill, did learn to be a movie star, and is as loyal and loving in real life as she is in this story.
Fun Facts about the Movie A Dog’s Way Home
Shelby was not the only movie dog who performed as Bella. There were actually three dogs who acted out Bella’s story. One of them, Luke, is owned by Shelby’s trainer, Teresa. Luke and Shelby look almost identical. When Bruce first saw Shelby at the shelter, he had no idea that she would shortly be living with a friend who looked so much like her! Luke did most of the scenes that called for Bella to growl or fight. (Shelby’s sweet nature means she isn’t much good at acting ferocious.) Since the plan called for three dogs to play the part of Bella, Teresa searched far and wide to find a third dog, Amber, who looks so much like Luke and Shelby that people cannot always tell them apart.
A Dog’s Way Home was mostly filmed in British Columbia, Canada. Shelby, her trainers, the actors, and the camera crew spent several weeks tromping over the Rocky Mountains to get the shots they needed for the movie.
Scenes in a movie are often filmed out of order. The avalanche scene, which comes at the end of Shelby’s Story, actually occurs fairly early in the movie. Other scenes, such as Shelby’s encounters with her cougar companion, Big Kitten, come later. After the scenes are filmed, they are arranged in order so that the story makes sense.
The people who work on movies are very careful to ensure the safety of all animals. On the set of A Dog’s Way Home, Teresa and other trainers kept a close eye on Shelby and the other dogs at all times. Other people on the set work for an organization whose entire job is making sure that animals in films are well treated. Sometimes shooting was stopped so that the dogs could rest and get warm or cool off. And never once did the dogs mingle with actual coyotes or cougars, even though in the movie it looks like Bella is nose-to-nose with these animals!
It is unusual for a book’s author (in this case, W. Bruce Cameron) to also be one of the screenwriters. He and his wife, Cathryn, are an accomplished writing team. Besides A Dog’s Way Home, they were co-screenwriters on A Dog’s Purpose, the upcoming A Dog’s Journey, and two other movies: Cook Off! and Muffin Top: A Love Story. These last two movies were directed by Cathryn. Meanwhile, Bruce is hard at work writing more Puppy Tales, including Toby’s Story.
Reading & Activity Guide to
Shelby’s Story:
A Dog’s Way Home Tale
By W. Bruce Cameron
Ages 8–12; Grades 3–7
A real-life dog named Shelby, who played the lead role of “Bella” in the movie version of the author’s popular book A Dog’s Way Home, inspired W. Bruce Cameron to write Shelby’s Story: A
Dog’s Way Home Tale. In the humorous, candid voice of Shelby herself, Shelby’s Story: A Dog’s Way Home Tale gives the reader a dog’s-eye view of an animal actor training, preparing for, and playing a lead role in a major motion picture. But before readers see Shelby balancing the challenges and perks of being a movie star, they learn the fictionalized Shelby’s “back story.” Readers follow Shelby’s paw prints along her harsh, often unforgiving, path from hungry puppy of an indifferent owner; to scavenging stray; starving landfill stowaway; and, at last, a relieved, but puzzled, rescue shelter resident. Part Pit Bull, part Rottweiler, part mystery-breed, Shelby goes from life on the streets to life on the screen, when movie animal trainer Teresa adopts her. Shelby resembles Bella physically, but her story mirrors Bella’s, too. Both dogs overcome obstacles, help people, and learn to let people help them. Bella and Shelby both find their way home, but also learn the true meaning of home. It’s not just a place where you have what you need, but a place where you are needed. And the fictionalized Shelby, who makes the incredible journey from rescue to red carpet, learns that “Bella” isn’t her most important role. Shelby’s most important role is being Teresa’s dog!
(W. Bruce Cameron has written other dog tales, such as Ellie’s Story, Bailey’s Story, Molly’s Story, and Max’s Story. If you have had, or have, an opportunity to read them, you can discuss how the dogs and tales are similar and how they differ. It might also be interesting to check out, together with an older sibling or family member, the A Dog’s Way Home novel and movie. Then you can discuss the connections and inspirations the A Dog’s Way Home novel and movie, and Shelby’s Story: A Dog’s Way Home Tale share.)
Reading Shelby’s Story: A Dog’s Way Home Tale with Your Children
Pre-Reading Discussion Questions
1. Watching real-life dog actor Shelby in action making the movie version of his novel A Dog’s Way Home, inspired W. Bruce Cameron to write Shelby’s Story. Have you seen any movies where a dog was the main character? Which movies? How do you think the filmmakers got the dog to do certain things on command—like bark, run, jump, lie down, pick something up, or react to a person or situation in a particular way?
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