Ash is a good kid at heart. But his grades are slipping, and when he gets caught vandalizing an old building, it's the last straw. It's decided: Ash will spend some time away from the city, at his dad's place on Ferncliff Island.

It's bad enough that Ash has no friends on the island (just an annoying little stepsister), but his parents are also making him do community service! He volunteers at the local animal shelter, even though he's not really a dog person. Dogs slobber! They smell! And the dogs at the shelter bark, bark, and bark. But as Ash bonds with the dogs--especially Cooper, a clever, fun-loving pointer that gives sloppy kisses--he starts to see that maybe his time on Ferncliff Island isn't a total loss.