Ellen Gilman Books

Millie Whitfield wants to open a dog bakery in her home town of Houndsville on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, but Annabel Larson, a competitor, will try to ruin Millie's chances to succeed. Annabel will resort to any tactic to stop Millie including calling in the health department to stop Millie from reaching her goal.Getting the bakery open presents many challenges which Millie has to confront head on among them finding the correct recipes to serve the canine customers. After weeks of problems the bakery finally opens and is welcomed by the community.Millie's penchant for matchmaking is a force to be reckoned with and soon she finds the bakery a hot bed for romance.Add to that, Millie uses the bakery as a platform to help dogs needing rescue by forming a group of community shopkeepers under her leadership to put on a Gala to raise money for eighty-seven shelties in dire circumstances.

Ellen, Sherry in the book, first met Mollie, a healthy, four-year old sheltie, at the request of her veterinarian. Mollie's owners scheduled her to be euthanized because she wouldn't obey their commands. The vet horrified by their request decided to find Mollie a new home. She knew Ellen loved shelties and hoped her family would adopt Mollie.When Ellen first brought Mollie home her family was shocked by her behavior. She hid and cowered in fear of them. Over time they would figure out that Mollie had been badly abused causing her fear of humans.Ellen wondered if Mollie would ever recover, but in time with much patience and understanding she became a beloved family member who was deeply cherished until her death.A great story especially for those who want to rescue.