A novel about the bond between a farmer and his black-and-white border collie that James Herriot called “beautiful [and] as gripping as any thriller.” On Christmas Day, Virginia livestock farmer Lewis Burkholder and Nop, his black-and-white border collie, go out to feed the sheep. But the holiday is shattered when Nop fails to return home. Stolen by two hardened criminals who see in the young stock dog a $300 payday, Nop suffers abuse and brutality as he courageously adapts to his new life, which holds no shortage of surprises. At the same time, Lewis refuses to believe that his beloved dog is gone for good. His determination to be reunited with Nop—and Nop’s own unswerving loyalty—reveals the depth and strength of the bond that can exist between humans and dogs.

The story of a farmer, Lewis Burkholder, and his young Border Collie, Nop. When Nop is stolen, he embarks on an ordeal of peril and hardship and survives only through courage.

A young widow travels the competition circuit with her border collie in this novel by the author of Nop’s Trials, “a great writer” (James Herriot). After her husband and daughter are killed in a car accident, Penny Burkeholder leaves her Shenandoah Valley home with her eighteen-month-old border collie, Hope, the only friend she has left in the world. Together, they make their way across the country in a battered pickup, earning money by doing ranch work and competing in sheepdog trials. One dream keeps the grieving young widow going: to compete at the national finals in Wyoming and turn Hope into a winner. Filled with fascinating detail about sheepdog trials and the uncanny closeness that develops between canine and human team members, Nop’s Hope evokes the quiet beauty of the back roads and ranches of the American West and brings to life unforgettable characters, both human and canine, including Hope’s sire, Nop.

The bestselling author of Nop’s Trials presents the true story of his search for the perfect sheepdog In April of 1988, Donald McCaig traveled to Scotland to buy a young, well-bred female sheepdog to raise and train for use on his three-hundred-acre Virginia farm. He knew exactly what he wanted: a Scottish border collie, considered the best sheepdog in the world because the breed is hardworking, smart, strong, and fast, with unique personalities. McCaig attends dog trials and meets numerous trainers, fellow shepherds, and top handlers before he finally finds Gael. From his heartfelt prayers that Gael will pass her eye exam to his faithful sheepdog Pip’s reaction to the new bitch on the farm, Eminent Dogs, Dangerous Men chronicles McCaig’s journey through the Scottish highlands, where border collies have been bred since the seventeenth century, and illuminates the ennobling bond between humans and dogs. This ebook contains sixteen pages of photos.