R. M. Ballantyne 
My Doggie And I 

The 1881 book My Doggie And I describes what happened to John Mellon after he encounters a particular small dog. John Mellon was almost a doctor in chapter one. One day when Mellon is out walking, a strange-looking animal comes sprinting toward him down the dirt path. As you must know by now, this dog finds a new home. The doctor and the puppy encounter several people whose lives are bound together by prior acquaintance with the same shaggy doggie through a series of remarkable coincidences. This book has a unique touch; it is a "feel-good" type of story that made me chuckle several times. Even though I was able to solve the small mystery without too much difficulty, it was still intriguing to see how everything turned out. The Mac Dougall family's hyperactive kids, Slider the street urchin, and the doggy himself are just a few of the wonderful characters in this story. The doggie also goes by three different names, depending on who is calling to him at the moment.