Good Boy, Achilles!

the long version

Good Boy, Achilles!, a work of about 33,000 words intended for eight- to ten-year olds, is based on the idea that, because we human beings are fallen and flawed, God has given dogs the task of helping us along. The story opens on a small farm somewhere in the Southeast, where a boy named Jeremy discovers that his family's dog, Ginger, has finally given birth to her long-awaited puppies. Ginger explains to her puppies that they must leave the farm for new homes where they will take care of their own humans, for that is the Father's plan. Jeremy's parents tell him that the family can afford only one dog, Ginger, and will have to give the puppies away. As the story progresses, however, Jeremy and his favorite puppy, Thunder, or, as Jeremy calls him, Achilles, become best friends, and Thunder comes to believe that he will remain on the farm as Jeremy's dog. Will he? On the way to finding out, he and Jeremy learn some basic Christian theology and some important life lessons.