Twelve-year-old Jessie is in for a long summer at her aunt and uncle's
house. Her cousin Ann has a snotty new best friend, which leaves Jessie
all alone. But Jessie is industrious, and--not content with being
ignored all summer--she convinces Wes, a grouchy neighborhood dog
walker, to take her on as his apprentice.
Sure, dog walking turns out to be harder than she expected, but she has
Wes's dog-walking code, the Rules of the Ruff, to guide her, and soon
she's wrangling her very own pack. But when a charismatic rival dog
walker moves to town, she quickly snatches up most of Wes's
business--and Jessie decides she isn't going to take this defeat with
her tail between her legs.