For decades, husband, father and dog lover Thomas Purcell served as a canine police officer, patrolling the often desolate and dark railway tracks of Upstate New York and Pennsylvania, awaiting thieves and violence with a dog as his only companion.

"I witnessed first hand the way a dog telegraphs his energy to me, yet also responds to mine," Purcell shares about this period in his life, "and because my life was saved more than once by my canine companion, I realized I had a unique ability to discover that communication energy that dogs use and how to harness it to help future owners learn how to coexist with their dogs better."

Indeed, in The Art of the Dog, Purcell reveals the story behind his eclectic pack of dogs over his years off of the force, many of whom he rescued, raised and trained to become the unforgettable adopted companions for people from all walks of life: families with children, the elderly, and folks new to dogs entirely.

But this is a book not simply about his proven training secrets, or even about Thomas Purcell himself, it's a book about coach and athlete, rescue and redemption--and the irrepressible will within each dog to triumph over comical misadventure, and at times, brutal circumstances.