One woman's journey into the heart of a dog crisis

Soon after Jacki Skole brought home an eight-week-old puppy from a New Jersey rescue organization, she wondered how such a young animal could have so many idiosyncrasies-so she set out to find an answer. Dogland, an extraordinary mix of memoir and investigative journalism, follows Skole's journey to trace the origins of her newest family member.

Along the way, Skole interviewed dozens who work in the world of animal rescue-from shelter managers to animal rights activists-taking readers from dilapidated county-run shelters in the...