Jan

Jan's welcome at the police barracks in Regina brings a friendly hound into a world of competing loyalties. A. J. Dawson begins this animal adventure by tracing Jan's origins through Finn, an Irish wolfhound, and Lady Desdemona, a bloodhound. Finn returns from Australia to Nuthill, a home near the South Downs, where his attachment to the Master and his trust in Betty Murdoch shape the household scenes. His memories of earlier hardships give his watchful manners a history.

At the barracks, Jan becomes a favourite with Dick Vaughan's division because of his obedience and affectionate nature. Sergeant Moore and his dog Sourdough respond with hostility, while Dick asks the men to help prevent a fight. The novel gives its dogs individual habits and temperaments, making their relationships as important as those of the people around them. Readers of animal fiction will find domestic companionship set beside the rivalry and discipline of barracks life.