A new year means new opportunities, new challenges, new hopes…and new books! Animal behaviorist-turned-novelist Patricia McConnell joins the show today to discuss her forthcoming book, Away to Me. A murder mystery set in the world of sheepdog trials, Away to Me is part detective novel, part James Herriot essay, full of suspense and canines in equal measure. And the best part? None of the dogs die! Tune in to learn more about what is sure to be one of the best reads of 2026!
Away to Me marks a unique departure for Patricia whose celebrated nonfiction works on dog training have been read by hundreds of thousands of dog owners. A former adjunct professor in Zoology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Patricia’s nationally syndicated radio show, ‘Calling All Pets,’ played in more than 110 cities for 14 years and her television show ‘Petline’ aired on Animal Planet for two and a half years.
Inspired by Patricia’s own life in rural Wisconsin raising and training Border collies, Away to Me is a vivid, immersive mystery novel that follows a young dog trainer in a small community heavily impacted by a shocking murder. When trainer Maddie is called in by the local shelter to rehabilitate a traumatized German shepherd, it is revealed that the murder and the case of the abandoned shepherd are shockingly intertwined. Called “All Creatures Great & Small meets Agatha Christie” by Sy Montgomery, New York Times bestselling author of The Soul of an Octopus, Away to Me beautifully blends immersive nature writing and taunt suspense in a canine-fueled mystery that dog lovers won’t be able to put down.
Resources:
Podcasts:
YFD 63: Dr. Patricia McConnell on Trauma in Dogs
YFD 68: The Lighter Side of Dog Training with Dr. Patricia McConnell
Video:
Talk at Google: “The Not So Secret Life of Dogs,” by Patricia McConnell
Books:
Away to Me by Patricia McConnell
The Other End of the Leash by Patricia McConnell
