Courtney is an old and wise dog that three children bring home from the Dog's Home. He is the dog that nobody wants and definitely NOT the pedigree that the parents told the children to get.
Nevertheless, Courtney wins the hearts of the whole family through his many talents - cooking, cleaning and playing the violin amongst them.
One day Courtney vanishes and the children are especially disappointed. However, when on holiday and the children's dinghy drifts away, it is mysteriously pulled to shore. The implication is that Courtney is still watching over the family. He is not clearly visible but can be traced through careful scrunity of the illustrations.
This book is beautifully illustrated and the combination of these and the written text raises questions to ponder (if one chooses to). In my experience children love this book.