One Dog and His Boy — Eva Ibbotson

Hal is desperate for a dog. "Never!" cries his mother. "Think of the mess, the scratch marks, the puddles on the floor!" But on Hal's birthday, the unbelievable happens. He's allowed to choose a dog of his very own at Easy Pets. The moment he sees the white terrier with a fleck in one eye and a brown patch on his left ear, Hal knows he's found a friend for life. He names him Fleck, and boy and dog are inseparable.

What no one dares to tell Hal is that Easy Pets is a rent-a-pet agency. After the weekend is over, the happy-go-lucky terrier must be returned. When Hal comes home from school on Monday to find Fleck gone, he knows he must get his dog back. With the help of a girl named Pippa, Hal rescues Fleck. Running away is the only option, made trickier when Pippa announces that she and the other dogs at Easy Pets want to come along, too! Hal agrees because he knows all the dogs need good homes. Together, the canine crew makes a run for it, and in the adventure of a lifetime, they discover friendship, the love of all things dog, and the true meaning of home.