Dog Lives In Kennel Entire Life

This is a YA type of book, which I read back in the 1970s. The story starts with a family going on a trip, but they board their new puppy in a kennel. The owners never come back to pick him up (the father dies in a car crash) and the dog lives his entire life in the kennel.

He meets other dogs as they come and go.

It's a sad story, supposedly based upon truth, and I don't think I want to reread it, but I'm going nuts trying to find it. The dog is a Setter, I think, and it was illustrated. The name was something simple like "The Tenant".

I wishlist that as it's been asked before and sounds interesting, though sad, to read. Here it is:

Gene Smith, The Visitor
The visitor by Gene Smith (1971). When his master dies, Sassafras, an Irish setter, becomes a permanent resident of a kennel.

Ted Lewin (one of my favourite illustrators) did the illustrations. The hardcover is 41 p. New York : Cowles Book Company, Inc., 1971. ISBN 0402140168. It was also published in paperback, A Yearling Book/ Dell Publishing Co Inc., 1975.

A few internal pictures can be seen here. Unfortunately the book is expensive secondhand.

Thank you, bookel. That one had been bothering me for quite some time!

EDIT: it is available on abebooks.com for $30.00 if that interests you.

If you add shipping, it is US$55. A tad expensive to me! :) I'll wait for a cheaper copy, or hope one comes up on BookMooch.

I'm glad it solved your query anyway. From what I read of the excerpt, it does indeed sound like a good story, and I love the detailed, realistic illustrations.