Buttons - half sheep dog and half terrier - goes to live with a family on Christmas day. The mother is hearing-impaired, and one of the children is profoundly deaf. He and the little dog strike up an immediate rapport. The story is told through Button's eyes, so we hear that while the family is on holiday, he gets lost and is taken to an animal shelter. He misses the family very much, but is soon singled out as bright and teachable, and is, therefore, taken to the training centre for Hearing Dogs for the Deaf. The long arm of coincidence comes into full play when Buttons, now fully trained, arrives on his first family's doorstep to be their very own hearing dog. Never mind. If you can suspend disbelief, it is a good read, and one learns a great deal about training these very special dogs.