Tawny by Thomas C. Hinkle

Tawny was considered an outlaw from the day he was born. With a price of one thousand dollars on his golden hide, he was hunted more relentlessly than any timber wolf on the range.

Running, dodging, hiding—the handsome, crafty dog escaped the guns and lariats, the poison and traps set to ensnare him. But Tom Harper, the range boy, was Tawny's friend.

Tom and Tawny loved and trusted each other, and though it nearly cost their lives, they finally proved to the cow country that Tawny was not a born killer, but born a gentleman.