Let’s face it, dogs are more than man’s best friend. And for these last days of summer, we’ve compiled a list of reads that are filled with the adventure, love, and friendships that come with having or knowing these amazing animals. So if you love playing fetch in the park or cuddling up with a pup, then you’ll love reading these “tails”—perfect for any dog lover.
You Can’t Keep a Good Dog Down
Pit Bull by Bronwen Dickey
When Bronwen Dickey brought her new dog home, she saw no traces of the infamous viciousness in her affectionate pit bull. Which made her wonder: How had the breed—beloved by Teddy Roosevelt and Helen Keller—come to be known as a brutal fighter? Dickey’s search for answers takes her from nineteenth-century New York dogfighting pits to early twentieth‑century movie sets, from the battlefields of Gettysburg to struggling urban neighborhoods, in an illuminating story of how a popular breed became demonized–and what role humans have played in the transformation.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Barking Up the Wrong Tree?
The Secret Language of Dogs by Victoria Stilwell
The star of Animal Planet’s It’s Me or the Dog Victoria Stilwell reveals how to both interpret and “speak” the hidden language of dogs in this fun and fascinating exploration of the inner world of dogs. This book is your guide to understanding your pooch, communicating effectively, strengthening your bond, and helping dogs learn in the most effective way possible so they feel confident navigating the human world with success.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Working Like a Dog
Through a Dog’s Eyes by Jennifer Arnold
A stirring, inspiring book with the power to change the way we understand and communicate with our dogs.
Few people are more qualified to speak about the abilities and potential of dogs than Jennifer Arnold, who for twenty years has trained service dogs for people with physical disabilities and special needs. Through her unique understanding of dogs’ intelligence, sensitivity, and extrasensory skills, Arnold has developed an exemplary training method that is based on kindness and encouragement rather than fear and submission, and her results are extraordinary.
Through a Dog’s Eyes will forever transform your relationship with your dog.
Running with the Big Dogs
Secret Service Dogs by Maria Goodavage
Wherever the president goes, there will be dogs. They’ll be there no matter what the country or state. They’ll be there regardless of the political climate, the danger level, the weather, or the hour.
Secret Service Dogs immerses readers into the heart of this elite world of canine teams who protect families, popes, and presidential candidates: the selection of dogs and handlers, their year-round training, their missions around the world, and, most important, the bond—the glue that holds the teams together and can mean the difference between finding bombs and terrorists or letting them slip by.
Love Me, Love My Dog
Dog Songs by Mary Oliver
Mary Oliver’s Dog Songs is a celebration of the special bond between human and dog, as understood through the poet’s relationships to the canines that have accompanied her daily walks, warmed her home, and inspired her work. Dog Songs includes poems of love and laughter, heartbreak and grief, with the many dogs of Oliver’s life as fellow travelers and as guides, uniquely able to open our eyes to the lessons of the moment and the joys of nature and connection.
Hot Doggin’
D’Arc by Robert Repino
For fans of Watership Down, Animal Farm, and The Empire Strikes Back comes D’Arc.
Housecat turned assassin, Mort(e), and canine heroine, Sheba, must battle a horde of amphibious creatures intent on exterminating mankind in Repino’s moving sci-fi epic—the second book in the War with No Name Series.
Click to Read an Excerpt.
Funny Bones
Lessons from a Dog by Patrick Moberg
They may slobber, but they’re loyal, sensitive, and affectionate. Dogs have a lot to teach us. Illustrator Patrick Moberg has assembled a beautiful, witty, and heartfelt collection of illustrated lessons in this charming guide to becoming a better person. The perfect gift for dog lovers, Lessons from a Dog is Life’s Little Instruction Book inspired by man’s best friend.
Click to Watch the Book Trailer.
