The Best Books about Dogs

By Suzanne Alicie

Those of us who love animals and dogs in particular often enjoy reading about them as well. When you think of great books about dogs you may picture children’s books such as Clifford the Big Red Dog or The Incredible Journey, but there are many books about dogs that are wonderful reads for adults.

Chicken Soup for the Soul: What I Learned from the Dog/101Stories about Life, Love and Lessons is an amazingly heartwarming book with essays that will make you laugh and cry, and make you realize just how many things we can learn from our canine family members.

Merle’s Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog is a heartwarming story about the author and his dog Merle, and how they came together despite Merle’s freethinking ways. This book is a great look into the relationships between humans and dogs.

The Art of Racing in the Rain explores all the things that humans do from a dog’s point of view. It’s much more than a story about a dog though. The Art of Racing in the Rain tells of a race car driver and his dog, but goes on to detail the family that follows and the companionship that a dog named Enzo offers to them all.

A Dog’s Purpose: A Novel for Humans is a book that you will need a few tissues to read. It’s a touching and love-filled story that explores all the ways trust can be broken and rebuilt between humans and dogs. We’ve all heard that cats have nine lives, but do dogs also have second, third and fourth chances to find the right human to love them, to find their purpose in the lives of their families? It’s sure nice to think so.

Dog Tags tells the fictional story of an Iraqi war veteran and former policeman turned criminal who puts the very life of his German Shepherd partner on the line with his criminal activities. A dog loving lawyer decides to represent Milo (the dog) who ends up being quite helpful in a much larger case. Sometimes you have to stand up for what you love, and Andrew loves dogs.

While many dog stories and books are targeted to younger readers, adults can always learn a thing or two from dogs, no matter how simplistic the story may be. Some of the classics you may have read as a child will take on a whole new meaning when you read them as an adult. Stories such as Where the Red Fern Grows, Old Yeller and Call of the Wild have much deeper insights into a dog’s life than we realized when we read them as children. People can learn a lot from dogs. Things like unconditional love, compassion, simplicity, and the joy of playing in the sunshine are all things that dogs can teach us along with responsibility, nurturing and even how to let go as our children grow up.

What are some of your favorite dog books? There are hundreds of books about the wonders of canines and how they fit into our lives, how they enrich our lives and teach us to be better humans because we love our dogs. Each of the books in this post is available on Amazon and most other major retailers. Why not make a shopping list of dog books for your winter reading this year? Stock up on your favorite snacks and plenty of CANIDAE Tid-Nips treats for your four-legged friend, and enjoy staying indoors as the weather cools. There’s just nothing like reading a good book in front of the fire with a dog curled up at your feet!

Read more articles by Suzanne Alicie