Books

Only The New Yorker could fetch such an unbelievable roster of talent on the subject of man’s best friend.

This copious collection, beautifully illustrated, features articles, fiction, humor, poems, cartoons, cover art, drafts, and drawings from the magazine’s archives. The roster of contributors includes John Cheever, Susan Orlean, Roddy Doyle, Ian Frazier, Arthur Miller, John Updike, Roald Dahl, E. B. White, A. J. Liebling, Alexandra Fuller, Jerome Groopman, Jeffrey Toobin, T. Coraghessan Boyle, Ogden Nash, Donald Barthelme, Jonathan Lethem, Mark Strand, Anne Sexton, and Cathleen Schine. Complete with a Foreword by Malcolm Gladwell and a new essay by Adam Gopnik on the immortal canines of James Thurber, this gorgeous keepsake is a gift to dog lovers everywhere from the greatest magazine in the world.

“A thoroughly enjoyable story of heroism and true friendship” (Publishers Weekly, starred review), this is the true account of a German shepherd who was adopted by the Royal Air Force during World War II, flying countless combat missions and ultimately saving the life of his owner and dearest friend.

In the winter of 1939, in the cold snow of no-man’s-land, two loners met and began an extraordinary journey that would turn them into lifelong friends. One was an orphaned puppy, abandoned by his owners as they fled Nazi forces. The other was a different kind of lost soul—a Czech airman bound for the Royal Air Force and the country that he would come to call home.

Airman Robert Bozdech stumbled across the tiny German shepherd—whom he named Ant—after being shot down on a daring mission over enemy lines. Unable to desert the puppy, Robert hid Ant inside his jacket as he escaped. In the months that followed, the pair would save each other’s lives countless times as they flew together with RAF Bomber Command. Finally grounded after being injured on a flight mission, Ant refused to abandon his duty, and refusing food and sleep until they were reunited. By the end of the war, Robert and Ant had become true war heroes, and Ant was justly awarded the Dickin Medal, the “Animal VC.”

With beautiful vintage black-and-white photos of Robert and Ant, The Dog Who Could Fly is a deeply moving story of loyalty in the face of adversity and the unshakable bond between a man and his best friend.

The uproarious true adventures of a dog who doesn’t understand that he’s a dog ― and the boy who loved him. Funny, heartwarming, and true, this is a classic story of a very imaginative kid and one very unusual dog.

Funny and poignant, The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be is a lively portrait of an unorthodox childhood and an unforgettable friendship. Growing up in on the frontier of Saskatoon, Canada, the legendary adventurer and naturalist, Farley Mowat, received a gift from his mom: a dog she bought for four cents. Farley quickly named him “Mutt.”

Mutt displayed skills at hunting and retrieving that were either pure genius or just plain crazy ― once going so far as to retrieve a plucked and trussed ruffed grouse from the grocer. Mutt also loved riding passenger in an open car wearing goggles and climbing both trees and ladders ― the perfect companion for a child with a love for animals and misadventures.

Originally published for young people, this is a memoir by the author Never Cry Wolf that will delight dog lovers of all ages.

The Found Dogs follows up on the New York Times bestseller The Lost Dogs which chronicled the abuse of 51 pit bulls taken from Michael Vick’s dogfighting operation, and the heroic attempts to rescue and rehabilitate them. Scarred and scared and initially bound to be euthanized, the dogs were saved by a fearless team of advocates who fought for their rights and futures. Now, on the tenth anniversary of the bust, The Lost Dogs author Jim Gorant picks up their stories where he left off, tracking the striving and thriving, trials and triumphs, and happiness and heartbreaks that have characterized their lives. The Found Dogs brings the story of The Lost Dogs full circle.

Read our article: Last of the Vick Dogs Crosses Rainbow Bridge

The perfect gift for dog lovers and readers of Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz—this New York Times bestseller offers mesmerizing insights into the thoughts and lives of our smartest and most beloved pets.

Does your dog feel guilt? Is she pretending she can’t hear you? Does she want affection—or just your sandwich? In their New York Times bestselling book Th­e Genius of Dogs, husband and wife team Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods lay out landmark discoveries from the Duke Canine Cognition Center and other research facilities around the world to reveal how your dog thinks and how we humans can have even deeper relationships with our best four-legged friends.

Breakthroughs in cognitive science have proven dogs have a kind of genius for getting along with people that is unique in the animal kingdom. This dog genius revolution is transforming how we live and work with dogs of all breeds, and what it means for you in your daily life with your canine friend.

The Other End of the Leash shares a revolutionary, new perspective on our relationship with dogs, focusing on our behavior in comparison with that of dogs. An applied animal behaviorist and dog trainer with more than twenty years experience, Dr. Patricia McConnell looks at humans as just another interesting species, and muses about why we behave the way we do around our dogs, how dogs might interpret our behavior, and how to interact with our dogs in ways that bring out the best in our four-legged friends.

After all, although humans and dogs share a remarkable relationship that is unique in the animal world, we are still two entirely different species, each shaped by our individual evolutionary heritage. Quite simply, humans are primates and dogs are canids (like wolves, coyotes, and foxes). Since we each speak a different native tongue, a lot gets lost in the translation.

Just as she’s struggling to accept her brother’s leukemia diagnosis, Barby Keel faces another disruption in her life: a boisterous, large-hearted Irish Wolfhound puppy named Teddy. Can the love of a gentle giant help Barby through the unimaginable? And will Barby’s unwavering devotion set Teddy free from the suffering he has endured?

The heart-tugging true story of an abandoned puppy named Teddy and the devoted animal rescuer who took him in, showed him love, and–against all odds–found him a home…

He was delivered on her doorstep like a present: a frightened, straggly-haired puppy inside a large cardboard box. As owner of an animal shelter, Barby Keel had seen plenty of abandoned animals. But there was something extra special about this one. With his oversized paws, long legs, and awkward gait, he was bigger than most puppies but a big softie at heart. He was so sweet and cuddly, Barby named him Teddy, like a Teddy bear. But finding this Teddy a home would be no picnic…

The first family that adopted Teddy returned him 24 hours later. They said he chewed up everything and cried all night long. The second family returned him after a month. Why? Teddy refused to be housebroken. Over the next few weeks, Barby devoted herself to the unruly pup. Soon, he was settling into the sanctuary, playing with the other animals, even rescuing a baby chick. But every night, Teddy reverted back to being a scared little puppy. With Barby’s loving care–and a lot of patience–he slowly began to overcome his fears. And as the two grew closer, Barby began to wonder if Teddy had already found his forever home–with her…

Filled with beautiful life lessons in unconditional love, mutual trust, and unshakable devotion, Teddy’s story is sure to find a special place in every animal lover’s heart.

As a National Geographic photographer, traveling the world to capture the beauty of lions, tigers, and bears was a regular day’s work for Vincent Musi. All that changed when his son turned sixteen and he was inspired to try something different; to cultivate his roots at home and open a hometown studio to photograph dogs.

The result is The Year of the Dogs; over 100 one-of-a-kind dogs from Musi’s year in the studio matched with witty dogographies gleaned from his time spent with each subject. From a Labrador that likes opera to a kleptomaniac miniature golden doodle, and a lovable one-eyed Jack Russell to a farting bulldog, Musi captures the unique character and personality of these everyday dogs with 190 evocative images and a gently comic mash-up of his own personal life experiences. Presented in an elegant package that showcases the vitality of Musi’s photos, The Year of the Dogs will be the perfect gift book for dog lovers that they will return to again and again.

Available from Barnes and Noble.

You can see a selection of Musi’s incredible dog portraits in our article: Award-Winning Wildlife Photographer Trains His Lens On Dogs For Eye-Popping Portraits

What is it like to be a puppy? Author of the classic Inside of a Dog, Alexandra Horowitz tries to find out, spending a year scrutinizing her puppy’s daily existence and poring over the science of early dog development

Few of us meet our dogs at Day One. The dog who will, eventually, become an integral part of our family, our constant companion and best friend, is born without us into a family of her own. A puppy’s critical early development into the dog we come to know is usually missed entirely. Dog researcher Alexandra Horowitz aimed to change that with her family’s new pup, Quiddity (Quid). In this scientific memoir, she charts Quid’s growth from wee grub to boisterous sprite, from her birth to her first birthday.

“What Mr. Rogers was to children, Alexandra Horowitz is to dogs: a wise and patient observer who seeks to intimately know a creature… Her chapters, packed with close observations about canine cognition and behavior, are mini-mood lifters.” —NPR, Maureen Corrigan on Fresh Air

An instant New York Times bestseller, Thunder Dog tells the true story of a blind man, his guide dog, and the life-changing power of faith and trust in the face of terror.

When one of four hijacked planes flew into the World Trade Center’s North Tower on September 11, 2001, Michael Hingson, a district sales manager for a data protection and network security systems company, was sitting down for a meeting. His guide dog, Roselle, was at his feet.

Blind from birth, Michael could hear the sounds of shattering glass, falling debris, and terrified people flooding all around him. But Roselle sat calmly beside him. In that moment, Michael chose to trust Roselle’s judgment and not to panic. They were a team.

As you relive that fateful day in September 2001 alongside Michael and Roselle, you’ll learn:

The ways that grief and loss can lead the way for change
How the rare trust between a man and his guide dog can inspire your own unshakeable faith
The healing power of telling your own story

“Hope taught me the meaning of life, Tina taught me the meaning of love.”

It’s not everyday you meet a golden retriever in Thailand.

When Niall Harbison came across a dog shackled to a short chain and in a poor state of health something reminded him of his personal battle with addiction. He knew he had to rescue her immediately – golden retrievers are rare in Thailand – but there was just something about this dog in particular that told him she was destined for more.

He named her Tina, and what she did next is an incredible tale of survival, hope and love. Despite her terrible treatment at the hands of humans, she refused to distrust them or feel sorry for herself, and only opened her heart wider – always with a grin (yes dogs can smile) and a reassuring wag of her shaggy yellow tail.

From the minute Tina was free of her chains, she got on with what needed to be done, inspiring a dog hospital to be built and named after her and helping dogs from all over the world – whether they’re street dogs from Thailand or rescue pups in Montana. The movement behind Tina has not stopped.

This is her story.