National Dog Month: Everything Dogs

By:  Stephanie Morrissette

Man’s best friend is celebrated every year in August. Dogs provide unlimited joy and companionship, wagging tails, and wet kisses. I can remember all the dogs that have blessed my life throughout the years, and I thought we all should give our thanks to our furry friends.

CDPL currently has a book display on “Everything Dogs.” Come in and check out our wide selection of titles, both fiction and non-fiction. If you prefer to study dogs in depth, we have books just for you. By far my favorite non-fiction book is You Had Me at Woof: How Dogs Taught Me the Secrets of Happiness by Julie Klam (615.8 Kla). In this read, the author explains how a rescue dog saved her life, and her desire to continue to help with dog rescues to remember her lost companion with love.

To learn how prisoners have trained dogs for various purposes, try Puppies Behind Bars: Training Puppies to Change Lives by Christopher Makos (636.7 Mak). Not only do the puppies learn, but the inmates learn too, what it means to care for, and love, an animal. These dogs are given the opportunity to form bonds with humans and change the lives of those they encounter. Or, if you prefer reads about pit bulls, read I’m a Good Dog: Pit Bulls, America’s Most Beautiful (and Misunderstood) Pet by Ken Foster (636.755 Fos).

Two great picture books are Peanut Butter Dogs by Greg Murray (636.70022 Mur) and Underwater Dogs by Seth Casteel (779.329 Cas). These books will make you laugh at all the silly faces dogs make when just being dogs. The color images add a real-life look at dogs being themselves.

If you would like to read about how military dogs have helped our soldiers, check out Unconditional Honor: Wounded Warriors and Their Dogs by Cathy Scott (362.4 Sco), or No Better Friend: One Man, One Dog, and Their Extraordinary Story of Courage and Survival in WWII by Robert Weintraub (355.424 Wei). More great options include From Baghdad to America: Life Lessons from a Dog Named Lava by Jay Kopelman (956.7044 Kop) and Dog Heroes of September 11th by Nona Bauer (636.7 Bau).

Some classic dog books include Rin Tin Tin: Life and Legend by Susan Orlean (636.737 Orl) and Lassie by Eric Knight (j FIC Kni). There is also How Stella Learned to Talk by Christina Hunger (591.59 Hun). If you are interested in breed standards or specific information, we have The Dog Encyclopedia (636.7 Dog), Kennel Club’s Illustrated Breed Standards (636.71 Ken), and The New Complete Dog Book: Official Breed Standards and Profiles for over 200 Breeds (636.7 New).

We have fiction titles too, that may suit your love of dogs. A popular title is A Dog’s Purpose by Bruce Cameron (FIC Cam). Cameron also wrote A Dog’s Way Home (FIC Cam), A Dog’s Promise (FIC Cam), and A Dog’s Courage (FIC Cam). Additionally, we have popular titles such as Call of the Wild by Jack London (FIC Lon) – a classic of course – and The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein (FIC Ste).

So, for everything dogs, stop by the second-floor reference desk and check out our display. There is something for everyone when it comes to dogs, so let’s celebrate our best friends with fresh reads. Happy National Dog Month Mont. Co!

CDPL is open Monday through Thursday from 9 am to 9 pm; Fridays and Saturdays from 9 am to 5 pm and on Sundays from 1 pm to 5 pm.

-Stephanie Morrissette is an avid naturalist and is a Library Assistant at the Reference and Local History Department at CDPL.