Recommended Reads: Dogs

My goal in life is to be as good a person as my dog already thinks I am. -Unknown

For those of us who own dogs, there is nothing quite like that bond between human and animal. Whether it is your beloved pet dog or the ever-faithful guide dog, our lives are enriched by the presence of our wonderful canine partners. Literature is full of human/dog partnerships -- romance, mystery and suspense, humor or adventure -- you can always find stories that include dogs as major elements of the plot line. This bibliography features all types of fiction that incorporates dogs into the story in a meaningful way. Below are listed just a sampling of the numerous books, videos and magazine titles on this subject available from the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library.

Recorded cassette (RC), local studio produced titles (RCM), braille (BR) and large print (LT) are all available from the Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library. One described video (DV) and magazine (Cassette and braille) titles have also been included.  Please contact the library to order any of these materials.

Forever After by Catherine Anderson.
RC 47178, LT 6940
Meredith's abusive, mob-connected husband is dead, but Glenn, his father, wants custody of her four-year-old daughter, Sammy. Keeping one step ahead of Glenn leads Meredith to a small Oregon town. There she meets Sheriff Heath Masters and his "retired" police dog Goliath, who help her and Sammy heal. Some strong language and some descriptions of sex.

Timbuktu by Paul Auster.
RC 48519
Bestseller. Told from the dog's point of view, a story of boon companions: Mr. Bones, a devoted mutt, and Willy G. Christmas, a self-named, homeless, terminally ill writer. Willy's final wishes are to bequeath his literary endeavors to a former teacher and to find a new owner for Mr. Bones. Some strong language.

Susan Conant Mystery Series, including such titles as:

The Wicked Flea: A Dog Lover's Mystery
RCM00791
In Massachusetts, Holly Winters is writing a cookbook; but a failed relationship has her down. Even her two dogs, Rowdy and Kimi, can't cheer her up much. Her friend Cici tries to help by taking her to a park full of gorgeous dogs. When one of the owners is murdered, Holly tackles the mystery.

Gaits of Heaven: A Dog Lover's Mystery
RC64524, LT007235  
Cambridge obedience trainer Holly Winter helps dysfunctional therapists Ted and Eumie Green housebreak their mixed-breed pooch, Dolfo. When Eumie dies from an apparent overdose of various medications, Eumie's daughter Caprice suspects foul play. Holly probes the Greens' strange lifestyle to find a motive and a killer. Some strong language. 2006.

Ruffly Speaking: A Dog Lover's Mystery
RC041444  
Obsessed with dogs, Holly Winter owns two Alaskan malamutes, writes a column for "Dog's Life" magazine, and dates her dog's vet. When her fellow dog-lover Morris Lamb dies after eating poisonous greens from his garden, a female rector with a hearing dog moves into the house. Holly is surprised to learn that the rector's dog has been behaving oddly. Some strong language. 

Laurien Berenson Mystery Series, including such titles as:

Hair of the dog
RC062360
Amateur sleuth Melanie Travis attends her Aunt Peg's backyard barbeque, as does disreputable poodle handler Barry Turk. Barry is shot dead the next day. His girlfriend Alicia, the main suspect, asks Melanie for help. Other suspects include a rival dog owner -- and pregnant Alicia's show-judge husband.

Jingle bell bark.
RC059379
When her eight-year-old son's usual bus driver, Henry, is unexpectedly replaced just before the holidays, teacher and dedicated dog owner Melanie Travis checks on him and discovers he recently died under suspicious circumstances. Melanie brings Henry's two golden retrievers to her Aunt Peg, who's determined to solve the mystery

A pedigree to die for: a Melanie Travis mystery.
LT006641
Thinking her life could not be worse after a disastrous summer peaks with her uncle's death, Melanie Travis realizes that she is in for more trouble when the disappearance of her uncle's prize-winning poodle suggests that murder has taken place 

Lives of the Monster Dogs by Kirsten Bakis.
RC 45988
In 1882 a Prussian biologist develops a race of intrepid "dog soldiers," who walk upright and speak. The scientist and his dogs flee to a compound in Canada from which the dogs escape to New York in the year 2008. A young reporter joins the dog colony and uncovers their bizarre secrets. Violence.

Must Love Dogs by Claire Cook.
RC 56004
At the urging of her large family, forty-year-old divorced preschool teacher Sarah Hurlihy turns to the personal ads to find a date. When the first guy turns out to be her own father, she figures things can only get worse, until she borrows her brother's dog as bait. Some strong language.

Crazy for You by Jennifer Crusie.
RC 48574, BR 12227, LT 141
Art teacher Quinn is bored, but her live-in boyfriend Bill, the high school coach, is happy and wants to marry. After Quinn adopts a stray dog against Bill's wishes, she moves out, buys a house, and tries to seduce her ex-brother-in-law. Bill, however, can't let go. Strong language and explicit descriptions of sex.

Roll Over and Play Dead by Joan Hess.
RC 52701
Bookstore owner Claire Malloy and her teenage daughter, Caron, reluctantly agree to pet-sit a pair of basset hounds. But when the dogs and other neighborhood pets disappear, Claire suspects that animal dealer Newton Churls is selling them for laboratory experiments.

Sweetwater Creek by Anne Rivers Siddons.
RC 61159, LT 5197
Bestseller. Twelve-year-old Emily Parmenter lives on a plantation where her father raises hunting spaniels and her only friends are her dog and the wise black housekeeper. When troubled debutante Lulu Foxworth moves in to recuperate, Emily grows up too fast. Some descriptions of sex and some strong language.

Rhubarb by Craig Silvey.
RCM 925
In process. Freemantle, Australia. Eleanor Rigby, with her overprotective guide dog Warren, navigates through life, feeling that perhaps she is going nowhere. Until she meets reclusive cellist, Ewan Dempsey.  Gradually, these two somewhat damaged people reach out to each other and manage to connect. Strong language and explicit descriptions of sex.

Code Name: Baby by Christina Skye.
RC 62525, LT 5853
A rogue agent escapes from a laboratory and targets New Mexico dog trainer Kit O'Halloran, who conditions government service animals. Bionically enhanced Navy SEAL Wolfe Houston arrives to protect Kit and her canines, including a puppy named Baby. Some explicit descriptions of sex, some violence, and some strong language.

The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz.
RC 65227, LT 8094
Southern California. Amy Redwing's personal mission is to rescue abandoned and endangered golden retrievers, including the rambunctious Nickie. Widower Brian McCarthy suspects that Amy is hiding something. Things turn uncanny when someone begins stalking Amy and her charges. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller. 2007.

Salt City Blues by Barbara Block.
RC 62358
Robin Light moonlights as a bartender to keep her Syracuse pet store solvent. Teen Freddy Sanchez tries to fence goods in the bar and is later killed. Freddy's expensive dog intrigues Robin, who investigates his death but can't prevent another murder. Strong language and some violence.

Play Dead: An Andy Carpenter Mystery by David Rosenfelt.
RC 65449, LT 7788
Karen Evans recognizes New Jersey attorney Andy Carpenter's newly adopted golden retriever Yogi as the dog that once belonged to her brother Richard. Richard was convicted of killing his fiancee, Stacy Harriman, during a boat trip five years ago. Yogi, a witness, helps Andy try to exonerate Richard. 2007.

Watchers by Dean Koontz.
RC 25982
Bestseller. Travis Cornell finds a super-intelligent retriever with uncanny powers who tells how he and a vile creature were created in secret government experiments. The plot includes a romance and a psycho killer hired by Soviet spies. Strong language, violence, and some descriptions of sex.

Call of the Wild by Jack London.
RC 49486, BR 12582, LT 581
Buck, a St. Bernard, is stolen and trained to be a sled dog in the Alaska gold fields. Abused by both men and dogs, Buck learns to fight ruthlessly until he finds in John Thornton a master he loves and respects. First published in 1903. Also available as described video DV000298, Rated PG, 106 Min.

Guys and Dogs by Elaine Fox.
RC 62635
Megan Rose returns to Fredericksburg, Virginia, to take over her father's veterinary practice. When a puppy invades Megan's house she returns him to the address on his tag -- that of British software billionaire Sutter Foley. Sutter hates dogs but falls for Megan. Explicit descriptions of sex and some strong language.

A Dog's Life by Peter Mayle.
RC 44236, BR 10858, LT 2759
Bestseller. The author of "A Year in Provence" presents the autobiography of the "mutt" Boy, who was abandoned at an early age by his mother, mistreated  by his master, and eventually adopted by the Mayles. Boy tells how he learned to please and manipulate "the management" and mixes a lighthearted account of  his adventures with advice on dealing with the human species.

Give a Dog a Name by Gerald Hammond.
RC 39920
When John Cunningham and Isobel, his partner, return to Three Oaks from a dog trial, his wife, Beth, and Arthur Lansdyke, a businessman whose dog is full of buckshot, are waiting to greet them. They work on removing the buckshot, and Isobel and the Cunninghams discover something unusual. Then their own dog is kidnapped and an imposter is put in her place. Some strong language.

Dog Days by Mavis Cheek.
RC 34959
For Patricia Murray neither the challenge of single parenthood nor the adjustment to her resusitated social life is any match for the pitfalls of owning a dog. Brian, a mongrel dog, is a dummy, content to slobber about the house, until the day he destroys the neighbor's pet rabbit and endangers his own life.

Murder on the Idiarod Trail by Sue Henry.
RC 55480, BR 10307
Critical injuries are rare during the Iditarod dogsled race, but on "day two" musher George Koptak is found dead. While Alaska state trooper Alex Jensen is investigating, he learns that another contestant has died. Now Jensen turns to contestant Jessie Arnold for help. Violence and strong language.

Eight Below.
DV000916
Described VIDEO. An American geologist flies to Antarctica to participate in a project at a U.S. Research Base. Once there, he teams up with arctic guide Jerry Shepard and his best friend, Cooper. The scientist soon discovers that Shepard also has eight other valuable friends, a pack of sled dogs he's worked with for years who have rescued him from a number of tight spots. As the three men explore a frozen mountain region, an unexpected accident coupled with a massive storm front forces them to fly to safety, leaving the dogs behind. Shepard is determined to rescue his canine friends, but he has to wait until the weather will allow him to travel back to the mountain. Now, the dogs must struggle against the elements to survive as they attempt to make their way back home. MPAA Rating. PG. Parental guidance suggested. 

Your Dog Magazine
Available on cassette and in braille.
This monthly from the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University covers new products for dogs, and discusses canine behavior, health, medicine, and dentistry.