# Friends, Dopers, CountryPeeps, share your favorite dog & Cat books **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 7, 2008, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707 "2008-11-07T20:15:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2008, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/1 "2008-11-07T20:15:11Z")
I am a complete suck for animal stories. Dogs, cats, horses, pigs, whatever. I’ve read most of [Herriot’s Dog and Cat stories](http://www.amazon.com/James-Herriots-Dog-Stories-Wonderful/dp/0312364520/ref=pd_bbs_sr_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226088391&sr=8-11) and thoroughly lurved [The Good, Good Pig](http://www.amazon.com/Good-Pig-Extraordinary-Christopher-Hogwood/dp/0345496094/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226088450&sr=1-1) and adored[Horses in my Life](http://www.amazon.com/Horses-My-Life-Monty-Roberts/dp/1570763232/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226088546&sr=1-9). I’m in a warm and sappy mood this fall and want to expand my animal book reading library. Presently I am skimming [Dogs that know when their owners are coming home](http://www.amazon.com/Dogs-That-Their-Owners-Coming/dp/0609805339/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226088774&sr=8-1). It is more scientific research on the phenomenon of how some pets (not limited to dogs.) know when their owners are coming home. I expected More Stories and not so much Research Mumbo Jumbo. The stories are too brief and not enough. I’m all ears. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2008, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/2 "2008-11-07T22:15:15Z")
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**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/3 "2008-11-08T01:26:42Z")
[Nop’s Trials](http://www.amazon.com/Nops-Trials-Novel-Donald-McCaig/dp/159921136X) ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/4 "2008-11-08T02:02:24Z")
Oooh. Looks interesting! ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/5 "2008-11-08T02:43:10Z")
As a youngster I was quite besotted with [Albert Payson Terhune’s](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Payson_Terhune) numerous [collie-worshipping tales](http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=Albert+Payson+Terhune&x=17&y=16). It’s possible you might find them a bit dated. Not too mention absurdly collie-centric ;). I used to gobble up animal fiction when I was a kid, but I’m temporarily blanking on most of the titles. The _abandoned young animal adopted, raised and then regrettfully released back into the wild_, was a favorite genre and there were numerous examples. I assume you’ve read the famous raccoon stories, like Rascal and Frosty, A Raccoon to Remember? Probably finished that phase in my early teens, hence my balky memory now. ---
**Author:** ![Momofgirls](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/momofgirls/32/21798_2.png) [@Momofgirls](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Momofgirls)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/6 "2008-11-08T04:45:44Z")
Have you read [Marley and Me](http://www.amazon.com/Marley-Me-Life-Worlds-Worst/dp/0060817097/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226119455&sr=1-1v)? ---
**Author:** ![hocow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hocow/32/4112_2.png) [@hocow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hocow)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/7 "2008-11-08T05:00:51Z")
> [@Momofgirls](#): > > Have you read [Marley and Me](http://www.amazon.com/Marley-Me-Life-Worlds-Worst/dp/0060817097/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226119455&sr=1-1v)? I was coming in to mention this. Adorable book, and Marley reminds me of my own pup. ---
**Author:** ![Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Harvey\_The\_Heavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harvey_The_Heavy)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/8 "2008-11-08T12:37:23Z")
For comic relief there’s [Why Cats Paint](http://www.amazon.com/Why-Cats-Paint-Theory-Aesthetics/dp/1580087930/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226147691&sr=1-1). ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/9 "2008-11-08T13:32:45Z")
These are good! Keep them coming! ---
**Author:** ![Walpurgis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Walpurgis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walpurgis)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2008, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/10 "2008-11-08T23:51:28Z")
[Dogsbody](http://www.amazon.com/reader/0064410382?_encoding=UTF8&ref_=sib_dp_pt#reader-link) by Diana Wynne Jones is my all-time favourite. ---
**Author:** ![Proudest\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/proudest_monkey/32/13257_2.png) [@Proudest\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Proudest_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2008, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/11 "2008-11-09T00:09:16Z")
**The Incredible Journey** by Sheila Burnford **The Tenth Good Thing About Barney** by Judith Viorst **Upchuck and the Rotten Willy** by Bill Wallace All “kid” books. All completely affecting and real, moving and poignant and unforgetable. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2008, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/12 "2008-11-09T01:11:12Z")
If you love dog stories you **must** read Farley Mowat’s [The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be](http://www.amazon.com/Dog-Who-Wouldnt-Be/dp/0553279289/ref=sr_1_4/192-5898623-5351025?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226192953&sr=8-4). It’s a memoir about a budding naturalist and his growing up with an eccentric dog. Whether Mowat is correct to think that the dog was mentally scarred by being carried with a basket of ducks (and much put upon thereby) or not doesn’t matter. It’s grand fun, and I recommend it highly to anyone who loves dogs. ETA: For generally good dog stories, you should also look into the works of Jim Kjelgaard. He’s most famous for his Irish Setter trilogy, starting with [Big Red](http://www.amazon.com/Big-Red-Jim-Kjelgaard/dp/0553154346/ref=sr_1_1/181-5783542-3634920?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226193127&sr=1-1), but he did a number of other books as well. Generally considered children’s books, but they worked for me. I’d also suggest Jack London’s [White Fang](http://www.amazon.com/White-Fang-Scholastic-Classics-London/dp/0439236193/ref=sr_1_1/187-5872091-6230541?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226193285&sr=1-1) a sort of companion book to The Call of the Wild, where the wild canine becomes tamed. ---
**Author:** ![yams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/848f3c/32.png) [@yams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yams)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2008, 7:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/13 "2008-11-09T07:38:27Z")
[A Snowflake in My Hand](http://www.amazon.com/Snowflake-My-Hand-Samantha-Mooney/dp/0385297211) by Samantha Mooney. About a lady and the cats she meets while working on the oncology floor of an animal hospital. Very, very, very sad, but incredibly good at the same time. love yams!! ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2008, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/14 "2008-11-09T13:33:36Z")
Owls in the Family, by Farley Mowat ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2008, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/15 "2008-11-09T13:39:56Z")
Pratchett & Jollife’s _The Unadulterated Cat_ ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2008, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/16 "2008-11-09T13:44:57Z")
_Sirius_, by Olaf Stapledon. Heart-warming; if you have small children, you should read it to them. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2008, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/17 "2008-11-09T23:49:11Z")
> [@OtakuLoki](#): > > ETA: For generally good dog stories, you should also look into the works of Jim Kjelgaard. He’s most famous for his Irish Setter trilogy, starting with [Big Red](http://www.amazon.com/Big-Red-Jim-Kjelgaard/dp/0553154346/ref=sr_1_1/181-5783542-3634920?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226193127&sr=1-1), but he did a number of other books as well. Generally considered children’s books, but they worked for me. I was just coming in to mention him, his name having just popped into my head, reminding me of this thread. He’s to Irish Setters what Terhune was to collies and probably both must bear some retroactive burden for the popularity and puppymilling of those two breeds. I liked Big Red and Irish Red. I thought Outlaw Red kinda sucked. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/18 "2008-11-10T01:22:36Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > I was just coming in to mention him, his name having just popped into my head, reminding me of this thread. He’s to Irish Setters what Terhune was to collies and probably both must bear some retroactive burden for the popularity and puppymilling of those two breeds. I liked Big Red and Irish Red. I thought Outlaw Red kinda sucked. I agree with you. Especially about Outlaw Red. Though, part of the problem for the Irish Setter, ISTR, is that the breed clubs actually decided to stop caring about field testings for the dogs. So the champions only had to be pretty. Which meant even so-called reputable breeders were going to town with close breeding for looks only. And for a while had created a dog that would lose a common sense contest with a turkey. ---
**Author:** ![Helena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c68b51/32.png) [@Helena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/19 "2008-11-10T01:42:13Z")
> [@OtakuLoki](#): > > If you love dog stories you **must** read Farley Mowat’s [The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be](http://www.amazon.com/Dog-Who-Wouldnt-Be/dp/0553279289/ref=sr_1_4/192-5898623-5351025?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226192953&sr=8-4). It’s a memoir about a budding naturalist and his growing up with an eccentric dog. Whether Mowat is correct to think that the dog was mentally scarred by being carried with a basket of ducks (and much put upon thereby) or not doesn’t matter. It’s grand fun, and I recommend it highly to anyone who loves dogs. This one. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2008, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707/20 "2008-11-10T03:21:42Z")
> [@OtakuLoki](#): > > Though, part of the problem for the Irish Setter, ISTR, is that the breed clubs actually decided to stop caring about field testings for the dogs. So the champions only had to be pretty. Which meant even so-called reputable breeders were going to town with close breeding for looks only. And for a while had created a dog that would lose a common sense contest with a turkey. My cousins had an Irish Setter named “Kelly” acquired from a pet store back in late 1970’s. Sweet ( but hated other dogs as she got older ), but dumb as a rock :D. And she developed hip dysplasia fairly young, as I recall. Thankfully they were wise enough not to breed her. ETA: Personally, I always preferred Gordons. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/friends-dopers-countrypeeps-share-your-favorite-dog-cat-books/471707.md?page=2)