Recently we shared some purr-fect gift books for cat lovers; today we highlight dog books. There's been a litter of new titles, with a welcome emphasis on older dogs and rescue dogs, like My Old Dog: Rescued Pets with Remarkable Second Acts by Laura T. Coffey (New World Library, $24.95), which pairs heartwarming stories of adopted senior pets with fetching photos by Lori Fusaro. Photographer Traer Scott says, in Finding Home: Shelter Dogs and Their Stories (Princeton Architectural Press, $19.95), "It is always particularly heartbreaking to see senior dogs in shelters; they seem so bewildered and lost." Her black-and-white portraits give these dogs a poignancy and gravitas they deserve.
The companions in Old Faithful: Dogs of a Certain Age (Harper Design, $19.99) by Pete Thorne may sport gray muzzles and cataracts, but they exhibit joy and wisdom--they are well-loved family members. Throne began a Facebook page with photos of older dogs and their stories; it turned into the Old Faithful Project as people sent in their own submissions. Airedale terrier Stanley's owner says, "My boy is aging fast and it breaks my heart. I need more time to stare into his kind brown eyes." In Dog Years: Faithful Friends, Then & Now (Chronicle, $19.95), Amanda Jones, who's been photographing dogs for 20 years, revisited some of the dogs she had photographed in their younger years. Golden retriever Maggie, who started life in a puppy mill, is obsessed with tennis balls--she's shown at three ages, all with her beloved ball. One-year-old basset hound Poppy adorably poses with her ear in her mouth.
Shaina Fishman set up a studio with a camera, treats and pairs of pets, and watched them play. The result is the delightful Between Two Dogs (Skyhorse Publishing, $17.99). Goldens Cash and her puppy Buttercup are all cuddly fur and licks; American Eskimos Atka and puppy Kayu, therapy dogs, are splayed out together--snow-white starlets posing for a calendar. --Marilyn Dahl, editor, Shelf Awareness for Readers