The short answer: the best dog memoirs every owner should read are What Is a Dog? by Chloe Shaw, Dog Years: A Memoir by Mark Doty, and Molly: The True Story of the Amazing Dog Who Rescues Cats by Colin Butcher. Together they cover the full sweep of life with a dog — comfort, grief, and pure adventure — and each one will feel familiar to anyone who has ever loved a good dog.
I'm Preston Smith, co-founder of Bully Sticks Central. Between shipments of chews I read a lot about dogs, and these three memoirs are the ones I hand to friends who want a book that actually captures what it feels like to share your life with one. Here's why each earns a spot on the shelf.
What Is a Dog? by Chloe Shaw
Chloe Shaw's What Is a Dog? is a warm, philosophical reflection on the companionship dogs give us. After the death of her dog Booker, Shaw worked through her grief alongside her other dogs, Safari and Otter, and found herself thinking back on every dog that had shaped her — especially Agatha 2, the Afghan hound who kept her company in an emotionally distant childhood home.
The heart of the book is simple: she had always used her dogs to escape hard feelings, and it was her dogs who finally taught her to accept those feelings, the same way they accepted hers. If you've ever leaned on a dog to get through something heavy, this one will land.
Dog Years: A Memoir by Mark Doty
In Dog Years, poet Mark Doty writes about his dogs Beau and Arden as beacons of light while his partner was dying of AIDS. It's a book about how dogs hold us steady through the darkest stretches of a life. That isn't just sentiment, either — there's real science behind the bond. The American Kennel Club notes that dog ownership is linked to lower stress and better emotional wellbeing, and you can read more about the mental-health benefits of dogs in our own write-up on the research from Michigan State University.
For anyone who has grieved with a dog at their feet, Dog Years is a moving, deeply relatable read.
Molly: The True Story of the Amazing Dog Who Rescues Cats by Colin Butcher
On the lighter end of the list is Colin Butcher's Molly, the story of a Cocker Spaniel who is one half of a Pet Detective Agency. The book follows Molly from her training with Medical Detection Dogs professionals to memorizing the feline scent signature so she can track down missing cats — snake bite and all. It's energetic, heart-warming, and perfect for dog lovers with an adventurous streak.
Why do dogs leave such a mark on us?
Renowned trainer Kevin Behan explored this in Your Dog Is Your Mirror, arguing that dogs reflect our emotions back to us and help us understand ourselves. Pet ownership is nearly universal in the U.S. — the American Pet Products Association's National Pet Owners Survey reports tens of millions of dog-owning households — and every one of those homes has a story worth telling. That's exactly what makes a good dog memoir hit home.
Pair your reading with a chew your dog will love
A quiet afternoon with a book is even better when your dog has something to work on beside you. At Bully Sticks Central we keep it simple: 100% natural, single-ingredient chews made from 100% real meat, fully digestible, with no rawhide, ethically sourced from grass-fed American and Argentinean farms and 100% high-quality guaranteed. If you're new to them, start with our guide to single-ingredient dog chews, our rundown of why bully sticks are the go-to long-lasting chew, and — if there's a young dog in the house — our advice on bully sticks for puppies.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best dog memoirs to read?
Three of the best are What Is a Dog? by Chloe Shaw, Dog Years: A Memoir by Mark Doty, and Molly: The True Story of the Amazing Dog Who Rescues Cats by Colin Butcher. They range from tender and reflective to funny and adventurous.
Are dog memoirs sad?
Some are. What Is a Dog? and Dog Years both deal with loss and grief, while Molly is a lighter, feel-good adventure. Reading a mix gives you the full emotional range of life with a dog.
Do dogs really improve your mental health?
Yes. Research summarized by the American Kennel Club and Michigan State University links dog ownership to lower stress and improved emotional wellbeing, which is a big part of why these memoirs resonate with so many owners.
This post was last updated at July 10, 2026 16:52
