I have a large and growing collection of dog books in my home.  I don’t own a Kindle or other form of e-reader and prefer to hold a real Book in my hands.

Today – 9th August – is National Book Lovers Day in the USA.

And in honor of this day, I’m sharing one of my favourite books – which also happens to be one of the first dog books of my collection – Dogs and Their Women by Barbara Cohen and Louise Taylor.

Published in 1989, Dogs and Their Women is a collection of photographs and stories which celebrate the emotional bond between dogs and their women. I remember seeing it in the window of a local bookshop and asking for a copy for Christmas.

All of the photos in the book are in black and white, which is another reason why I like this book.  Black and white photos seem to preserve very well and they have a depth to them that many colour photos lack.

Although the hair styles and clothes are now very dated, the sentiments of the stories are timeless.

Here’s just a taste:

“A former Grade A racer, Touch would have been destroyed  because of an injury incurred while racing, had I not adopted him…”

Copies of this out-of-print book are available online through websites like Abe Books for only a few dollars.

Kathleen Crisley, specialist in dog massage, rehabilitation and nutrition/food therapy, The Balanced Dog, Christchurch, New Zealand