BOOKS AND DOGS – A WINNING PARTNERSHIP!

“You will never be lonely if you enjoy reading” said a wise lady once to a little girl who loved to read - and how true that turned out to be! To enjoy reading really does unlock a wealth of treasures and in celebration of World Book Day - which takes place on Thursday 2nd March 2017 - we thought we’d take a fond look at some of the best books where dogs have had a starring role! Top of our list must be the Dodie Smith classic, 101 Dalmatians. The Twilight Barking, and the sheer grit and determination of Pongo and Missus inspires readers as to the intelligence, loyalty and comradeship that we would all like to believe really does happen in our dog’s world! We had loyal companions such as Timmy in the Famous Five, Rusty the Sheepdog in the Blackberry Farm series long before the technological development of the same name (!) Toto in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L.Frank Baum and Lassie which originated in 1938 in a Saturday Evening Post story by Eric Knight long before the on screen franchise became popular. And, who can remember the Ladybird book – Mick the Disobedient Puppy. A story where Mick ends up saving the day and becoming firmly embedded in the hearts and minds of children of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. Another favourite was The Call of the Wild by Jack London which documents the theft of Buck who ultimately learns to become leader of a pack and the adventures he undertakes during the famous Klondike Gold Rush. It has been known to bring a tear to the eyes of those who are masters of the British stiff upper lip! A couple of modern classics where dogs have played a key part in the unfolding of the stories are the Harry Potter Series by J K Rowling where Fang, a lumbering Boarhound is Hagrid’s faithful pet whilst Wellington is the dog and catalyst for what unfolds in the spell binding The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. And a recent discovery by one of our team was the ‘Spy Dog’ series by Andrew Cope. The entire series was read at bedtime to a little girl by her parents and then devoured by the same little girl when she could read on her own. It tells the tale of Lara, the spy dog who, with her super powers, regularly saves the day! We hope whether you are young or old and are reading for your own pleasure or to a little person who will hand on your every word that books with dogs in are a recipe for happiness. Please share your favourites with us and our customers and readers so that we can all enjoy a happy dog story! The Happy Dog Team