Books from the Dog’s POV for Take Your Dog to Work Day

[Image by Aaron_H from Pixabay]

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Dogs may be man’s best friend, but how would a canine companion be as an office colleague? On the 25th of June, it’s Take Your Dog to Work Day, so it’s the perfect time to find out…or just an excuse to give everyone a better Friday with some puppy love. After all, collectively, we absolutely adore dogs, whether it’s dog videos, the hilarity of Sad Dog Diary, or even The Oatmeal’s vital post about his dog, “The Paradox.”

In books and pop culture, dogs are usually noble, brave, loyal, loving, and often the heroes of their own stories. Despite this, a lot of those stories are still told from the human’s perspective, but for anyone looking for a way to get between the ears of their favorite furball, these books are definitely the way to go.

Dog’s First Baby by Natalie Nelson

For many new parents, introducing a baby to a furbaby can be an anxious time, but Dog’s First Baby is an adorable way to calm those nerves and tell a sweet story that everyone will want to read aloud time and time again. Told from the eyes of a dog who isn’t so sure about this new (loud!) member of the family, this beautiful board book finds him learning to love his new human, too.

Preorder the book, on sale October 5, 2021:

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A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron

Cameron’s story of a dog’s many lives (told from his own perspective) quickly became a bestseller, a movie, and the start of a series (continued with A Dog’s Journey and A Dog’s Promise). A Dog’s Purpose covers the titular dog’s exploration of lives from wild dog to stray to home companion, and while it can be cheesy in parts, it’s balanced out by a greater question of what a dog may think, how we are connected to dogs, and why we have the incredible love for them that we do.

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Timbuktu by Paul Auster

Aster’s story of a homeless man’s dog and their search for a new home for Mr. Bones is so much more than it seems on the surface. It is a novel that often dips into stream of consciousness writing, that sees Mr. Bones wrestle with the mortality of his human, and the way that they have lived their lives together so far. Definitely one of the sadder dog POV books, this is still one to many any dog lover wonder what their own companion is thinking.

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The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

The Art of Racing in the Rain does something different with the genre of the Dog POV – it provides some level of explanation for why the central dog is able to think in such a human way. In Enzo’s case, it comes from a whole lot of time in front of the TV and paying attention to the words of his human. There are definitely some tear-jerking moments here, but at its heart, this is a hopeful story of how to be a little more human.

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Fifteen Dogs by André Alexis

Alexis provides a new form of apologue in this novel where a group of dogs are granted human consciousness courtesy of a bet between the gods. Some dogs try and cling to their essential “dogness,” others wholeheartedly embrace their new selves, and each of their stories shines a little light on what it might mean to be human.

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What are your favorite books told from the perspective of a dog? Comment and let us know!