Honey, the Pit Bull in Charles de Lint’s urban fantasy Widdershins may be one of the strongest dog characters in recent literature. Honey, a Pit Bull who was released with her pack from a dogfighters’ chain and hell, has the ability to speak with some of the people with whom she feels an emotional connection. More importantly, she has the ability to speak to us. Honey is not the central character in Widdershins but she is the one who lives with me long after the last page is closed.

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Rex and the City by Lee Harrington is a beautiful combination of laugh out loud funny and insight into the emotional payoff of adopting a dog.

I must admit, I started reading Rex and the City with the idea that this was another dog-in big-city-and-what-does-it-say-about-me book. Usually these books are 98% about the human and 2% about the dog. Not my thing since I want to read about the dog.

Was I ever wrong!

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As I sit here in the North American Midwest with wind chills at or below 0 degrees Fahrenheit I can’t help but think about how nice a warm beach would feel about now. I can’t spend the time to get to the beach on a plane so I’m doing the next best thing; I pick up a copy of Jean Fogle’s Salty Dogs: A Book of Dogs at the Beach and let it take me away to a virtual vacation.

Salty Dogs is a fabulous photographic journey with insightful quotes joined to fun and touching pictures of cavorting dogs on the beach. You can almost taste the salt in the air and smell the seafoam on the dogs’ coats.

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I don’t usually review movies in general release. There are so many movie critics and most movies don’t seriously involve dogs. But there are two movies currently in theaters that represent the best and the worst of how dogs are viewed and treated.

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Looking for fun dog books for children? Check out Sassafras: The True Confessions of a Poodle Princess and Sassafras Goes to Hollywood by Lynn HIrschfield and Dena Fishbein. These two books are delightful children’s books about a one-of-a-kind pink poodle, Sassafras. Well-written with engaging artwork, most little girls in the 3 to 5-year-old range (though I think these could be fun for a slightly older girl depending on their reading skills) on your gift list will love them and the pink poodle princess.

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They’ve done it again. Those canine friendly Monks of New Skete have put together a classic for dog lovers of all ages and experience. Divine Canine: The Monks’ Way to a Happy Obedient Dog is one of those books we all need on our shelves.

Part obedience manual, part dog vignettes, the Divine Canine achieves something that many how-to books don’t; the stories are interesting and the photography grabs you to pull you into the text.

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What Pets Do While You’re at Work is laugh out loud funny! Every time I pick it up I start small with a chuckle or two. Before long, I’m openly giggling with a few guffaws thrown in here and there.

Authors Jason Bergund and Bev West have put together hilarous combinations of pictures and text that will have you forgetting the day’s worries and tomorrow’s plans.

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Cormac: The Tale of a Dog Gone Missing is every dog guardians’ nightmare. A beloved family member, Cormac, goes missing and the trail leads to the local animal shelter. That should be the end of the story but the shelter workers deny ever having seen Cormac.

I won’t give any more away except to tell you that the hunt for Cormac leads Brewer far beyond his southern Alabama home.

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I’m going to say this right now — Demo: The Story of a Junkyard dog is a new classic! Between the excellent story and the fabulous artwork, this graphic novel should take its place among the books that every children’s library should have on its shelves.

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If you teach a Bible Study and are looking for a good way to share your love of animals then you should definitely check out Teri Wilson’s All Creature’s of Our God and King: What God’s Word Says About Animals. This Bible study text would make an excellent addition to any Christian library.

I know that some Christians feel that the Bible gives them the okay to use and abuse animals as they please. But if you believe that your God would not take kindly to ANYONE mistreating His creations, then here’s a study test you can use in your Sunday, Saturday or Wednesday classes.

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