The best dog books for adults capture the unique joys of our companion friends. In this roundup of the best books about dogs for adults, you’ll find an eclectic mix of famous books about dogs, books with dogs as characters, and classic books about dogs, along with newer titles you won’t want to miss. This list is divided into two parts. First, 15 great fiction books about dogs, and second, 15 of the best nonfiction books about dogs. You’ll find all the best books about dogs and humans for your TBR (to-be-read) list. And now for the books!
(PS: If you’re looking for more animal books for adults, check out our list of the best books for animal lovers plus the best books about cats.)
And now for an epic list of the 30 best dog book for adults!
Part 1: Fiction
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
We kick off this list of the best dog books for adults with The Art of Racing in the Rain. It’s Enzo the dog’s last night alive, and he spends it reminiscing about his good life with owner Denny, a race car driver. Enzo reflects on the highlights and low points of his personal history. This touching book became a bestseller and one of the most famous books about dogs. It was adapted as a feature film in 2019.
How to read it: Purchase The Art of Racing in the Rain on Amazon
Cujo by Stephen King
This terrifying novel, among the greatest books with dogs as characters, is by the undisputed master of horror. Cujo is a blood-curdling tale about a two-hundred pound Saint Bernard who one day follows a rabbit into a cave and comes out a different creature, terrorized by rabies and on a mission to kill. It’s not surprise that this one has become a modern classic and one of the most famous books about dogs. Just try the first few pages and try not to get sucked into Cujo, among the best books about dogs for adults.
How to read it: Purchase Cujo on Amazon
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
Fifteen-year-old Christopher John Francis Boone is autistic and sticks out in his quiet suburban neighborhood. When Wellington, Christopher’s neighbor’s dog, is found impaled on a garden fence fork, Christopher sets out on a mission to discover who is responsible. This is for sure one of the best dog books for adults.
How to read it: Purchase The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time on Amazon
A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron
This book became a huge bestseller and was adapted for film in 2017. In A Dog’s Purpose, W. Bruce Cameron has penned a sentimental tale that tugs at readers’ hearts. The hero of this book is a dog who is reincarnated multiple times. Through each iteration, he has wise words about his interactions with humans. Funny, offbeat, and emotionally stirring, A Dog’s Purpose is essential dog fiction and one of the best books about dogs for adults.
How to read it: Purchase A Dog’s Purpose on Amazon
Flush: A Biography by Virginia Woolf
This imaginative dog story by the Modernist writer Virginia Woolf (Mrs. Dalloway, To the Lighthouse) speculates on the life of Flush, the real-life cocker spaniel dog that belonged to poet-writer Elizabeth Barrett Browning (Aurora Leigh and Other Poems). The book takes place through the eyes of Flush, who is fiercely dedicated to his owner. A break from Woolf’s more serious books, Flush: A Biography is a funny and light-hearted story from a dog’s perspective and definitely one of the best books about dogs and humans.
How to read it: Purchase Flush: A Biography on Amazon
The Friend by Sigrid Nunez
This book is one of my favorites of the last decade and was in my roundup of short books to read in a day or readathon. In this tender story that pulls no punches, our heroine is an author and writing teacher. When the narrator’s close friend commits suicide, he leaves behind his dog in her care. But she’s more of a cat person, and, besides, she can’t keep a dog in her tiny New York City apartment. Soon, though, she makes space in her heart for her new charge and they develop a close blond. One of the greatest books with dogs as characters, this tear-jerker won the 2018 National Book Award. Pick it up and see why it made this list of the best dog books for adults.
How to read it: Purchase The Friend on Amazon
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The best dog books for adults spans all genres, including mysteries. I’m a Sherlock Holmes junkie, and I especially adore The Hound of the Baskervilles (1901-1902), one of the Holmes novels. In this creepy story, Holmes and Watson try to uncover the truth about a monstrous hound stalking the Moors of Devonshire. It’s a moody and brooding story that gets under your skin. I love the adaptation Sherlock, and the TV series’ Hound episodes in its second season was one of the greatest episodes.
How to read it: Purchase The Hound of the Baskervilles on Amazon
Jonathan Unleashed by Meg Rosoff
In this fun rom-com, Jonathan is in crisis when we first meet him. His office job is problematic, his apartment is illegal, and his girlfriend is in love with someone else, someone who has his shit together more than Jonathan does. When Jonathan is asked to take care of his brother’s dogs, it opens his eyes to a better way forward, one that might involve the dogs’ cute vet, and his chaotic life begins to stabilize into something better. This upbeat novel is for sure one of the best books about dogs for adults.
How to read it: Purchase Jonathan Unleashed on Amazon
The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan
Werewolves are dogs as well as the subject of this lush and lyrical story, the first novel in Glen Duncan’s Last Werewolf Trilogy. We meet the last werewolf: 200-year-old Jake Marlowe, he’s pondering whether he should end his life and therefore end the legend of werewolves. But forces outside his control conspire to keep him alive… Marlowe is among the most original antiheroes you’ll ever meet in fiction, and The Last Werewolf belongs on any list of the best books with dogs as characters.
How to read it: Purchase The Last Werewolf on Amazon
Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rawley
This feel-good story will have you choked up. Ted, a single gay author, is emotionally closed off to everyone who isn’t his beloved aging dachshund, Lily. When Lily’s health takes a turn for the worse, Ted does anything and everything to save her. You won’t want to miss this alternately heartbreaking and heartwarming tale.
How to read it: Purchase Lily and the Octopus on Amazon
Mongrels by Stephen Graham Jones
This horror book was the finalist for multiple genre awards, including the Shirley Jackson Award and the Bram Stoker Award. This story stars a misfit who, like others in his nomadic family, is half-werewolf, half-man. Raised by his aunt and uncle, who teach him the way of the streets, the boy must choose whether to make a break for it on his own with an intriguing group of shifters on the opposing side of the tracks or to stay with his “pack.”
How to read it: Purchase Mongrels on Amazon
Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow
The best dog books for adults that feature werewolves are quite popular, and this is at the top of the pile. This novel-in-verse is a refreshing take on werewolf legends. Set on the rough side of Los Angeles, the story stars Anthony, a kindly man who catches stray dogs, and the woman he loves, a werewolf who has broken with her pack. Toby Barlow is a master of language, writing a book that feels both epic in scope and anchored in love.
How to read it: Purchase Sharp Teeth on Amazon
Strays by Jennifer Caloyeras
This novel is a beautiful story of hope and recovery. Sixteen-year-old Iris has a lot of reasons to be angry. Her mother is dead, her father is an workaholic, and she’s struggling in school. Just when it seems like things couldn’t get any worse, dog-phobic Iris is made to do community service at a dog rehabilitation center during the summer. But meeting Roman, a three-legged pit bull trying to move forward from his own troubled past, stirs something in Iris, and she soon realizes that, through Roman, she has a lot to learn about trust, love, and trauma. Strays definitely ranks among the pantheon of the best books about dogs for adults.
How to read it: Purchase Strays on Amazon
Timbuktu by Paul Auster
Mr. Bones the dog is the hero of this quirky story by Paul Auster. Mr. Bones belongs to Willy, a smart but homeless man-poet who lives on the streets of New York City. Willy is in poor health and travels to Baltimore to try to track down his mentor, who he hopes will take in Mr. Bones after he dies. If you’re wondering where the title “Timbuktu” comes in, it’s the name Willy has given to the afterlife. This original, deeply emotional, and existential story is told entirely through Mr. Bones’ perspective.
How to read it: Purchase Timbuktu on Amazon
Watchers by Dean Koontz
The last installment in the fiction section of this roundup of the best dog books for adults, Watchers is a scary treat. I don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll keep it vague: a 36-year-old man named Travis is hiking the Santa Ana Mountains when he encounters a Golden Retriever who prevents him from getting deeper into his journey. Travis adopts the dog, who seems to have an unusually high intelligence, and they go on dangerous adventures together.
How to read it: Purchase Watchers on Amazon
Part 2: Nonfiction
Dog Is Love: Why and How Your Dog Loves You by Clive D. L. Wayne
To kick off the nonfiction end of this list of the best dog books for adults, we start with Clive D. L. Wayne’s Dog Is Love. From Wayne, a pioneering canine behaviorist, this book seeks to explores the concept of dog affection. While for far too long science warned against applying human emotions to dogs, Wayne actually proves here that dogs do love their masters and form deep emotional bonds to them. If you’ve ever wondered what goes on inside a dog’s mind, this book is for you.
How to read it: Purchase Dog Is Love on Amazon
Dog Songs: Poems by Mary Oliver
From the late Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver, a collection of poems that are all themed with dogs. See why Oliver earned a reputation for being one of the most prominent poets in America by reading this insightful, relatable, and profound anthology of dog poems. This is for sure one of the best books about dogs for adults.
How to read it: Purchase Dog Songs on Amazon
Dog Years by Mark Doty
This compelling memoir, definitely one of the best nonfiction books about dogs, focuses on author Mark Doty’s adoption of golden retriever Beau to ease his dying partner through the pain of those final days. Together with Doty’s black retriever Arden, Beau becomes a close companion and soothing force for Doty in the wake of his grief. This one will make you cry and will resonate with anyone who has found comfort in the form of a beloved pet.
How to read it: Purchase Dog Years on Amazon
E.B. White on Dogs by E.B. White
E.B. White was a long-serving reporter for The New Yorker and also penned children’s classics like Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little. But he also wrote extensively about dogs. This anthology contains essays, letters, poems, and sketches about White’s lifelong relationship with his dogs. White really knows how to balance sentimentality with distance, and this book about his dog writing does exactly that. This collection is for sure one of the best books about dogs and humans.
How to read it: Purchase E.B. White on Dogs on Amazon
The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs Are Smarter Than You Think by Brian Hare and Vanessa Wood
The husband-and-wife team behind The Genius of Dogs, one of the best books about dogs for adults, both draw on cutting-edge research from the Duke Canine Cognition Center to bring you fresh insights into dog cognition, behavior, and emotions. What results is a surprising and intriguing rundown on what we know about the “genius of dogs” using unique research that no other writers have.
How to read it: Purchase The Genius of Dogs on Amazon
Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know by Alexandra Horowitz
Fun fact: when I was a freshman in college, I took a psychology survey course taught by Alexandra Horowitz. It was only later when canine behaviorist Horowitz published landmark books like Inside of a Dog that I realized the connection. Inside of a Dog became a #1 New York Times bestseller, and it’s not hard to see why: this highly readable book delivers key facts, observations, and research about how dogs experience the world. Reading this book will give you a greater appreciation for how our canine companions live their lives. Not at all dense, this book is suitable for armchair animal behaviorists and science nerds alike and for sure one of the best dog books for adults.
How to read it: Purchase Inside of a Dog on Amazon
Marley & Me by John Grogan
Marley & Me is one of the most famous books about dogs. This beloved story was adapted into a Hollywood movie in 2008. People all around the world have fallen in love with Marley, the Labrador retriever who was, by most metrics, a “bad dog.” Marley was destructive, lazy, and got kicked out of obedience school. Still, John Grogan and his wife Jenny adored Marley and spent many happy years as his owner and humans. This book is at turns funny, emotional, and hard-hitting. Have some tissues ready for the end. Marley & Me is for sure one of the classic books about dogs you’ll want to read.
How to read it: Purchase Marley & Me on Amazon
Merle’s Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog by Ted Kerasote
While camping, author Ted Kerasote met a Lab mix living alone in the wild. Kerasote decided to adopt the dog, whom he named “Merle,” and bring him home. But Kerasote can tell that Merle is still drawn to the wilderness outside, so he installs a dog door allowing Kerasote to go in and out of the house. In Merle’s Door, Kerasote considers what he’s learned from his companion along with research into the greater dog-human relationship as it has evolved over thousands of years. Although lesser known than Marley & Me, Merle’s Door is definitely one of the best nonfiction books about dogs.
How to read it: Purchase Merle’s Door on Amazon
My Dog: The Paradox: A Lovable Discourse about Man’s Best Friend by Matthew Inman
This funny dog book is the culmination of the Oatmeal comic series about author Matthew Inman’s pet dog, Rambo, a strip followed on Facebook by almost 700,000 people. If you’re in the mood for something hilarious and upbeat, check out this book.
How to read it: Purchase My Dog: The Paradox on Amazon
Off the Leash: A Year in the Dog Park by Matthew Gilbert
As the long-term television critic for the Boston Globe, Matthew Gilbert was never a dog person. But when he adopts the outgoing extrovert Toby the yellow lab puppy, Gilbert is forced to leave his hermetic digital life behind and actually go outside. Soon Gilbert and Toby become regulars at Amory Park, a suburban Boston dog park where other dog lovers gather. The experience of that first year in the dog park, where Gilbert and Toby made friends and enemies both, resulted in this humorous memoir. You’ll fall for Toby and his idiosyncratic owner in Off the Leash.
How to read it: Purchase Off the Leash on Amazon
Oogy: The Dog Only A Family Could Love by Larry Levin
This unconventional book tells the unconventional story of an unconventional dog, Oogy, who adopted Larry Levin and his family in 2002. As the Levins were preparing to put their sick cat to sleep at an animal hospital, they were introduced to Oogy, a pit bull missing one ear whose face was covered in scar tissue. Oogy had been a practice dog for illegal dog fights and was left for dead after sustaining multiple injuries. But the Levins fell in love with this goofy, lovable dog and adopted him, welcoming him into their home and heart. Definitely one of the best dog books for adults, this one will make you cry and make you laugh.
How to read it: Purchase Oogy on Amazon
The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs by Patricia B. McConnell
This incredible book about communicating with our dogs is written by Dr. Patricia B. McConnell, a professional dog trainer and applied animal behaviorist, so you know you’re in expert hands. The Other End of the Leash helps bridge the gap between dogs and their owners. If you’re keen to train your dog or would just like to better understand your four-footed friend, this is a book you can’t pass up.
How to read it: Purchase The Other End of the Leash on Amazon
Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck
This famous nonfiction book by titanic American author John Steinbeck (The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden) remains beloved today decades after its release in 1962. This travelogue tells the story of Steinbeck’s road trip across America with his standard poodle dog Charley for companionship. As an author who wrote about regions in the country, such as the Southern California of Cannery Row, Steinbeck wanted to become more personally connected to the land that was his muse. In Travels with Charley, for sure one of the classic books about dogs, Steinbeck seeks to answer to his question: “What are Americans like today?”
How to read it: Purchase Travels with Charley on Amazon
Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy by Zazie Todd
Ever wonder how to make your dog happy? If you’re wondering how to please your dog and make his day a little bit better, you need to check out Zazie Todd’s Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy. An acclaimed dog trainer and social psychologist, Todd offers a unique perspective to decode dog cognition and behavior, teaching readers all the skills they need to know to interact with their canine companions and give them a better life.
How to read it: Purchase Wag on Amazon
What Dogs Want by Mat Ward
The final book in our roundup of the best dog books for adults, Mat Ward’s What Dogs Want is a fun guide to a happier dog-human relationship. This book is perfect if you’re just getting started with training your dog. With fun illustrations by Rupert Fawcett, What Dogs Want is a must-read for any dog owner looking to find out what it is exactly what their pet wants.
