Book Review-A Girl's Best Friend

Today, is the first day of Women's History Month in the USA and it is also World Book Day   in the UK.   So its the perfect day for a dog blogger to read a book about women and dogs.  These days everyone knows the phrase "man's best friend" needs to be changed to "person's best friend", or some other non-gender specific label.  After all, 87% of female pet owners consider their dogs and cats their family (I can't imagine what the heck is wrong with the other 13%!) and women make up 78% of the students in Veterinary Schools. 

There are scores of books about women and their dogs, look it up on Amazon and it will make you dizzy!  As a known pet lover I am frequent recipient of dog and cat books.  A few years ago I was gifted this little book  

A Girl's Best Friend  byJoanna Sandsmark.   The book has lots of cute vintage photos and illustrations which is right up my alley.

 The author is clearly in favor of spoiling dogs.  Ping  was particularly impressed with this line refering to a canine companion: "Indulge her.  If she starts to put on a little more weight walk her more often."   

"Mom it says in here you should give me more treats!"

There are also anecdotes about famous dog lovers like Queen Victoria, movie dogs like Rin-Tin-Tin, and stories about heroic or particularly caring dogs.  Such as one about a Chihuahua owned by a pregnant women.  According to the book the chihuahua observed his human was extra hungry due to her expectant condition and after watching her wake up repeatedly in the night to get a snack, he took to fetching a dog treat and placing it under her pillow.   



The book  has sections on small, medium, large, and sporting dogs with pictures and illustrations.  The book repeatedly discusses how your dog reflects your personality, I wonder how all five of my dogs reflect mine?  (I guess I have multiple personality disorder or am simply crazy)

With a brief entry on "the new single mother" and lots of advice to spoil your dog, the book is very pro "dog as your baby."  My husband and I have decided not to have children for various reasons and I admit fully that we call the dogs (and cats) our  babies, but I don't like dogs to be put forth as baby substitutes, even in a cutesy book like this.   Dogs deserve better then to be seen as a replacement for something that is missing, whether a child or a romantic partner.   After all, it may be the dog as baby substitute attitude that leads so many pet owners to abandon  their dog when they have a human baby.  Which is really sad since dogs and babies can go together so well.  Just take a look at this adorable video

Overall the book is pretty cute and we would recommend it as a cutesy coffee table accoutrement, especially since you can get it for 40 cents on Amazon!