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With spring stirring in the air we decided to feature this season’s literary stirrings in a “Bark Must Reads” feature. We have a chapter from Rex and the City, the long-awaited book from our columnist, Lee Harrington. Ken Foster’s touching and insightful memoir, The Dogs That Found Me, tells the story a Pit pup who did indeed find him. Alison Pace’s novel, Pug Hill, finds the heroine cavorting with Pugs in Central Park. The photo/essay book Just Gus is an inspirational story-within-a-story that begins with the adoption of a stray dog. Susan Orlean, of New Yorker and orchid fame, is in conversation with Robert Birnbaum, about her forthcoming tome on Rin Tin Tin.

Ever wonder how it would feel to work at a dog-centric business, like a doggy day care or dog-friendly resort? Take a dry run and have a vacation, too—see how in the piece on Vocation Vacations. We profile Agility—an activity that is all the rage with dog folk nationwide. And learn more about William Wegman, the artist behind the lens, in an interview and preview of a forthcoming exhibit (and its associated book).

You can find The Bark at Barnes & Noble, Borders, Tower Books and selected booksellers and newsstands nationwide.

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William Wegman
Multimedia artist William Wegman talks to us about his personal and professional relationships with dogs and his upcoming retrospectives and career-encompassing catalog.

The Agility Bond
By Julia Kamysz Lane
The physical and mental challenges of agility are good for you and your dog.
Keeps you on your toes and your dog in the air!

Author Interview: Susan Orlean
Literary conversationalist Robert Birnbaum talks with Susan Orlean about New York, “oddball” writing, and her upcoming biography of Rin Tin Tin.

A Preview of Things to Come by Suzanne Strempek Shea
An author and bookstore clerk uses her influence to stock the pet-book shelves.

Rex and the City by Lee Harrington: “How to Lose Friends and Alienate People.”
Yes, the serial that began in these very pages has become a book!

Pug Hill by Alison Pace: “Breakfast at Pug Hill”
A human love story is framed within a love affair with Pugs in this Pug-dotted novel.

Robot Dreams by Sara Varon
Animal friendships are spotlighted in these delightfully rendered drawings.

Just Gus: A Rescued Dog and the Woman He Loved by Laurie Williams, photographs by Roslyn Banish: “Forgotten. Alone. Hungry and Cold.”
A woman and a dog find each other just in time to make a difference in their lives.

The Dogs Who Found Me by Ken Foster: “The Dog Who Found Me”
A foster home turns permanent, despite the rescuer ’s intentions.

Howls
Two Wieners and a Mummy By Val Mallinson
A camping trip with Dachshunds is a lesson in futility.

Bad Dog By Merle Kessler
Scandalous dogs throughout history.

Poetry
Shadow by Christina Lovin
Virgil by Maxine Kumin
Mastery by Dorene Evans
Ode to Roo by Ginger Knowlton

[Q & A]
Unhealthy Obsessions: “Ask the Behaviorist” addresses a dog’s fascination with lights and shadows.
By Karen B. London, PhD

[Behavior]
Both Ends of the Leash: Dispelling the myth of “getting dominance over your dog.”
By Patricia B. McConnell, PhD

[Craft]
Brighten Up a Rainy Day: Sew up a snazzy doggy raincoat.
By Trina Moore

[Rescue]
Basic Black: The plight of the Big Black Dog.
By Deb Hipp

[Wellness]
No Gain from Pain: Pain doesn’t just hurt; it also harms.
By Christie Keith

[Career]
Vocation Vacation: Find out if a job with the dogs is right for you.
By Lisa Wogan

[Health]
The Big Itch: Diagnosing and treating canine allergies.
By Heather Gordon

[People Who Matter]
Changing from Within: Jill Robinson is working hard to change the way companion animals are regarded in Asia.
By Heather Bloch

[Book Reviews]
Ella in Europe
by Michael Konik
Teach Your Dog to Read
by Bonnie Bergin, with Sharon Hogan
Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide
by Brenda Aloff
Cancer and Your Pet
by Debra Eldredge, DVM and Margaret H. Bonham
Unleashed: The Dog Runs of New York City
by Frances R. Sheridan

[Endpiece]
Willow’s Birthday Party
By Deborah Thompson

Image credits:

1. © Mark Mann (William Wegman)

2. Matt Allison, Monica Percival (agility photographs)

3. Justin Rudd (Easter dog)

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