Doggone Good Nonfiction: What’s Your Dog Thinking?

I am a dog person. Like a haven’t-met-a-dog-I-don’t-like, have-a-bunch-of-different-nicknames-for-my-pooch, the-dog-sleeps-in-bed-with-me dog person. So naturally, I’m a dog book person as well. A lot’s been published on this much-loved furry friend, both fiction and nonfiction. Here are some of my favorite nonfiction titles.

Ever wonder what goes on inside Fido’s mind? Cognitive scientist Alexandra Horowitz explores this in Inside of A Dog: What Dogs See, Smell and Know.

More doggie brain decoding occurs in How Dogs Love Us. Author Gregory Berns trained dogs to sit completely still for MRI scans. His findings delve into the social and emotional intelligence of man's best friend.

In addition to science-based reads, there are those that tug at the heartstrings. In From Baghdad, with Love, a group of Marines feed and care for an abandoned and starving dog, even though it's against the rules. In return, Lava, the dog, offers the soldiers a dose of normalcy during their deployment.

We all remember the shocking story of Michael Vick's involvement in a dog-fighting ring. The Lost Dogs follows the dogs from rescue to rehabilitation. Most of the 51 dogs found their forever homes and some even work in therapy.

Grab a book, grab a dog, sit, stay and read awhile.