Each of these audiobooks for dog owners and lovers tells a compelling and heartwarming story about the human relationship with a dog. If you’re looking for a great uplifting listen or hilarious insight into the canine mind, one of these audiobooks will be a great way to start.
If you're new to audiobooks, they are worth trying. You can listen to them on your daily commute to work, in the car while running errands, and during your daily walks with your canine companion. Audiobooks are ideal for busy people who may not have the time to sit and read, but would still enjoy a good book every now and then.
We all know books are one of the best ways to obtain information, so why not use them to learn more about your relationship with your dog as well. All of these audiobooks about dogs and dog ownership on this list share insight into the canine perspective, and they are sure to help you understand your Fido a little bit better.
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7 Best Audiobooks for Dog Owners and Dog Lovers Alike
1 Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know
by Alexandra Horowitz; narrated by Karen White
Most dog owners are interested in understanding our canine companions, and the researchers are constantly making progress with new studies that help us achieve this goal. Alexandra Horowitz, Ph.D. is one of the most well-known in that area.
I’m sure many dog owners have read numerous articles and books in an attempt to decode the mind of our best friends:
- What are dogs thinking?
- What are dogs feeling?
- How do dogs understand us?
- Do our dogs truly love us?
- Are they capable of feeling the way humans do?
Alexandra Horowitz, an animal behaviorist, and dog owner attempts to answer dog owners' and lovers' most pressing questions in this light-hearted yet informative guide to understanding how our dogs see the world. Inside of a Dog first became very popular as a paperback among serious canine enthusiasts and just dog lovers, but it's now it's also one of the best audiobooks for dog owners that you should probably give a listen to.
An entertaining but informative audiobook, the answers to our most-googled doggy questions will surprise and delight as Horowitz explains how our four-legged friends perceive their daily worlds, each other, and that other quirky animal, the human.
For example, Horowitz discusses the doggy smile and how our interpretations of a dog’s smile or any animal’s smile is off the mark:
“We might judge an animal to be happy when we see the upturn of the corners of his mouth, such a smile however can be misleading, on dolphins, a smile is a fixed physiological feature.”
2 The Art of Racing in the Rain
by Garth Stein; narrated by Christopher Evan Welch
The Art of Racing in the Rain is easily one of the most popular dog books today, first only available as a paperback but recently was narrated by Chris Welch and came to Audible, continuing to warm all dog lovers' and owners' hearts.
In this doggy audiobook, we’re told the story through the eyes of Enzo the dog. Enzo isn’t your regular pup however, he’s a philosopher with a nearly human soul and has educated himself by watching lots of television and listening closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver.
Welch captures the thoughts and emotions of dogs so well. For example, here we see Enzo fighting his doggy instinct to enthusiastically greet his master as he comes home,
“The door opens, and I hear him with his familiar cry “Yo!”, usually I can’t help but put aside my pain, hoist myself to my feet, wag my tail, sling my tongue around and shove my face into his crotch, it takes humanlike willpower to hold back on this particular occasion, but I do, I hold back, I don’t get up, I’m acting.”
Enzo is an eloquent and intelligent pup but offers unconditional love for his owner like all dogs do. Many readers and listeners of this dog audiobook put it as their top favorite choice, which they came back to again and again. Reviews say that it’s a great audiobook for everybody – dog lovers, owners as well as racing enthusiasts.
3 Love Is the Best Medicine
by Nick Trout; narrated by Jonathan Cowley
Someone looking for information and stories from professionals working with dogs, this canine audiobook is another great choice.
Nick Trout is a veterinarian, and in Love is the Best Medicine he tells the tale of how two dogs changed the way he thought about life, death, fate, and love. The audiobook sees how Dr. Trout’s life interweaves with Helen the Cocker Spaniel and Cleo the Min Pin, as he struggles to save their lives.
Love is the Best Medicine immerses listeners in the real-life drama of owning pets and the story highlights the important bond we have with them. The story also shows the incredible responsibility Dr. Trout carries as he attempts to save them and the emotions that are behind the calm and collected minds of our vets.
Dr. Trout demonstrates his true love for animals through this audiobook, as well as his fundamental belief in the power of hope, humility, and grace when it comes to healing our animals. Listeners of the book say that the story truly demonstrates how we feel about our pets and it’s a great insight into the minds of those keeping our pets as healthy as possible.
“I cannot say enough about this book. I have listened to it 4 or 5 times now and every time, I enjoy it even more. It gives you a unique insight from the vets point of view, and it is good to know that the dogs we love are also truly cared for by our vets.”
4 Sophie: Incredible True Story of the Castaway Dog
by Emma Pearse; narrated by Anna-Lisa Horton
For more incredible and heartwarming stories about dogs, don't pass up the Sophie audiobook. Sophie is an Australian cattle dog who was lost at sea. This audiobook tells the unbelievable story of how she swam six miles through waters swarming with sharks to a remote island where she survived in the wild for five months.
Sophie’s owners, Jan and Dave Griffith decided to take their dog, Sophie, for a glorious weekend away at sea. Beautiful weather was overshadowed by darkness, and still, waters turned to fierce waves.
It was in these turbulent waters that Sophie disappeared overboard. Her heartbroken owners were destroyed by the event, convinced that she had died. But Sophie was a strong and loyal family member to Jan and Dave and wasn’t going to give up that easily.
What follows is a tale of extraordinary survival, luck, and the unbreakable bond between humans and their pets.
“If this was fiction, the plot might be said to be predictable. This however was real life and the outcome for Sophie and her family was anything but predictable. You could say it was miraculous.”
5 A Famous Dog's Life
by S.Chipperton and R.Dyball; narrated by Helen Stern
We see more and more dogs becoming famous and gaining their own followers and building a huge fan base. Now is the best time to listen to one of the most famous' dogs stories as told by the dog's trainer.
In A Famous Dog's Life, you'll hear a heartwarming true story of Gidget, the tiny superstar Chihuahua who is to the rest of the world, known as the Taco Bell dog. Not only do we hear the story of the canine television star but also that of her extraordinary and loyal trainer, Sue Chipperton.
Told with humor and warmth, Sue tells us about her successful training techniques, as well as her delightful and fascinating stories of working with both human and animal stars in television. A great example is Mooni, Gidget's Chihuahua roommate and the eventual star of Legally Blonde. With numerous biographies of Hollywood stars in the world, this is a unique and fun take on the world of Hollywood.
Even if you’re unfamiliar with Gidget and Taco Bell commercials, the story is still funny and engaging. Dog owners and dog lovers who became fans of the dog and the book itself found the audiobook version even more fun and a great insight into a unique business.
“Funny, touching, informative and a real page-turner. The author and trainer clearly has the most wonderful relationship with animals, both her own and the ones she trains – I want her job!”
6 A Dog's Life: The Autobiography of a Stray
by Ann M. Martin; narrated by Wendy Dillon
We'll never get tired of more stories about the incredible lives our dogs can live. This story is told by Squirrel who began her life in a toolshed with her brother Bone, learning the skills they’d need to survive as stray dogs from their mother. When Squirrel and Bone’s mother is snatched from them suddenly, they’re forced to make their own way out in the world as novice puppies.
They face humans both awful and lovely, as well as the challenges of busy highways, other animals, and the changing seasons. Twists of fate see Squirrel become separated from her brother Bone. Alone she learns to fend for herself, and along the way makes two friends who in different ways define her fate.
A story that tugs on your heartstrings and is told uniquely from the point of view of Squirrel, it has been described as “beautiful and sweet”.
“Who thought a dog's life could be so interesting? It was really sweet listening to Squirrel's story, beautifully narrated. One of my favorites, no doubt!”
7 A Dog So Small
by Philippa Pearce; narrated by Jenny Agutter
An oldie, but also one of the best audiobooks about dogs that still holds up – A Dog So Small follows a young boy named, Ben Blewitt who has been thinking about dogs and longing for one non-stop. When his birthday rolls around, he’s more than disappointed to find that he doesn’t receive a cuddly pup as a present, but instead a cross-stitch picture of a god from Mexico.
Through the workings of a child’s imagination, Ben begins a strange adventure as he fills the dog in the picture with life. However as his imagination grows all the more wild, the boundaries between reality and fantasy become blurred.
A story that was typically read as a child, is just as good a read for adults. The writing is beautiful and the atmosphere conjured by Pearce is immersive. One review reads:
“What I like about this book is its emotional depth. Young readers are not shielded from the quite intense sometimes negative emotions that children can have… But, although there are definite low points in the story, it does end on a beautiful high which stays with you for years.”
READ NEXT: 10 Best Books for Dog Owners with Kids
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