Quick read of short stories about dogs. Some will make you smile, laugh, cry or wonder about the owner. ( )

I freely admit it. I am a sucker for great titles. I'm a sucker for dogs on covers. And I am a sucker for collections of essays billed as hilarious. There should have been no doubt in anyone's mind that I would not only buy but almost immediately make short work of a book called I'm Not the Biggest Bitch in This Relationship: Hilarious, Heartwarming Tales About Man's Best Friend From Some of America's Favorite Humorists. And the best thing? It was delightful and funny and sweet and everything it was billed as being. I recognized my own yappers in some of the dogs and I recognized myself in the dog owners. As with the best humor, there were some blindingly fantastic truths presented in literally laugh out loud fashion in several of the essays. There are twenty dog tales here and while all twenty are obviously thematically connected, they were all different. Some were funnier than others but all were touching love letters to the furry, four-legged canines who run the homes of the writers included in the collection. Any and all dog lovers will appreciate this charmer of a book and will love even more the fact that editor Rouse, whose own contribution to the book is wonderful, is donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book to The Humane Society of the United States as well as mentioning all of the contributors' own personal favorite animal charities in their bios. ( )

This is a Reading Good Books review.

* In compliance with FTC guidelines, it should be noted that I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

Imagine me saying this in a sing-song voice: “I looooove it!!!”

From the hilariously sweet foreword from Chelsea Handler’s dog, Chunk, to the very last essay, this anthology put a smile on my face at every page turn. This book has twenty essays from twenty different writers/dog owners. TWENTY tales that will definitely warm your heart, brighten up your day, make you laugh out loud and say, “Yes, I do that too!”

I am a dog person and currently dogless so this made me want to get a four-legged best friend as soon as possible. I mean, how can you say no to adorable eyes looking straight at you, almost pleading to walk with you to a loving home? I get chills just thinking about it. The stories about adopting a dog were so touching and it is a helpful look at what happens AFTER an adoption. I particularly like “Dogs are the New Children” by Jen Lancaster. Because they are. Couples decide not to have children but they get dogs. Then the attention they would’ve showered on a child would be placed upon their pet. Alice Bradley’s “Menage a Dog” talks a bit about that too.

The essays about how their dogs helped them in their lives. The very touching “Walking My Dog Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death is a Nice Way to Start the Day” by Bob Smith had me in tears. As well as “The Little Rascal” by Beth Harbison. I just… love how the authors wrote about their dogs with so much love and appreciation. Another one of my favorites is “Are You A Rascal or a Ringo?” by Jeff Marx (I love Avenue Q). It shows how dogs are not just their owner’s friend, but can be to other dogs as well.

If I had to pick ONE favorite, it has to be “A Dog Day of Summer” by W. Bruce Cameron. HI-LAR-IOUS. If this is any indication, I cannot get my hands on his book A Dog’s Purpose. I loved it so much, I read it twice in a row. Then passed it to my mom and she was laughing out loud too. A close second would have to be “Scratching at My Door, Tail Between his Legs” by Caprice Crane. It has WIN written all over it. I mean, imagine an ex-boyfriend asking for visitation rights for your dog? WIN!

It would’ve been great to see photos of the dogs with their owners. You know, to put a face to the name. A lot of people know who Chunk Handler is but to see Cindy, Maisy, Boz, Rascal, Maeby, and Bridget would have been fantastic.

Rating: 5/5.

Recommendation: Dog lovers! Pet lovers! Hell, I want EVERYONE to sit down and read this while your pet is frolicking on the grass with his/her friends. ( )