Lili Chin, Melissa McCue-McGrath, and Kerry Nichols at Bark! Fest
Your invitation to join Lili Chin (Dogs of the World), Melissa McCue-McGrath (Misadventures of the World's Okayest Dog Trainer) and Kerry Nichols (Puppy Brain) at Bark! Fest, the book festival for animal lovers.
By Zazie Todd, PhD
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Explore the world of dogs from training to breeds and behaviour with these 3 authors.
In Dogs of the World: A Gallery of Pups from Purebred to Mutts by Lili Chin we meet more than 600 dogs and learn about their history and DNA. Misadventures of the World’s Okayest Dog Trainer: 25 Cases to Guide Dog Trainers and Behaviourists in Their Career by Melissa McCue-McGrath is a quirky, comical, and sometimes heartbreaking journey into modern behavioural science. And in the national bestseller Puppy Brain: How Our Dogs Learn, Think, and Love by Kerry Nichols we learn the best ways to raise a puppy so that they become happy and resilient.
Wednesday September 16th at 1 pm Pacific (4 pm Eastern / 9 pm UK time).
This event is hosted by Zazie Todd and Kristi Benson.
Please support the authors by getting their books, which are available wherever books are sold, from my Amazon store, from Bookshop, and probably your local library too.
The event will be recorded. A link to the recording will be sent to everyone who registers.
About Dogs of the World by Lili Chin
Dogs of the World: A Gallery of Pups From Purebreds to Mutts
From the noble Afghan Hound to indigenous village dogs, this vibrant illustrated gallery offers fascinating information on more than 600 dog breeds, from the author and illustrator of Doggie Language and Kitty Language.
Meet more than 600 types of dogs in this captivating canine gallery, from the English Springer Spaniel and Moroccan Aïdi to the Thai Ridgeback and the New Guinea Singing Dog. Packed with fascinating tidbits and hundreds of illustrations, Dogs of the World also shines a welcome spotlight on the world's 85 percent of dogs who are no breed at all, including mutts and village dogs.
You'll learn about different dog types and their working roles, such as herding, livestock guarding, scent detection, dog sports, and companionship, and understand what terms like purebred and landrace mean. Trace the history of our modern dogs through a vibrantly visual timeline, and pick up insights on breed health risks, personality traits, and how breed ancestry DNA tests work.
Featuring adorable artwork and research vetted by dog history experts, behavior professionals, and veterinarians, Dogs of the World is a loving and accessible guide to the diversity of our canine companions.
Lili Chin is an author-illustrator best known for her animal-related art and books. Since 2008, she has been providing custom illustration and a catalog of art products for sale and creating expressive and educational illustrations for the world of companion animal behavior and welfare, animal lovers, and businesses. Her first book - Doggie Language: A Dog Lover's Guide to Understanding Your Best Friend, published by Summersdale/Hachette in 2020, has won two awards, and has been praised for making an important subject more fun and accessible. It has sold over 100,000 copies.
Her second award-winning book, Kitty Language: An Illustrated Guide to Understanding Your Cat was published in 2023 by Ten Speed Press/Penguin Random House. Both Doggie Language and Kitty Language have been translated to multiple languages around the world. Dogs of the World is Lili Chin’s third book, published in April 2025. It features over 600 illustrations of different types of dogs from around the world from purebreds and mutts, to street dogs and village dogs, and also looks at where dog breeds come from and what they mean to us. Dogs of the World is a finalist in the 2025 DWAA Awards.
Lili Chin is Chinese-American, born in Malaysia and raised in Sydney, Australia. She currently lives in Los Angeles with a writer-husband, and two rescued and bonded cats - Mambo and Shimmy.
See more of her work at www.doggiedrawings.net
About Misadventures of the World's Okayest Dog Trainer by Melissa McCue-McGrath
Misadventures of the World's Okayest Dog Trainer
If you’ve ever said, ‘I love dogs, but I hate people’, this book is for you.
Following the lead of Dr. Nick Trout and Dr. Phillip Schott, who brought readers behind the scenes in busy animal hospitals, Misadventures follows quirky and (eventually) confident McCue-McGrath into people’s most intimate spaces, their homes, through a decades long career in dog training and behavior.
This part-memoir, part-career guide is the first of its kind to put readers in a behaviorist’s seat, feeling the flush of embarrassment when explaining humping to second graders, the shock of finding adult toys on client’s countertops, and the stab of anxiety when aggression cases go sideways. This book is more than a day in the life of a dog trainer, but a look at the rapid evolution of understanding canine behavior over the last twenty years.
The interplay between the author’s often comical, and sometimes heartbreaking, personal journey into a still unregulated industry perfectly mirrors the global shift from outdated, dominance-based training to modern behavioral sciences. The payoff is a hopeful look at what we can do for animals, what these pets already do for humans, and what we humans can do for each other.
Melissa’s personal journey through the world of dog training offers great insight to those curious about picking up a leash and entering the industry. Alongside her experiences are practical and technical advice for the behavioral professional including signposted resources and coverage of relevant industry bodies. Through the 147 dogs (and one cat) Melissa demystifies this rewarding profession. But most importantly, these beloved pets teach us what saved means, what love means, what hubris is, and remind us all that animals truly make us more human.
Melissa McCue-McGrath, PACT ATI / ABTC ATI is the first American resident to earn certification through the prestigious PACT and the ABTC organizations in the UK. She is the author of the much awaited Misadventures of the World's Okayest Dog Trainer, released a decade after her first book, Considerations for the City Dog. Misadventures is an educational memoir that peaks behind the curtain of what canine training and behavior can look like, from explaining humping to second graders and adult pleasure toys prominently featured during home visits, to the stab of anxiety in hoarding cases and behavioral euthanasia, Melissa's unique perspective, razor sharp wit, and endless compassion for the humans she works with is evident through every page.
Melissa lives in Maine, USA, with her family, two dogs (Captain and Rookie), an ancient cat, and 15 of the luckiest chickens on the planet. She does behavior consulting and training where she gets peed on for pay more than she anticipated in her adult career, and still loves dogs.
And their people.
About Puppy Brain by Kerry Nichols
Puppy Brain: How Our Dogs Learn, Think, and Love
How do you raise a happy, healthy, and emotionally resilient dog? Full of actionable guidance, Puppy Brain will show you how to create a harmonious, fulfilling relationship with your pet, from Kerry Nichols, founder of Nicholberry Goldens.
Do you want to learn how to help your dog feel safe? Do you dream of owning a dog who enjoys meeting new people and exploring new places? Kerry Nichols, founder of Nicholberry Goldens, brings readers into the whelping box and onto the frontlines of a puppy’s developmental journey with her trademark clarity and wit.
With guidance about everything from crate training to spaying and neutering, Puppy Brain distills the latest insights and breakthroughs from canine research into practical, actionable, evidence-based guidance.
Through years of research into brain development and the use of intentional rearing protocols that focus on honoring a puppy’s choices and needs, Kerry has developed an approach that results in a harmonious, fulfilling relationship with our dogs rather than one steeped in rote obedience. Puppy Brain will reshape the way you think about your dog and show you how to meet your dog’s most basic needs.
With irresistible photos, clear guidance, and engaging humor, Puppy Brain reveals the best training practices based on how your dog’s mind works. As her hundreds of thousands of followers can attest, Kerry’s guidance will help you raise dogs who are confident, loving, and happy. The perfect gift for dog lovers and psychology enthusiasts alike, Puppy Brain is the definitive resource for anyone looking to raise their puppy with respect and love.
Kerry Nichols is a former attorney turned canine educator and advocate whose journey into the world of dogs began nearly fifteen years ago. With the founding of Nicholberry Goldens, she devoted herself to raising the healthiest Golden Retrievers possible. This evolved into a mission to instill emotional resilience and agency in her own puppies, a pursuit she now shares with an audience of hundreds of thousands of followers across social media. Her methods continue to garner support from leading veterinarians, trainers, and psychologists, and notable owners of her Goldens include executives from Facebook, Microsoft, and Tinder.
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