Animal Book Club
If you love reading and animals, the Companion Animal Psychology Book Club is for you. See what we're reading this month, and take a look at the books read so far.
The Companion Animal Psychology Book Club discusses books about dogs, cats, and our relationship with animals. If you're looking for reading inspiration or the best books to gift to animal lovers, take a look at the books on our list. These books cover dog training, animal behaviour, canine science, feline science, the human-animal bond, and much more.
This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you
The books are available from all good bookstores including Bookshop (which supports independent bookstores) and my Amazon store.
New members must commit to reading and discussing at least 7 of the 10 books each year.
The book for May 2020 was Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson.
The book for April 2020 was Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy by Zazie Todd (myself).
The March 2020 book was The Animal's Companion: People & Their Pets, a 26,000-Year Love Story by Jacky Coliss Harvey.
The book for February 2020 was Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert Sapolsky.
The book for December 2019 was The Rise of Wolf 8: Witnessing the Triumph of Yellowstone's Underdog by Rick McIntyre.
The book for November 2019 is Beyond the Brain: How Body and Environment Shape Animal and Human Minds by Louise Barrett.
The book for October 2019 was Dog Is Love: Why and How Your Dog Loves You by Clive Wynne.
The book for April 2018 was How Dogs Love Us: A Neuroscientist and His Adopted Dog Decode the Canine Brain by Gregory Berns.
The book for March 2018 is Citizen Canine: Our Evolving Relationship with Cats and Dogs by David Grimm.
The book for February 2018 was The Animals Among Us: How Pets Make Us Human by John Bradshaw. In the UK, the book is called The Animals Among Us: The New Science of Anthrozoology.
"...the idea here was if we could speed up the process and actually watch the domestication of the species in real time, we could get much much more information and shed light on how one of man’s best friends came to be." Read my interview with Dr. Lee Dugatkin.
The book club takes July off.
There was no book in January 2017, as the book club takes January & July off.
The book for December 2016 was The Secret History of Kindness: Learning from How Dogs Learn by Melissa Holbrook Pierson. Read my review of The Secret History of Kindness and please leave your thoughts on the book in the comments.
The book for November 2016 was The Trainable Cat: A Practical Guide to Making Life Happier for You and Your Cat by John Bradshaw and Sarah Ellis.
"For me it’s really about training for better welfare, to improve the well-being of the cat." Read my interview with Dr. Sarah Ellis.
Happy reading!
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
The Companion Animal Psychology Book Club discusses books about dogs, cats, and our relationship with animals. If you're looking for reading inspiration or the best books to gift to animal lovers, take a look at the books on our list. These books cover dog training, animal behaviour, canine science, feline science, the human-animal bond, and much more.
This page contains affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no cost to you
The books are available from all good bookstores including Bookshop (which supports independent bookstores) and my Amazon store.
If you're an author or publicist wondering how to get the book club to read your book, or your book featured on my podcast, you'll find some answers in how to pitch books to Companion Animal Psychology.
In May 2025 we're reading Don't Shoot the Dog by Karen Pryor.
About the Animal Book Club
The club discusses one book a month except for January and July, so we read ten books a year. Books may cover a wide variety of perspectives, but there is a preference for humane and kind treatment of animals (and people), and for scientific or critical approaches to the human-animal bond.
New members must commit to reading and discussing at least 7 of the 10 books each year.
Membership of the group is open to email subscribers and Substack subscribers only. If you want to join, you can subscribe to Companion Animal Psychology's email newsletter or subscribe on Substack (if you prefer that platform), and look out for the email with the password, which comes as part of your welcome messages. Then you can ask to join on Facebook.
The Animal Books Discussed So Far
In April 2025, we read What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation of the World's Most Familiar Bird by Sy Montgomery.
In March 2025, we read How to Train Your Dog with Love and Science by Annie Grossman.
In December 2024, the book club read Puppy Kindergarten: The New Science of Raising a Great Dog by Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods.
In November 2024, the club read The Hidden Language of Cats: How They Have Us at Meow by Sarah Brown.
In October 2024, the club read my book, Bark! The Science of Helping Your Anxious, Fearful, or Reactive Dog by Zazie Todd.
In September 2024, we read Eleven Huskies by Philipp Schott DVM.
In August 2024, we read Dogs Demystified: An A-to-Z Guide to All Things Canine by Marc Bekoff.
In July 2024 we read And a Dog Called Fig: Solitude, Connection, and the Writing Life by Helen Humphreys.
In May 2024 we read Pests: How Humans Create Animal Villains by Bethany Brookshire.
In April 2024 we read Good Grief: On Loving Pets, Here and Hereafter by E.B. Bartels.
In March 2024, the club is reading Being Your Cat: What's Really Going On In Your Feline's Mind by Celia Haddon and Prof. Daniel Mills FRCVS.
In February 2024, we read Who's a Good Dog? And How to Be a Better Human by Jessica Pierce.
In December 2023, we read The Other Family Doctor: A Veterinarian Explores What Animals Can Teach Us about Love, Life, and Mortality by Karen Fine, DVM.
In November 2023, we read The Accidental Veterinarian by Philipp Schott.
In August 2023, the club read Poppy in the Wild: A Lost Dog, Fifteen Hundred Acres of Wilderness, and the Dogged Determination that Brought Her Home by Teresa J. Rhyne.
In June 2023, the book club read Where the Lost Dogs Go: A Story of Love, Search, and the Power of Reunion by Susannah Charleson.
In May 2023, the book club read On Animals by Susan Orlean.
In April 2023, the book club read Sentient: How Animals Illuminate the Wonder of Our Human Senses by Jackie Higgins.
In February and March 2023, the book club read An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us by Ed Yong.
In December, the book club read If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal: What Animal Intelligence Reveals About Human Stupidity by Justin Gregg.
In November, the book club is reading Wonderdog: The Science of Dogs and Their Unique Friendship with Humans by Jules Howard.
The book for October was The Year of the Puppy: How Dogs Become Themselves by Alexandra Horowitz.
The book for September was The Last Walk: Reflections on Our Pets at the End of Their Lives by Jessica Pierce.
In August we read Bitch: On the Female of the Species by Lucy Cooke.
In June, we read my new book, Purr: The Science of Making Your Cat Happy.
In May 2022, we read Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach.
In April 2022, we read Antiracism in Animal Advocacy: Igniting Cultural Transformation edited by Jasmin Singer, Aryenish Birdie, and Michelle Rojas-Soto.
In March 2022, read Life's Edge: The Search for What It Means to Be Alive by Carl Zimmer.
In February 2022, the book club read Aesop's Animals: The Science Behind the Fables by Jo Wimpenny.
In December 2021, the book club read A Dog's World: Imagining the Lives of Dogs in a World without Humans by Jessica Pierce and Marc Bekoff.
In November 2021, we read The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery.
In October 2021 we read Dogopolis: How Dogs and Humans Made Modern New York, London, and Paris (Animal Lives) by Chris Pearson.
The book for September 2021 was How Stella Learned to Talk: The Groundbreaking Story of the World's First Talking Dog by Christina Hunger.
The book for August 2021 was Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl by Stacy O'Brien.
The book for June 2021 was Becoming Wild by Carl Safina.
The book for May was CatWise: America's Favorite Cat Expert Answers Your Cat Behavior Questions by Pam Johnson-Bennett.
The book for April was Biology of Dogs: From Gonads Through Guts To Ganglia by Tim Lewis.
The book for March was How Animals Grieve by Barbara J King.
The book for February 2021 was Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--and Formed a Deep Bond in the Process by Irene Pepperberg.
The book for December 2020 was Survival of the Friendliest: Understanding Our Origins and Rediscovering Our Common Humanity by Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods. (This year, there is no book for November).
The book for October 2020 was Canine Enrichment for the Real World: Making It a Part of Your Dog’s Daily Life by Allie Bender and Emily Strong.
In September 2020, we read Decoding Your Cat by the American College of Veterinary Behaviorists.
The book for August 2020 was The Eye of the Trainer by Ken Ramirez.
The book for June 2020 was The Education of Will: Healing a Dog, Facing My Fears, Reclaiming My Life
by Patricia McConnell.
by Patricia McConnell.The book for May 2020 was Culture Clash by Jean Donaldson.
The book for April 2020 was Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy by Zazie Todd (myself).
The March 2020 book was The Animal's Companion: People & Their Pets, a 26,000-Year Love Story by Jacky Coliss Harvey.
The book for February 2020 was Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert Sapolsky.
The book for December 2019 was The Rise of Wolf 8: Witnessing the Triumph of Yellowstone's Underdog by Rick McIntyre.
The book for November 2019 is Beyond the Brain: How Body and Environment Shape Animal and Human Minds by Louise Barrett.
The book for September 2019 was Alexandra Horowitz's new book, Our Dogs, Ourselves: The Story of a Singular Bond. Check out my interview with Alexandra Horowitz to learn more about the book.
The book for August 2019 was What's a Dog For?: The Surprising History, Science, Philosophy, and Politics of Man’s Best Friend by John Homans.
The book for June 2019 was Once a Wolf: The Science Behind Our Dogs' Astonishing Genetic Evolution by Bryan Sykes.
The book for August 2019 was What's a Dog For?: The Surprising History, Science, Philosophy, and Politics of Man’s Best Friend by John Homans.
The book for June 2019 was Once a Wolf: The Science Behind Our Dogs' Astonishing Genetic Evolution by Bryan Sykes.
The book for May 2019 was Animal Madness by Laurel Braitman.
The book for April 2019 was What the Dog Knows: Scent, Science, and the Amazing Ways Dogs Perceive the World by Cat Warren.
The book for March 2019 was Cat Sense: How the New Feline Science Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet by John Bradshaw.
The book for February 2019 was Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know by Alexandra Horowitz.
The book for December was The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs Are Smarter Than You Think by Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods.
The book for November was Chaser: Unlocking the Genius of the Dog Who Knows a Thousand Words
The book for October was The Dog: A Natural History by Ádám Miklósi.
The book for September was Pit Bull: The Battle over an American Icon by Bronwen Dickey.
The book for August was Canine Confidential: Why Dogs Do What They Do by Marc Bekoff. You can whet your appetite by reading my interview with Dr. Marc Bekoff.
The book for June 2018 was Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It's So Hard to Think Straight About Animals by Hal Herzog.
"I wanted to get at this issue of how you wake up in the morning and get through the day trying to be a good person in a world which is incredibly morally complicated." Read my interview with Hal Herzog about the book.
The book for May 2018 was From Fearful to Fear Free: A Positive Program to Free Your Dog from Anxiety, Fears, and Phobias by Marty Becker, Lisa Radosta, Wailani Sung, Mikkel Becker, and edited by Kim Campbell Thornton.
"It’s the fact that pets have a broad range of emotions that we need to recognize." Read my interview with Dr. Marty Becker about the book and the development of Fear Free.
The book for April 2019 was What the Dog Knows: Scent, Science, and the Amazing Ways Dogs Perceive the World by Cat Warren.
The book for March 2019 was Cat Sense: How the New Feline Science Can Make You a Better Friend to Your Pet by John Bradshaw.
The book for February 2019 was Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell, and Know by Alexandra Horowitz.
The book for December was The Genius of Dogs: How Dogs Are Smarter Than You Think by Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods.
The book for November was Chaser: Unlocking the Genius of the Dog Who Knows a Thousand Words
The book for October was The Dog: A Natural History by Ádám Miklósi.
The book for September was Pit Bull: The Battle over an American Icon by Bronwen Dickey.
The book for August was Canine Confidential: Why Dogs Do What They Do by Marc Bekoff. You can whet your appetite by reading my interview with Dr. Marc Bekoff.
The book for June 2018 was Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It's So Hard to Think Straight About Animals by Hal Herzog.
"I wanted to get at this issue of how you wake up in the morning and get through the day trying to be a good person in a world which is incredibly morally complicated." Read my interview with Hal Herzog about the book.
The book for May 2018 was From Fearful to Fear Free: A Positive Program to Free Your Dog from Anxiety, Fears, and Phobias by Marty Becker, Lisa Radosta, Wailani Sung, Mikkel Becker, and edited by Kim Campbell Thornton.
"It’s the fact that pets have a broad range of emotions that we need to recognize." Read my interview with Dr. Marty Becker about the book and the development of Fear Free.
The book for April 2018 was How Dogs Love Us: A Neuroscientist and His Adopted Dog Decode the Canine Brain by Gregory Berns.
The book for March 2018 is Citizen Canine: Our Evolving Relationship with Cats and Dogs by David Grimm.
The book for February 2018 was The Animals Among Us: How Pets Make Us Human by John Bradshaw. In the UK, the book is called The Animals Among Us: The New Science of Anthrozoology.
The 2017 Books
- December 2017: The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy ― and Why They Matter by Marc Bekoff.
- November 2017: What a Fish Knows: The Inner Lives of Our Underwater Cousins by Jonathan Balcombe.
- October 2017: Plenty in Life Is Free: Reflections on Dogs, Training and Finding Grace by Kathy Sdao.
- September 2017: Pets on the Couch: Neurotic Dogs, Compulsive Cats, Anxious Birds, and the New Science of Animal Psychiatry by Nicholas Dodman.
- August 2017: How to Tame a Fox (and Build a Dog): Visionary Scientists and a Siberian Tale of Jump-Started Evolution by Lee Dugatkin and Lyudmila Trut.
"...the idea here was if we could speed up the process and actually watch the domestication of the species in real time, we could get much much more information and shed light on how one of man’s best friends came to be." Read my interview with Dr. Lee Dugatkin.
The book club takes July off.
- June 2017: The Inner Life of Cats: The Science and Secrets of Our Mysterious Feline Companions
by Thomas McNamee.
- May 2017: Dog Sense: How the New Science of Dog Behavior Can Make You A Better Friend to Your Pet by John Bradshaw. For UK and Australian readers, the book is called In Defence of Dogs.
- April 2017: The Other End of the Leash: Why We Do What We Do Around Dogs
by Patricia McConnell.
- March 2017: Being a Dog: Following the Dog Into a World of Smell by Alexandra Horowitz.
- February 2017: Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? by Frans de Waal.
by Thomas McNamee.
by Patricia McConnell.There was no book in January 2017, as the book club takes January & July off.
The 2016 Books
The book for December 2016 was The Secret History of Kindness: Learning from How Dogs Learn by Melissa Holbrook Pierson. Read my review of The Secret History of Kindness and please leave your thoughts on the book in the comments.
The book for November 2016 was The Trainable Cat: A Practical Guide to Making Life Happier for You and Your Cat by John Bradshaw and Sarah Ellis.
"For me it’s really about training for better welfare, to improve the well-being of the cat." Read my interview with Dr. Sarah Ellis.
Happy reading!
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Disclosure: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookstores.
