Welcome to Dog-Eared, a curated roundup of what we’re reading, watching, and thinking about in the digital dog world. We gather dog news that stands out: smart reporting, thoughtful essays, notable studies, and the occasional viral moment that earns its place.
Grab a treat (for yourself and your pup), get comfortable, and dive into some of our favorite dog-related content. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Issue No. 09 | May 23, 2025
- If you haven’t yet seen the movie The Friend, based on the novel by Sigrid Nunez, run-don’t-walk to the screen nearest you. To read about the Great Dane at the center of the movie, see “Great Dane, Great Co-Star” by E. Zuckerman for The New York Times. For a review of the movie, see “How to Make an Elevated Dog Movie” by B. Ebiri for New York Magazine and Vulture. See our own review of Nunez’s book.
- Don’t miss “The Dire Wolf Is Back: Colossal, a genetics startup, has birthed three pups that contain ancient DNA from the remains of the animal’s extinct ancestors” by D.T. Max for The New Yorker. See also Max’s “Inside the Lab Where Scientists Are Bringing Back Extinct Animals.” Read, too, “Did Scientists Actually De-Extinct the Dire Wolf?” by A. Thompson for Scientific American.
- “Sit, Stay, Say Goodbye: Volunteer ‘puppy raisers’ are chipping away at a shortage of service dogs, one short-term adoption at a time” by A. Stimpson for The New York Times. See the article if for only the Labrador love-fest of a video that serves as the opening image.
- For a scientific exploration of the dog-human relationship, see “Similarities and differences between dog-human and human-human relationships” by B. Turcsan et. al. for Nature. Or, for an accessible breakdown of the study, see “People find relationship with their dog more satisfying than with best friend, study shows” by N. Davis for The Guardian.
Issue No. 08 | March 16, 2025
- Animal behaviorist, Holly Molinaro, led a study into how we view our dogs’ emotions: “Think You Understand Your Dog? Think Again” by E. Anthes for The New York Times
- “Jessie Holmes earns his first Iditarod win after five top-10 finishes” by Z. Hughes for Anchorage Daily News
- We’re fans of the Cornell Veterinary Podcast. Listen to the recent episode “Championing Healthy Aging and Mobility in Dogs” with Christopher Frye, DVM.
- We’re watching (and enjoying!) the new Netflix series With Love, Meghan. We were delighted when in episode 4, the Duchess of Sussex makes dog biscuits!
- “How a Runaway Dog Became a Hero for New Orleans” by R. Rojas for The New York Times
- Dispatches from the front lines of dog ownership: “Is my new dog, who loves the TV but not the leash, a healthy addition or a home wrecker?” by S. Lopez for the L.A. Times.
- Kat Tretina on pet insurance for Buy Side at The Wall Street Journal: “I Write About Insurance for a Living, and This Is the One Type of Insurance I Always Recommend“
Issue No. 07 | March 11, 2025
- Getting married and can’t imagine the big day without your best friend? “How to Include Your Dog in Your Wedding Day” by K. Spencer / Los Angeles Times
- The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, the 1,128-mile long-distance sled dog race held in Alaska each year, is underway. Follow the race through Alaska Public Media’s website and the Iditarod website , which offer live map updates, checkpoint stats, videos, and more. Because of lack of snow (!), this year’s race was re-routed, making it the longest Iditarod ever: “…Here’s a look at Iditarod, by the numbers” by M Thiessen for The Associated Press.
- “These American Cities are Obsessed with Dogs“. They are probably not the ones you think. / The Economist
- Planning for travel this year? “See Spot Spa: Hotels Are Ready to Pamper Your Pup” by J. Weed for The New York Times
- “How much is that doggie in the window seat? How we flew from Australia to Europe with our chihuahua” by A. Koh for The Guardian
- “Dog Aging Project Receives $7M NIH Grant to Expand Clinical Trial of Anti-Aging Drug” by C. Price for Texas A&M Today
Issue No. 06 | February 22, 2025
- The Westminster Dog Show has come and gone, to the usual fanfare. The New York Times offered a preview, a behind-the-scenes look, and photos of “7 Unforgettable Dogs,” including Monty, the Giant Schnauzer who won Best in Show.
- Adrian Lott, who writes the substack adrian likes old dogs, shared the touching post “On why we choose to foster dogs instead of adopt them.” See also our topic-adjacent blog post “Senior Dog Adoption: The Benefits of Adopting an Older Dog.”
- “Lost Dog? A Pet Detective and His Thermal Drone Are on the Case” by A.E. Petri for The New York Times. A retired NY state police investigator uses a thermal-imaging drone to help owners find and rescue their lost dogs.
- “Like humans, dogs need mental health walks in the dead of winter, vets say” by C. Thornton for USA Today. On the same topic, see “Why Britons walk their dogs so much” at The Economist.
- Tom Dowling at The Guardian: “Will a dog bed for humans improve my life? My pets and I found out.”
- When the dog you’ve been following online dies, the loss can be unexpectedly heart-wrenching. “The Agony of Adoring Online Dogs” by M. Salam for The New York Times.
- “Dog Man” the animated movie by DreamWorks took No. 1 at the box office when it debuted this month / AP News. Watch the trailer or discover the books by author Dav Pilkey.
Issue No. 05 | January 26, 2025
- The 5th season of Masterpiece’s All Creatures Great & Small is now airing on Sundays 9/8C on PBS. We at Dogish are enormous fans. For those of you just discovering the show for the first time (lucky you!), the series tells the story of real-life veterinarian James Herriot and his adventures in 1930’s Yorkshire. Find James Herriot’s classic book, on which the series is based, here.
- Dogs team up with AI to sniff out cancer. M. Rosen reports for ScienceNews.
- Wolves released in Colorado under voter-approved initiative to create a permanent population / NBC News
- Are those green bags that claim to be compostable really better for the environment? See “What Kind of Dog Poop Bags Should I Use” by R. Nuwer writing for The New York Times
- The author Paul Yoon discusses his short story “War Dogs” and bringing animals into the foreground in his fiction / The New Yorker
Issue No. 04 | January 19, 2025
- Photographer Mark Butters, based in Warwickshire, UK, captures moments with dogs and their owners. Visit for both the touching stories and the gorgeous dog portraits.
- “You’ve always wondered, here’s the answer: do dogs actually watch TV?” by S. Cain / The Guardian
- ICYMI: “Would You Clone Your Dog?” by A. Horowitz, from the June 24, 2024 issue of The New Yorker.
- “What Can Having Pets Teach You About Parenting?” by K. Cray / The Atlantic
- So worth revisiting: Jimmy Stewart reads a touching poem about his dog Beau on the Carson Tonight Show. Grab the tissues.
Issue No. 03 | January 12, 2025
- Our hearts go out to all those affected by the Los Angeles wildfires. Animal rescue groups have mobilized to care for pets whose owners could not evacuate with them. If you’d like to help, this link provides a list of LA animal organizations where you can donate, foster, or volunteer right now.
- You’ve seen the “talking buttons” craze on TikTok. This articles asks, “Do Our Dogs Have Something to Tell the World?“, by C. Bromley / The New York Times
- On a similar topic: “Will there ever be a Google Translate for pets?” by I. West-Knights / The Economist
- Meghan Markle loses her dog Guy. She mourns his death in this moving Instagram video post.
- An epidemic of anxiety…in our dogs. John-Paul Flintoff explores ways to help our anxious pups / The Guardian
- And for addressing your own anxiety: at this family-owned organic farm in Vermont, you can pay to attend a “Golden Retriever Happy Hour“–a 90 minute playdate with 10 golden retrievers.
Issue No. 02 | January 5, 2025
- Don’t miss “Nightbitch,” available for streaming on Hulu! A struggling stay-at-home mom discovers she’s turning into a dog. Directed by Marielle Heller and staring Amy Adams. Watch the trailer here.
- Catch Emily Nussbaum’s profile on the movie “Nightbitch” and it’s director Marielle Heller / The New Yorker
- “What Does That Bark Mean?: AI hype has come to dog research” by C.M. Nyce / The Atlantic
- In case you missed it: “Vito Is First Pug to Win National Dog Show” by J. Jimenez | The New York Times
- We can’t stop following Jazzy the Fashion Doodle: @missjazzy.doodle
- “Meet Lamb Chop, America’s Hottest Dog Toy” by A.E. Petri / The New York Times
- Need a writing prompt? We’re fans of writer Jennifer Weiner’s substack. In “About a Dog,” she imagines back stories for her pet dogs.
Issue No. 01 | December 29, 2024
- Writer Sam Anderson’s moving podcast, Animal, asks, “In a broken world, what can we gain by looking another animal in the eye?”.
- A call to breed and train more puppies like service animals: “Dogs Are Entering a New Wave of Domestication” by B. Hare and V. Woods / The Atlantic
- Don’t miss this. Friends to the End: The beloved pets of some of the notable people we lost this year. Photographs by S. Asgharnia and text by A.X. Wang. / The New York Times Magazine
- A review of the newly-released, updated edition of “Knitting with dog hair.” For real. Read the review by R.R. Raydomsky / The New York Times. Find the updated book here.
- A Yale researcher has developed a vaccine to slow or stop certain cancers in dogs. “Novel cancer vaccine offers new hope for dogs–and those who love them” by M. Locklear / Yale News
- “How to Keep Your Pets Safe in the Cold,” by C. Pearson / New York Times
