Did you know that (according to this title's author) people and dogs have been spending time together for 15,000 years? I did not. I realize though that this would allow for there having been many dogs in art over the years. This books showcases many of them.

Each dog is placed in historical context and its material is given, along with other of the author's thoughts. The first dog is from the second century BC in Greece but looks far more modern.

This book does not go in chronological order. It was created for dipping in and out of. That said, I loved the second illustration of three dogs made by a Japanese artist. I was very interested in seeing everything that followed. I found so many favorites here...indeed, practically everything I saw I liked. My most favorite were many of the endearing Japanese dogs, however.

Cynophiles (dog lovers) will, I think, very much enjoy this title. It just might bring smiles to faces.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

Pub date: 05 May 2025

If you love dogs and art (ranging from ancient to modern), then this book is for you.

From the intro, it sounds like the author went through digital collections of art museums and gathered up pieces where a dog was featured and compiled them into this book, with a short description about the piece and its background, and a large photo of it. It’s simple, mostly for enjoying pictures of the art, and good as a coffee table book or casual reading.

The short descriptions were super casual, not like what you’d read in a real art museum, which made it easy to read but I wouldn’t say this book is very educational. The resources at the end listed mostly Internet sources, including Wikipedia, which is a bit disappointing to me in a nonfiction book since anyone could get that info.

Overall good casual entertainment!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was fun. I loved all the artwork that was shown. I enjoyed the information that was provided with each image. It was a great experience to read this book.

ADORABLE! 🐶 This is a delightful, whimsical book featuring historical dog art spanning continents and centuries! The author’s quirky humor had me giggling throughout and I learned a plethora of fun facts! Humans and dogs have been bffs since the beginning of time! 🥹 A perfect gift for any dog lovers in your life!!

Thank you Chronical Books for an eARC via NetGalley! 🐾

Museum of Dogs is a playful collection of dogs throughout art history for dog people and art lovers. I’m actually a cat person, but this looked too adorable to pass up…

The subtitle for this book reads “A Romp through Art History for Dog People”, and I feel like “romp” is really the key word here. This book is very playful in nature, and that is what I appreciate about it. For one, there is no strict organization scheme, and though that may not be to everyone’s liking, I felt like it contributed to the fun because you never knew what was coming next. What time period are we visiting next? What culture? What locale? What medium? What type of item was it going to be? And there was a huge range in terms of type of objects in this book. I had actually only seen a few of the most famous works before, so that was exciting.

The layout, colors, and photo quality were all very nice. The descriptions are light in tone and informational without being too long. You do have to flip to the back to see what museum/institution houses the object/art in question. I think this is done to keep the pace of the book fast, but it might be annoying for some people.

The only downside is now I want a cat version of this book…

Obviously, this book would be great for any dog lover in your life. But also for art history lovers or even artists looking for a little inspiration!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!*

Netgalley ARC - 3.5 stars. I think this has promise, the selected pieces are fun and whimsical and diverse in form and source. Unfortunately I find the narration and historical description kind of annoying in a forced-whimsy way and I wish there was just slightly more historical information when possible.

A very delightful book for dog lovers as well as art lovers.
Each beautifully photographed piece of art is accompanied by a little world history, art history, and humor. I enjoyed the broad range of art styles and historical eras represented throughout the book. I read this as an ebook, but would love to see the colorful photos in print.

I just knew I was going to love this book when, in her intro, the author asked readers to give their own dogs a head scratch for her. I was right. Trust me, this isn't your usual dry museum guide. The author's own love of dogs and whimsical sense of humor are both front and center and it was a fun romp through any number of museum level collections. The art ranged from the expected sculptures and paintings to, no lie, a dog "whistling jar". Nope, not telling. You'll just have to read to find out what that one is. Other doggie focused art ranged from a bead-work eye glasses case, which having worn glasses most of my life, I envied, to incense burners, an inkstand, and even a waterspout. Just too many different items to list. As an Alaska, I was definitely glad to see the inclusion of an Inuit team of sled dogs, a common source of transportation back in the ol' days.

What really shines through aside from the author's own love of dogs is the abundance of love and respect given our beloved furry friends by the artists themselves. You'll be astonished to see how far back in history just this collection of items goes, too. The author includes not only color photos, but brief descriptions of what you're seeing on the opposite page. The descriptions tend to be quick and to the point, not going off on tangents about artistic styles or eras, but simply on that bit of artwork. As noted, her sense of humor shines through, even using word play to great effect. Make sure to see if you catch the repetition of words beginning with "L" for one featuring a Labrador. Again, nope, not sharing. Don't want to spoil your fun of discovery. The conversational, humorous tone will definitely keep you interested, probably with a grin on your face. I mean, check out that cover shot for an example of the human yen to dress our dogs. Well, not mine. She's one of those who abhors that sort of thing, but some dogs have larger wardrobes than me, that's for sure. Dog love seems to have spanned the centuries.

Bottom line, whether you're simply a dog lover or art fan, you'll find something to love in this fun book. Maybe we can create our own version of the game of Hounds and Jackals? Thanks #ChronicleBooks for this early peek at dog related artwork. I sorta want a corgi version of that door knocker!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Museum of Dogs: A Romp Through Art History for Dog People is an absolute delight—fun, educational, and beautifully presented. If you’ve ever wanted to take an art history course but wished it had more dogs (and fewer exams), this is the book for you. Jessica Poundstone has created an art book like no other, with bite-sized pieces of information that are just enough—no fluff, no overwhelming detail, just fascinating facts paired with incredible artwork.

I learned so much in such a short time! Who knew the ancient Egyptians mourned their dogs by shaving their entire bodies—including their eyebrows? That archaeologists have found centuries-old dog collars engraved with names like “Brave One” and even the brutally honest “Useless”? The book is sprinkled with gems like this, making history both informative and entertaining.

The sheer variety of artistic mediums is astounding—woodcuts, mosaics, ceramics, gemstone carvings, bronzes, paintings—you name it, someone has immortalized a dog in it. Some of my favorite discoveries included Pug Dog in Armchair (1857) by Alfred de Dreux, the Roman gemstone of a running and barking dog, and Caesar at the Rubicon (1878) by Wilhelm Trübner. I also loved the Canis Major illustration in Urania’s Mirror, where lifting the card to the light reveals the constellation pattern—talk about an interactive art experience from the 1820s!

And then there are the unexpected tidbits—like a certain famous scientist who could have really used a pipe tamper. The Munito Poodle was such a superstar that Charles Dickens and the Duke of York were fans. And then there’s Tama the puppy, so adored that his owner commissioned portraits of him from Renoir and Manet—now that’s what I call a pampered pooch.

This book is perfect for art lovers, dog enthusiasts, and even teenagers just beginning to explore the world of art history. The humor keeps it engaging, and the format makes it easy to digest—so go ahead, dig in! A solid 5-star read.

My favorite museum activity is now coffee book filled with fun tidbits and pictures of dogs from art all over the world. I appreciated that there is a variety of art pieces from a variety of cultures. It's a fun way to connect with art and museums both of which are generally considered more intellectual than fun for the everyday.

I do wish that the book would have some sort of organization - cultures, time period, types of works, anything rather than just blurb and artwork. I also wish that the museum or collection information was on the page rather than at the end since if you want to see one in person you have to flip through the endnotes and then look up the museum to see where it is which is a bit much to do before my interest wanes.

This is an excellent book for art lovers and dog lovers. It would be a good coffee table book and good for art history. Definitely a cute 'pocket sized' book

What’s not to love about this one? As an art history major and momma to 7 pups, I feel like this book was made for me. I enjoyed the journey through time and art, all dedicated to dogs! This would be a great coffee table book and make for a really fun college art history course.

This is the most fun trip through history you will ever take. It's amazing and hilarious all the different ways these different dogs have been portrayed in art throughout history. The photographs are wonderful, and every dog is the best dog. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

What a fun little ride through history! I so frequently see books about cats, hardly ever a book about dogs, I loved it! The fun little descriptions, the great photos, the ART! It was such a fun read, I want to go through it again and again!

This book would make a perfect gift for a dog lover! My only complaint is that it wasn't long enough!

I love art and have visited many of the great museums of the world. As a dog lover I always notice dogs and how they are depicted. This book focuses on dogs in sculpture, drawings, painting, ceramics and more. There are representations from various continents, centuries and cultures. The commentary is light and playful. In fact, I almost wondered if it was for younger readers, but it is not listed that way. I didn’t always love the personal comments from the author. And the one thing that really bothered me was having to dig in the back through image credits and notes to find what museums each item was from. I've been to most of the American and European museums listed and thought this information could easily have been listed on the page where the work was displayed. It is cute and informative for what it is but I wanted to be able to find dogs I had an interest in seeing in person.

Some art books are large, ponderous tomes, serious in tone and heavily footnoted.
This title is not one of those.
What this book is is a salute to our furry best friends and their appearances in art over the millennia. From ancient Egyptian and Etruscan sculptures to 20th century drawings and paintings, canines are everywhere. Candy tins, jewelry, drinking vessels, educational flash cards, buttons, incense holders, ink stands; you name it. If a human can make it, some humans will work a dog into the design.
Recommended for dog lovers and people who like quirky art books.

The book did not live up to expectations. The dog on the cover was much cuter than some on the inside of the book. The history piece was kind of cool but overall this book just didn’t do it for me. Still overall interesting tho

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC of Museum of Dogs in exchange for an honest review.

I had a lot of fun reading through the book. It is very well-researched and I love the breadth of art forms covered. My favorite is definitely the pottery sculpture. So cute! This is such a beautiful and fun read. A perfect gift for dog lovers everywhere.

Cute gift book for dog/art lovers. All art forms are covered from pottery to paintings to sculpture, etc. Personally, I would have liked some more in-depth history, but the snippets of description work well for this petit format.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an early look.

This amazingly diverse collection spanning thousands of years is aptly titled. Choose almost any part of the globe, almost any epoch of history, and style of art. You'll find them all here in this canine compendium. Representations in porcelain, glass, metal, stone, a variety of painting media, ancient, and modern art.

The perfect gift —not only dog lovers but art collectors in general. Five stars.