Welcome to our September 2026 Dog Lovers Book Club! As we step into Spring, this curated collection focuses on fresh starts, resilience, and the extraordinary bonds we share with our dogs. From glossy coffee table books to honest service dog guides and quiet moments of mindfulness, these reads explore how our four-legged companions shape our wellbeing, support our daily routines, and bring joy to every day.
Bursting with high-stakes space missions and hilarious campout escapes, our September kids' line-up is built to spark wonder and empathy. These engaging stories give young readers a heart-warming look into the world of working service dogs, the power of friendship, and what it truly means to be a loyal companion when it counts most.
WORKING DOGS
Through the lens of love and duty
By: John Fabiano
From arctic sled dogs and Italian truffle hunters to avalanche rescue teams, boat hounds, and livestock guardians, dogs take on an extraordinary range of jobs.
In this stunning debut photo book, global photographer John Fabiano documents working dogs on duty around the world.
Through striking imagery and personal profiles, Working Dogs captures the purpose, intelligence, and unique human-canine bonds behind these hard-working professionals—whether they are navigating rugged mountain terrains, assisting in therapy sessions, or keeping watch on the farm.
Featured working roles include:
- Livestock herders, farm dogs, and boat hounds
- Avalanche rescue teams and search-and-rescue dogs
- Truffle-hunting canines and arctic sled teams
- Animal-assisted therapy and community support dogs
Hardcover, 232 pages
Publisher: Smith Street Books, 4th August 2026
Price: $38.75 from Amazon Australia
YOUR DOG IS THE DOCTOR
How Dogs Improve Your Health, Happiness, and Everyday Life
By: Dr. Daniel Guirguis
In Your Dog Is The Doctor, veterinarian Dr. Daniel Guirguis explores how living with a dog naturally creates the conditions for a healthier life.
Drawing on research in behavioural science, psychology, and physiology, he shows how dogs help us establish routines, move more, spend time outdoors, and stay present—without relying on willpower or discipline alone.
You will learn how your bond with your dog can help you:
- Build consistent daily habits and physical movement
- Reduce stress and ground yourself in the present
- Strengthen social connections and daily structure
This isn't a book about training your dog. It’s an insightful look at how your dog is already shaping your health, and how to use that relationship more intentionally.
Paperback, 182 pages
Publisher: Daniel Guirguis, 11th August 2026
RRP: $26.75 from Booktopia
SERVICE DOGS FOR MENTAL HEALTH
Breaking Barriers, Building Independence, Transforming Lives
By: Frank D. Cohen
When mental health conditions limit daily life, a psychiatric service dog can be transformative—yet navigating the path to partnership is often complex, expensive, and misunderstood.
Written by handler and data analyst Frank D. Cohen, Service Dogs for Mental Health offers an honest, evidence-based look at the realities of these partnerships. Rather than a step-by-step training manual, this guide helps prospective handlers, families, and health professionals determine if a service dog is the right path, how to navigate legal rights, and how to avoid common fraud in the industry.
This guide covers:
- Evaluating whether a psychiatric service dog is right for your needs
- Navigating legal rights, financial realities, and public spaces
- Finding legitimate resources and avoiding industry misinformation
- Supporting loved ones or clients through the process
A practical, transparent resource for anyone considering a psychiatric service dog, supporting a handler, or working toward more inclusive spaces.
Paperback, 228 pages
Publisher: Frank D. Cohen, 16th September 2025
Price: $25.23 from Amazon Australia
STORIES OF SCOTTY
A Service Dog's Journey
By: Ana E. Rivera-Castillo
Stories of Scotty offers a real, behind-the-scenes look at life alongside a dedicated service dog. Through a collection of personal vignettes, handler Ana E. Rivera-Castillo shares the lived reality of navigating daily life, work, and travel with her service dog, Scotty.
Rather than just focusing on general companionship, this book highlights the practical, emotional, and physical ways a service dog functions in the real world—from managing public access during trips through national parks to providing constant stability through everyday life challenges.
What this collection covers:
- The real-world role of a working service dog beyond basic companionship
- Navigating travel, public spaces, and active outdoor environments as a team
- The unspoken communication, intuition, and trust built between handler and dog
- The daily realities, challenges, and quiet victories of living with a disability
It is an accessible, firsthand account of how a service dog partnership operates in daily practice—offering genuine perspective for dog lovers, prospective handlers, and anyone interested in the true impact of assistance dogs.
Paperback, 132 pages
Publisher: CITIOFBOOKS, INC., 3rd June 2026
Price: $46.19 from Booktopia
🎁 GIVEAWAY: Win 1 of 4 YoPaws Books!
Loved our Service Dog Month picks? We’re celebrating this September by giving away 4 copies of Yevette Ho’s acclaimed books, Yoshi and Me and Assistance Dogs Beyond Tasks! Entries close September 6th.
Enter the Giveaway Here »VOICES WITHIN: BELLA: BEYOND THE BARK
By: Lana Stasek (Author), Vladyslava Borodavka
If dogs could tell their own stories, they would sound like this.
Bella: Beyond the Bark is an emotionally honest work of psychological fiction inspired by the true story of a rescue dog who survived hunger, the streets, and profound loneliness. Told directly in Bella’s voice—canine in form, deeply human in truth—the story follows her journey from abandonment and fear toward resilience and the fragile hope of belonging.
Speaking from the quiet of her kennel, Bella reflects on what it means to carry old scars while finding the courage to move forward. Far from a light-hearted rescue tale, this is a masterful exploration of survival, vulnerability, and internal transformation for readers who appreciate high emotional stakes and unconventional narrative voices.
Paperback, 220 pages
Publisher: Stasek Publishing, 15th January 2026
Price: $45.83 from Amazon Australia
GUARDIANS OF BEING
Spiritual Teachings from Our Dogs and Cats
By: Eckhart Tolle & Patrick McDonnell
For the first time in more than 15 years, this beloved collection of Eckhart Tolle’s spiritual teachings and Patrick McDonnell’s heart-warming illustrations is back in a beautiful hardcover edition.
This wonderfully unique collaboration brings together two masters of their fields, joining original words by spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle with delightful illustrations by Patrick McDonnell, the creator of the acclaimed comic strip MUTTS. Every uplifting page provokes thought, insight, and smiling reverence for all beings and each moment.
Hardcover, 128 pages
Publisher: New World Library, 11th August 2026 (New Edition / Re-issue)
Price: $36.18 from Amazon Australia
BOOK CLUB – KIDS CORNER
VOYAGE OF THE DOGS
By: Greg van Eekhout
Dogs in space! Share this book with middle graders who enjoy stories about dogs, space adventures, or action-adventure stories—or all three!
Lopside is a Barkonaut, a specially trained dog who assists human astronauts on missions in space. He and the crew aboard the spaceship Laika are en route to set up an outpost on a distant planet.
When the mission takes a disastrous turn, the Barkonauts on board suddenly find themselves completely alone on their severely damaged ship.
Survival seems impossible. But these dogs are Barkonauts—and Barkonauts always complete their mission.
SOS. Ship damaged. Human crew missing.
We are the dogs. We are alone.
Paperback, 240 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins, 18th August 2026
For Ages: 8–12 years old
Price: $15.75 from www.amazon.com.au
BITZA 4: CAMP AROOOO!
By: Andrew Daddo, Stephen Michael King (Illustrator)
A heartwarming and fabulously funny junior fiction series for girls and boys, told from a dog's point of view. From irreverent funny man and unashamed mutt dog lover, Andrew Daddo, bestselling author of more than 50 books for younger readers, and illustrated by proven mutt dog expert, Stephen Michael King!
I’m Bitza the dog and I won’t be left behind!
Jas has been packing clothes into two big bags all morning. I wonder where we’re going?
After lots of panic, and a trip to the school, we drive through the bush to a funny place with lots of kids and things called tents.
But why am I stuck in this car? If I can just squeeze out of this window, I’m sure I can find where Jas has run off to…
Paperback, 144 pages
Publisher: Penguin Australia Pty Ltd, 1st September 2026
Price: $14.99 from www.amazon.com.au
SUGAR’S SWEET ALERT:
A Diabetes Alert Dog's Journey
By: Anna Christine Boulier (Author), Christy Boulier (Illustrator)
Sugar is a sweet white Labrador who longs to be a superhero. She can’t fly, lift cars, or see through walls, but she soon discovers that her extraordinary sense of smell is the exact superpower someone needs.
When Sugar becomes a diabetes alert service dog for a young girl named Emma, she learns to recognise subtle scent changes in Emma’s blood sugar and alert her when it’s time to check.
Inspired by real working dogs, Sugar’s Sweet Alert offers a warm, accessible look at hidden disabilities, medical service dogs, and proper service dog etiquette—showing young readers how empathy, friendship, and a keen nose can save the day.
Paperback: 47 pages
Publisher: Anna Christine Boulier, 25 August 2026
For Ages: 3–10 years
Price: $18.45 from www.amazon.com.au
WHEN YOU SEE A DOG IN A VEST
A Children's Guide to Assistance Dogs
By: Fiona Kuilboer (Author), Beth Reinders (Illustrator)
When you see a dog in a vest, it's helping someone do their best!
Follow Hedwig, a very special Assistance Dog, as he goes about his busy day helping his handler. From shops and buses to cafés and schoolyards, children will discover why some dogs wear vests and why it's important to let them work.
Told in gentle rhyme and filled with curiosity, kindness, and learning, this story helps young readers understand the important work Assistance Dogs do—and how they help people live safely and confidently every day.
Perfect for early readers, classrooms and families, this heart-warming story reminds us that sometimes the cutest heroes have four paws.
Paperback: 42 pages
Publisher: Fiona Kuilboer, 23 March 2026
Price: $33.83 from www.amazon.com.au
I’M ON DUTY!
A Heartwarming Tale of a Service Dog's Love, Loyalty And Adventure
By: Graham Bloem
Alphie isn't just any dog—he's a trained service dog dedicated to keeping his human safe and helping her navigate life's challenges with confidence. From alerting her to everyday tasks to providing comfort in overwhelming moments, his loyalty knows no bounds.
Guided by celebrated dog trainer Graham Bloem, I'm On Duty follows Alphie's journey from rigorous training to real-life heroism as he becomes a steadfast companion. Offering gentle wisdom and an inside look at a working dog's life, this heartwarming story celebrates the extraordinary bond, trust, and courage between people and their four-legged friends.
Paperback, 42 pages
Publisher: Franklin Publishers, 1st November 2024
For Ages: 1–11 years old
Price: $37.46 from www.amazon.com.au
PAWSITIVELY IZZY
A Service Dog's Adventures
By: Mike Dickerson
This heart-warming book features Izzy, a Newfoundland service dog who teaches young readers healthy ways to navigate grief and loss. Serving alongside his fellow Newfoundland agent, Fitzroy, with US Customs and Border Protection, Izzy reminds readers that they are never alone and that comebacks are always possible.
As the fourth instalment in the "Pawsitively" series, the story offers a gentle message about healing after losing a loved one, paired with an engaging behind-the-scenes look at the dedicated work of working service dogs.
Series: A Service Dog's Adventures
Paperback, 36 pages
Publisher: FriesenPress, 14th October 2025
For Ages: 0–12 years old
Price: $36.75 from www.booktopia.com.au
