Huge Announcement! Cover Reveal of Our New Book About Dogs...

Live from the Westminster Dog Show, I can finally stop holding my breath and tell you what we've been working on for the past two years!

Friends, I’m writing this to you from the 2025 Westminster Dog Show, which has taken New York by storm this past 3 days. I’ve been live-drawing the show and immersing myself in the dog world even more than usual. This is my happy place.

So, this seems an appropriate place and time —after years of work that brought a lot of joy— for the big reveal…

I'm thrilled (and slightly terrified) to announce my and Scott’s new book: "You're Not a Real Dog Owner Until..." —a collection of over 100 cartoons about the beautiful chaos of being the parent of puppers and doggos of all stripes. (and patches!)

Live from the Agility Finals at the 2025 Westminster Dog Show in New York

The cover, which I'm excited to be sharing here for the first time, features a small selection of the hundreds of dogs of different breeds, cross-breeds, backgrounds, and ages on the inside. This is a definitive collection of what it is to be a dog owner/parent, from dog park politics to inevitable mystery stains, and all the fun and love in between.

Created with a lot of care by myself and my writing (and podcasting) partner, Scott Dooley, this one is a must for any dog lover in your life. It’s everything I wish someone had told me before I became a dog owner, like:

For example, You're not a real dog owner until...

…your dog eats a healthier, more balanced and nutrient-rich diet than you have ever eaten in your life.

...photos of your dog on your phone outnumber photos of any romantic partner by at least 30 to 1.

...you’ve tried to pack for a vacation secretly.

…there are dog park friends you only know by their dog’s name.

…You also have a voice for your dog.

…You've had to mediate a cease-fire between your dog and the Roomba.

…and many, many more.

We also included a story threaded throughout the book following the travails and triumphs of a small rescue pup. We wanted to cover as many different kinds of dogs as possible— but it was a challenge with only so much space.

It was so hard to get the number of jokes down to just 120; we had hundreds more that we had to edit down. That’s the thing about writing a book about dogs— every time we sat down to work on it, some new absurdity would unfold that demanded to be included.

Sidenote: I’ll be sharing my live sketches of the Westminster Dog Show for premium subscribers later this week. If you haven’t already, please consider upgrading your subscription to get exclusive access to new posts and the entire archive.

The book drops on April 29 from Andrews McMeel Publishing, and I would love you to pre-order it now from all the usual suspects (links here). It makes an excellent gift— and if you see me out in the wild, I’ll gladly draw your pooch into the inside cover from a photo (or from life!)

I hope you love reading it as much as I loved drawing it.

Your pal,

P.S. Yes, Morris has more than one cameo in the book. It is also dedicated to him (and every dog Scott or I have ever had!)