Dog Only Knows: The Dog Portraits of Alison Friend

by Alison Friend

A NATIONAL BESTSELLER!

Dog Only Knows is the perfect gift for dog lovers, featuring over 125 irresistible portraits by acclaimed artist Alison Friend—each uniquely mischievous, funny, and full of personality.

Meet Midge, who keeps her mind sharp with a Rubik’s Cube. Alan, who looks like a million dollars in his new harness. Lola, whose motto is “People to see, bums to sniff.” Chupa Chops—how did he unwrap that lollipop? The oh-so-earnest Clive, who does everything—biscuit eating, squirrel chasing, ball fetching—with a single-minded focus. Irrepressible Debbie, who loves cocktail night, and Little Louis, a chain-smoking existentialist who can’t stop chewing over the canine condition. Usually with an espresso.

Welcome to Alison Friend’s world of dogs, a singular and very special place created by an artist with a unique gift for depicting that ineffable thing we call “character”—dog characters, actually—using oil paint, empathy, techniques of the Old Masters, and an imagination like no other. With their big expressive eyes and Mona Lisa smiles, charming habits and childlike pleasures, the subjects of these portraits seem all too human yet fantastically doglike.

Perfectly capturing—as Little Louis would tell you—the canine condition, like you’ve never seen it before.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Dogs, Animals

208 pages, Hardcover

Published October 21, 2025

About the author

Alison Friend creates sweet and funny watercolors of animals that have been featured on greeting and holiday cards. She lives in South Yorkshire, England.

Reviews

[Bob Morehead · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK This is kind of cheating on my reading goal for the year, since this book is overwhelmingly visual, with a little text. But . . . I loved it. A neighbor and fellow dog lover passed it on to us. Our household has included many dogs over the years, and the artist deftly captures the attitude and bearing, and especially, the look in the eyes, of dogs we have had in our family. Whimsical, funny, and thoroughly enjoyable.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cutest doggo’s 💛

[Caroline O'Gorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genuinely so funny. I love the expressions in their eyes and the accompanying descriptions.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sweet collection of artwork featuring the most adorable of pups will easily be one of my favorite books of the year! It is truly filled with pictures that are worth a thousand words—the expression on each dog’s face is priceless and somehow captures such a wide range of emotions, from joy to mischief, and everything in between.

It is one of those rare books you can pick up and look through again and again, always finding yourself smiling, maybe even laughing. So any time you find yourself having a bad day, just reach for this little gem of a book, and happiness will soon follow!!

[Iris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me duele la cara de sonreír 🥹

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me so happy 🥰

[Addy Canzano · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most superior art I have ever seen. HELLO I LOVE YOU!

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am glad that I have this book to look at offline after admiring the art on Instagram for a very long time! Just adorable!

[Tarney Sheldon · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much joy packed into each piece of art… and the oh-so-clever accompanying text makes the book shine! Will pick up this coffee table book any time I need a little infusion of happy.

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

so very cute and delightful. it even caught the attention of the cashier who asked if he could flip through it

[Brownd2 · Rating 5 out of 5]

pawsitively adorable...

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Um the most precious dogs ever.

[Mary Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of smiles and laughs!

[Yoana · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's very cute but best taken in small doses, I thought

[Fabiola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Son pinturas con perritos 😭🐶.

[Nathanael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly cute art. Smiled and laughed the whole way through.

[Hannah Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is now my new bedside book. I love all da puppers 💚

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this charming and delightful book will now be my go-to when I need to smile; in fact, I chuckled through most of it.

I have been enjoying Alison Friend’s dog portraits for quite a while and jumped at the chance to have a book full of them. She combines Old Master oil painting techniques with love of dogs and, perhaps most remarkably, captures the dogs’ eyes to perfection. The cover of the book offers a hint of its contents, but what you can’t see is the back cover, which depicts this little dog’s other side. (His entry also taught me a new word—“gilet”; how had I never heard or read it?!!)

Bottom line: If you love dogs, treat yourself to this book. I am still smiling. 🥰

[Daniela Anders · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Ich bewerte hier die DEUTSCHE Ausgabe, die ich hier leider nicht finden konnte.]


Urkomische und anrührende Hundeportraits im Stile der alten Meister

**Inhaltsangabe Verlag:**
Das geheime Leben der Hunde
Gestatten, das sind Midge, die mit ihrem Zauberwürfel bis ins Alter fit im Kopf bleibt, Debbie, die Cocktailabende liebt, und Little Louis, der kettenrauchende Existentialist, der nicht aufhören kann, über das Hundsein nachzudenken. Meistens bei einem Espresso. Willkommen in der fabelhaften Welt der Hunde!
Die Künstlerin Alison Friend hat die einzigartige Gabe, das Wesen der Tiere darzustellen – mit viel Humor, Fantasie und den Techniken der Alten Meister. Schelmisch porträtiert sie unsere Weggefährten und bringt ihre Gewohnheiten, kindlichen Freuden und Laster auf die Leinwand. Ein großes Vergnügen – Kunst mit Hund!

**Meine Inhaltsangabe:**
In 120 Portraits zeigt Alison Friend nicht nur die Liebe zu Hunden, sondern auch ihr großes Können in der Ölmalerei. Der Humor steht hier jedoch absolut im Vordergrund und so erfahren wir manchmal den Namen des jeweiligen Hundes, immer aber dessen Vorlieben, Hobbys, Geheimnisse.

Erster Satz: »Die Haustür fällt ins Schloss.«

**Mein Eindruck:**
Ich habe mich auf den allerersten Blick Hals über Kopf in dieses Cover verliebt! Dieser brav dasitzende Hund mit dem unsicheren Blick aus seinen wunderschönen Augen und, ähm ja, mit einer Daunenweste bekleidet. Das ist so GENAU mein Humor! Ich bin so froh, dass sich das im Inneren genauso fortsetzt. Ein Bild schöner und lustiger als das andere. Und die Texte dazu, ich sage euch, ich könnte mich wegschmeißen vor Lachen! Ganz oft nur ein Einzeiler („Einer reicht nie! Die allgemeingültige Donutregel“ oder „Buffet unter dem Tisch. Zur richtigen Zeit am richtigen Ort ist das Motto dieses Hündchens“). Immer wieder aber auch ein bisschen mehr Text und jedes Mal so heiter, skurril, komisch, anrührend und schräg. Jeder hat sich bestimmt schon mal gefragt, was sein Haustier macht, wenn es mal kurz allein zu Hause ist. In diesem Buch könnten ein paar der augenzwinkernden Antworten sein. Neben all dem Witz komme ich aber nicht umhin, das Können der Künstlerin zu bewundern. Die Portraits sind einfach der Hammer und wirklich gekonnt! Ich kann sie mir immer und immer wieder ansehen, ohne dass sie langweilig werden. Das perfekte Buch, wenn man mal ein bisschen down ist. Zack, hast Du wieder gute Laune! Ich liebs total und klar bekommen diese Hunde von mir 5/5 Sterne! Nicht nur für Hundefans ein wundervolles, kurzweiliges Buch, das für spontane Heiterkeitsanfälle sorgen wird.

[Knit and Purl Girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love love love Alison Friend’s work! I first saw her art online, and instantly became a fan. Her portraits of animals are sweet, soulful, and beautiful. I’d love to have a print or two, but until I can afford one (ever?) this book is the next best thing - maybe better. Each portrait is so cute, it would be hard to pick a favorite. This collection of paintings is adorable, while the text makes you laugh and want to squeeze each pet. My daughter gave me this book for Christmas. I love it! A must for any dog lover!

[Sofia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought a hard copy at Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga Springs, which I read in one sitting once we got home. I’ve been a fan of Alison Friend’s work since it popped up in my Instagram feed. So many of her doggo portraits have BDE (Big Doxie Energy) and oodles of charm. My only note is that I think the book could have benefited from a few more “tales” accompanying the portraits. But the words are second fiddle to the art, of course. This will make a most charming addition to our coffee table!

[Francesca Pohlman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alison Friend has a way of painting dogs that causes the observer to smile. In Dog Only Knows, she includes little humorous descriptions of the dogs she paints. From the dog with a multi-colored puffer jacket to a dog doing a Rubik's cube, all her dogs wear expressions of humans. This book brings joy, especially to dog lovers.

[Ashley Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was full of paintings of adorable, well-depicted dogs and funny captions! I especially enjoyed her Pawtagonia pun, her "Puppy in a Puffer" character, and Debbie with her cardigan. My mom wanted this book to draw dogs as she does :) I highly recommend supporting this artist and buying a paper copy!

[Shanon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought three copies for family members after reading just the first few pages. This book is for the young and old alike. The paintings are adorable and the captions for each dog are hilarious. I’m so glad I stumbled upon this book! You can’t set it down without a smile in your face. I think the world needs a cat one too.

[LudmilaM · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun book. Portraits of dogs in anthropomorphic style. The strongest feature of each portrait were the dog's eyes. Full of life and earnest, the perfect "dog's eyes". Great gift for both dog lovers and art lovers.

[Deborah · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

Yes, this is technically a picture book with few words, aside from descriptive captions, but so what. This book brings a lot of joy and more joy is what we all need right now! Hats off to Alison Friend for making me smile!

[Karen Lam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mi cerebro no podía soportar tanta ternura 🥹🥹

[Kristina Robbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want every single one of these framed on my wall.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish there was more big dogs instead of mostly small but I love it

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can I give 10 stars out of 5? What a glorious way to spend time- with these whimsical, wonderful dog paintings along with their stories. Simply the best!