Good Dog(s) of The Southern Coterie

I picked up Garden & Gun‘s new book, Good Dog, this week at GJ Ford Bookshop, my hometown independent bookshop.  Good Dog is heartwarming so far and packed with familiar voices you know and love from the magazine.

No one has ever asked me who I would like to have at my dream dinner party.  But if they did, two of the essayists in Garden & Gun‘s Good Dog would make the invitation list.  I have had a crush on Julia Reed for as long as I can remember and I swoon over Jon Meacham every day he is on Morning Joe.  My husband and I love history, politics, smart people and good story tellers so I know those two would fit the bill for good company in our opinions.

So as soon as I got my hands on a copy of the new book, I went straight to their stories.  I laughed out loud and reveled in the spirit of both of their pups.  Maybe I should also invite Henry, Julia’s beagle, and Ellie,  Jon’s springer, to the dream dinner.  My Goldens Nola and Musa like to make new friends too.

I look forward to journeying through the entire book as the “Good Dog” column is one of my first reads with every issue of Garden & Gun.  I enjoyed two light hearted pup portrayals so far but I know I will find some tear jerkers in the book.  One of my favorite Good Dog columns was this one by Big Bad Chef John Currence.  Get out your hankie.  And then get in your car and go grab the book. The book is a treasure just like each of our good dogs.

Good Dog inspired me to get some of our friends on the C-Team to share photos of their beloved pups.

Libbie Summers and Maggie Jo (aka The Bitch) – The most opinionated dog in Savannah

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Erika Preval‘s Storm

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Whitney Long’s Jumping Jack Flash with three of her children

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Mary Dell Harrington‘s Moose and Gus

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Jess Graves and Maggie

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Hottie ~the mascot for Angie Tillman’s Phickles ‘Hotties!’

She’s a ‘good dog’ to wait patiently for a bite.  She always gets to have a bite of whatever I’m shooting!

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Emily LaBorde Hines with Lula on the left and Junebug on the right (always looking for squirrels to chase)

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Garden & Gun’s Holy Trinity is bourbon, dogs and barbecue – but dogs truly reign supreme.  It’s no secret that Americans  love their dogs, and one of Garden & Gun magazine’s most popular features is its “Good Dog” column with stories from some of today’s best writers on the enduring bond between man and his best friend – some funny, some sad, and all heart-warming.

Good Dog: True Stories of Love, Loss and Loyalty is a collection of stories from notable writers including P.J. O’Rourke, Jon Meacham and Roy Blount, Jr.  From the troublemakers who can’t be fenced in to the lifelong companions who never leave our sides, this one-of-a-kind anthology showcases man’s best friend through all of his most endearing (and maddening) attributes.