Introduction: My life in dog years / David DiBenedetto --
Chapter 1: The troublemakers. Appetite for destruction / T. Edward Nickens ; Sadie, the white devil / Allison Glock ; The canine criminal / C.J. Chivers ; Hurricane Muffin / Katie Crouch ; Escape artist / Bob McDill ; An L.A. Beagle / Susan Gregg Gilmore ; Believing in Chance / Hunter Kennedy ; Emmett & me / John Ed Bradley --
Chapter 2: Into the field. The trophy huntress / Jonathan Miles ; Poodle power / Logan Ward ; Education of a bird dog / Geoffrey Norman ; On patrol / Ben McC. Moïse ; Chicken dog / Clyde Edgerton ; Training days / David DiBenedetto ; The urban gundog / Guy Martin ; Dog tired / Thomas McIntyre ; Doubling down / Jeff Hull ; The sweetest sound / Rick Bragg --
Chapter 3: Man's best friend. Lapdog / Charles Gaines ; King of Oxford / Jim Dees ; Traveling companion / Donovan Webster ; A good nose / Roger Pinckney ; Scents and sensibilities / Julia Reed ; Ole No. 7 / Ace Atkins ; A dog to lean on / Martha J. Miller ; Dog gone / Roy Blount, Jr. ; Running mates / Vanessa Gregory ; Literary canines / Curtis Wilkie ; Delta dog / J.M. Martin --
Chapter 4: Family ties. A marriage for the dogs / Jill McCorkle ; Dog meets wife / Charlie Geer ; Golden snapper / Lisa Howorth ; The dog who lived forever / Nic Brown ; Two of a kind / Beth Hatcher ; A puppy and a patch of grass / Jon Meacham ; Coveting thy neighbor's dog / Beth Macy ; Home is where the mutt is / Ashley Warlick ; My mother, my dog / Donna Levine ; Lost and found / Lawrence Naumoff ; From cat to dog / Blair Hobbs ; Canine couple / Bucky McMahon --
Chapter 5: Life lessons. Swim team / Dominique Browning ; Puppy dreams / Pat Jordan ; Last rites / Mary Lou Bendrick ; Licked to death by a pit bull / Bronwen Dickey ; Fetch Daddy a drink / P.J. O'Rourke ; The world's greatest dog / Robert Hicks ; Guide dogs / Rick Bass ; Sit, stay, heal / Jack Hitt ; Who's the boss? / Chris Hastings ; How to name a dog / Daniel Wallace.