The Dog Walker's
Guide to God
52 musings on companionship Divine and canine
Publisher's introduction
The Dog Walker’s Guide to God contains 52 five-minute-reads to inspire dog walkers to ponder the mysteries of faith and the wonders of God.
In each chapter, Henry Martin offers a simple reflection and an illustration to be read just before setting out and then chewed over while you and your dog walk together.
He invites you to consider: the everyday (house-training, basic obedience, toys and instructions), the profound (crime, punishment, rejection, adoption, ageing, death and the afterlife), the theological (salvation, the Scriptures and prayer), the psychological (and physiological) differences between humans and dogs, the disgusting (including why your dog might scoot its rear across your new carpet!) and, underlying all of these, love (human, Divine and canine).
These are universal themes, and the reflections are just as valuable as resources for anyone who is housebound, or those without a dog in their lives
Reviews
As a parish priest I aimed to visit 20 homes a week; or rather I aimed to visit 20 dogs a week and occasionally talked to their owners! I love dogs, and this encyclopaedic book enabled me to love them so much more. I love God too, and Henry Martin enabled me to see my puppyish antics through God’s adoring eyes.
Rt Revd David Wilbourne
formerly Assistant Bishop of Llandaff
Dogs’ human companions will be nodding in agreement as they read this book. “Ah, yes,” they’ll say with affection, as they recognise a universal canine trait; or, with new comprehension, “Huh! So that’s why they feel the need to drag their bottoms revoltingly across the carpet.”
Henry Martin ... had intended “a light-hearted series of paddlings and splashings about” for these five-minute musings to explore before setting out on your walk, but found himself “wading into deeper waters”.
But deep waters don’t mean complex theology, and there is a lovely spontaneity about the God bit that concludes each chapter. ... His conclusion? One of the greatest benefits of owning a dog is the welcome home, “especially after a crappy day. And if these reunions are joyful, how much more so will that great reunion be, when we finally reach our eternal home and see God face to face?”
Pat Ashworth, Church Times, 24/11/2023
A gorgeous, original gift book, filled with stunning illustrations.
Independent Catholic News
... a very, very beautiful book, lots of fun illustrations, and some really lovely, lovely lessons in there ...
Zara Janjua, BBC Radio Scotland
... a wholesome collection of reflections for dog walkers ...written in relatable, down to earth language, with no airs and graces. You could even say it's a mutt-read.
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