Wiener Wolf

If you've ever loved a little dog that didn't believe he was all that little, then this is the book for you. Wiener Wolf by Jeff Crosby is a delightful picture book that explores the wild animal nature of a very domestic dog. Wiener Dog lives with Granny and wears a knit sweater, slowly dying of utter boredom until one day when adventure seizes him and he flees to the wild woods. There, he becomes WIENER WOLF, casting off his sweater to join a wolf pack and delight in his new undomesticated life... until things get a biiiit too scary. Suddenly a can of dog food doesn't look so bad and Wiener Dog high-tails it back to civilization and the loving arms of Granny. The moral of the experience seems to be that every life needs a little excitement to keep from getting in a rut, even if that's just with some new friends at the local dog park. With fantastic illustrations, Wiener Wolf is a must for dog-lovers -- and oh man, if you know families with dachshunds, then buy this book for them immediately before someone else discovers this gem and does it. This is also the perfect book for if you need to explain to a child why Fido really wouldn't want to be a wild wolf... (or, similarly, why Mrs. Whiskerson wouldn't do well as a warrior cat). Just one read will leave you utterly smitten with Wiener Wolf.

Also recommended for those of you with dachshunds is the best Halloween book EVER written... The Hallo-wiener.