MUTTS Shelter Stories

By Patrick McDonnell

The MUTTS creator spotlights real-life animal rescue stories alongside his “Shelter Stories”strip, plus handy adoption resources.

MUTTS creator Patrick McDonnell pairs his heartwarming “Shelter Stories” strips with real-life, fan-submitted testimonials and photographs to provide an emotionally gratifying look into the lives of the millions of rescue animals adopted into loving homes each year. In this emotive collection, McDonnell spotlights stories of animal rescue submitted by fans across the nation.

More than 70 full-color photographs of adopted pets—including cute and cuddly dogs, cats, bunnies, guinea pigs, birds, and ferrets—are featured alongside more than 100 of McDonnell’s popular MUTTS ”Shelter Stories” strips. Also included is an authoritative reference section with an Adoption Guide and resourceful links that encourage readers to, as McDonnell writes, “Adopt some love today.”

“This book is a credit to [Patrick McDonnell’s] life’s work and passion, and I know you will enjoy it and be moved by it.” —Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO, The Humane Society of the United States

“Patrick McDonnell’s MUTTS is up there with Peanuts, Pogo, Krazy Kat, and Calvin and Hobbes—cartoons that are smart and funny, brilliantly drawn, and full of heart.” —Matt Groening, The Simpsons creator

“To me, MUTTS is exactly what a comic strip should be.” —Charles Schulz, Peanuts creator

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Mar 7, 2017
• ISBN: 9781449487263

Patrick McDonnell

Patrick McDonnell is the creator of the beloved internationally syndicated comic strip MUTTS, which features the characters that star in five of his children's picture books: Just Like Heaven, Hug Time, South, Wag!, and The Gift of Nothing. He is also the creator of Me . . . Jane, a Caldecott Honor Book and a New York Times bestselling picture book biography of Dr. Jane Goodall, and has written and illustrated A Perfectly Messed-Up Story and the award-winning picture book Art. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, Karen; their formerly feral cat, Not Ootie; and their adopted terrier, Amelie.

Book preview

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Other Books by Patrick McDonnell

Mutts

Cats and Dogs: Mutts II

More Shtuff: Mutts III

Yesh!: Mutts IV

Our Mutts: Five

A Little Look-See: Mutts VI

What Now: Mutts VII

I Want to Be the Kitty: Mutts VIII

Dog-Eared: Mutts IX

Who Let the Cat Out: Mutts X

Everyday Mutts

Animal Friendly

Call of the Wild

Stop and Smell the Roses

Earl & Mooch

Our Little Kat King

Bonk!

A Shtinky Little Christmas

Cat Crazy

Living the Dream

Playtime

Year of Yesh

Mutts Sundays

Sunday Mornings

Sunday Afternoons

Sunday Evenings

The Best of Mutts

Acknowledgments

So many people have helped with this book. I would like to thank:

My wife, Karen, for her guidance on this project and in my career.

Her smarts, creativity, and big heart have contributed immensely to my life.

Jennifer Schulz, for keeping this book on track by coordinating the entries,

working with The Humane Society of the United States to select the final photos,

and assisting in sequencing the material. Her in-depth understanding of shelters, concern for all animals, and enthusiasm have been invaluable.

The Humane Society of the United States:

Kathy Bauch (for all she does), Adam Goldfarb, Stephanie Shain, and, of course,

The HSUS president and CEO Wayne Pacelle. Animals around the world are better off because of Wayne’s unyielding efforts and results. He has raised, and continues to raise, the bar for animal welfare.

Mutts.com:

Elena Nazzaro, Dany Petraska, Matt Wenner, Nichole Chobin, Patty Illum, Allyson Murphy.

Chintan Parikh, who set up the website coding for the Shelter Stories Call for Entries.

And especially Rich Mansfield for providing a welcoming home for Mutts on the Web.

King Features Syndicate: Glenn Mott, Claudia Smith, Frank Caruso, and Audra Kujawski.

Andrews McMeel Publishing and, in particular, my editor, Erin Friedrich, for being so cool.

Command-Z Design: Jeff Schulz, for making this book look fantastic.

Stu Rees.

And, finally, everyone who submitted photos and stories about their companion animals.

Your love, and the human-animal bond, is evident in this book and I can’t thank you enough.

Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened. ­­­

­—Anatole France

These are some of the stories of the 10 million cats and

Reviews for MUTTS Shelter Stories

[amaraduende · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's so nice to see strays and mutts valued in this book. I love Mutts.

[calotype · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

McDonnell's sprightly illustrations are always a delight - and now they've been collected in a single volume that serves a noble cause: supporting pet adoptions. The charming "Shelter Stories" cartoons are supplemented by handsome photography and brief stories of actual rescued pets. It's hard not to tip into sentimentality when dealing with this subject, and the book succeeds admirably. A winner.

[grerp-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very sweet book. Second-hand pets have sooo much love to give. Adopt one today!

[slralphc · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book features Patrick McDonnell's strips about animals wanting to be adopted, interspersed with photographs of adopted animals. There's even information on adoption centers should you choose to adopt a pet. The strips are heartwarming and touching because it's the animals saying that they want to go to loving homes. It's worth reading and may inspire people to go out and adopt a pet.

[arthritix-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The book was cute and the comics were funny. However, I found the pictures of real dogs to be confusing. I still don't know if the comics were about the animals or not.

[kristinbell_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

(4.5 stars) Shelter Stories is a wonderful coffee table-type book that would make a perfect gift for someone who is either considering adopting a shelter animal, is an animal lover or has already adopted from a shelter. The photographs of the animals are irresistible and the Mutt comics are great. The only reason I am knocking off a half a star is because I sort of expected to see more actual stories about the shelter animals. If you are considering getting a shelter animal, a great way to approach your loved ones about the idea would be to hand them this book and say "let's talk!" Also, people of all ages will be able to appreciate this book, since most of it is the photographs of the animals. It was also nice that they included some animals that were not dogs or cats (even though I do love the dog and cat photos!). All in all a charming book. I know I'll enjoy looking through this book whenever I need a cute fix and a smile!

[kandamowbray · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an very relaxing read. Perfect to curl up on your outdoor swing with pet by your side. While enjoyable to read it also moves you to think about what your responsibilty is to the situation of all the animals. The pictures are awesome. Overall my family loved this book!!!!

[razzbelly_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Warning!!!!! You'll want to run to your nearest shelter and pick up a new family member after reading this book.It's great mix of Mutts comic strips and personal pictures and quotations from shelter pets owners. I myself have had a dog and a cat adopted from shelters and they do indeed make the best pets!A nice quick read for a lazy afternoon

[wolfsong_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A nice gift for animal lovers. This book gently balances the tears with humor as selections from McDonnell's "Mutts" strip are juxtaposed with photos and quotes concerning real life rescued animals. As the "daddy" of four rescued cats and a rescued rabbit, I think this book could be really effective. I suggest leaving it in various waiting rooms across the country.

[jdpirate5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am reviewing this book for LibraryThing's Early Reviewers Program. This book switched back and forth between photos and stories of real, adopted animals, and comics from Patrick McDonnell's Mutts comic strip. The comics are sweet, endearing, funny, sad, and totally adorable.The same goes, of course, for the actual adoption stories.This book is truly wonderful and inspiring. I would recommend it without hesitation to anyone, but most especially to animal lovers

[aidenn_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this at bedtime with my SO. The juxtaposition of the humorous and often heartfelt comics with their clean black & white lines and poignant message contrasted visually with the photos of real rescued pets, but they were exceptionally congruous in message. Tom was partial to the comics, while I preferred seeing the actual animals, proving that this book truly has something for everyone who loves their pets!! It's a quick read, to be sure (it makes a better coffee table book than a commuter-train read!), but it is worth taking the time to notice over a hot beverage on a cold night!

[phantasma_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I thought this book was going to have, well, stories in it. You know, about shelter animals. I didn't expect one or two milquetoast comments over a picture of the shelter animal. I knew this book was Mutts related but it was way more Mutts and way less shelter animal goodness than I thought it was going to be.That said, it's a visually appealing book. It still manages to be touching and amusing. The problems I had with it won't bother anyone who sees it in a bookstore and flips through it. I was just unprepared by the description for what it actually was. I think those beautiful animals deserved more attention than they got!

[cmbohn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It wasn't easy to read this book. Not because it was boring, or too long, but because every time I put it down, someone else would pick it up. 'How cute!' or 'Look at that!' When I finally got the book all to myself, I was charmed. The pictures are adorable and the stories of the animal were inspiration. The little comics added a lot to the book. I especially loved Chickpea and his brother. My favorite cartoon was at the end, with the little cat saying, 'I'll take them all!' If you are animal lover, you will love this little book.

[heather19_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Honestly one of the most wonderful, touching, inspiring books I have ever read. I thought I would read a little bit each night.... No, I finished it in one sitting, it is just too wonderful.I knew that I would cry while reading this book (I'm a very overly-emotional person), but I had no idea how amazing and sweet and moving this book would actually be. I have never, ever seen a book with such a blend of gentle humor and sweet, sad, and inspiring stories all rolled into one. I've read Mutts in the newspaper for a long time, but reading so many shelter stories together, and seeing the beautiful pictures of real shelter-rescued animals, and reading all the sweet little stories that people told about their animals.... It really is a combination I never thought I would see in a book. So wonderful! (..... I do have to admit, though, that parts of it made me feel very sad/guilty for the bad decisions I've made in the past when it came to parting with animals)