‘Sitting with Dogs’ is a warm, rescue-centered collection of stories about shelter dogs who arrived frightened, sick, or withdrawn, and the people who gave them time. Sally Rosenthal’s review for Best Friends Animal Society, published April 14, 2026, reads the book as a portrait of its author’s love for dogs more than as a how-to guide. Here is what the book covers, what the review says about it, and how the editions differ.
What the book is
Sitting with Dogs: Stories of Rescue Dogs Who Went from Lost to Loved is by Rocky Kanaka and was published by DK in 2025. It is a collection of rescue-dog stories organized around care, patience, and helping dogs who have had hard starts. The publisher’s description frames it as storytelling rather than instruction, and the review follows the same reading.
The book is not a training manual, a veterinary reference, or an adoption guide. Readers looking for step-by-step behavior advice or medical information should look elsewhere. What it offers is a sequence of individual animals and the time Kanaka spends with them.
The origin story as the review tells it
Rosenthal opens the book’s backstory with Flip. According to the review, Flip alerted Kanaka’s wife while Kanaka was having a stroke. After he recovered, the review says, Kanaka vowed to help homeless dogs. This account comes from the review’s retelling of the book; it is not independently verified reporting, and readers should treat it as the reviewer’s and the book’s narrative rather than a documented event.
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That origin matters to the review’s reading of the whole collection. Rosenthal presents Kanaka’s later shelter work as an extension of that personal experience, which explains why the emotional center of the book is his affection for dogs rather than any single rescue case.
What happens in the shelter
The review describes Kanaka spending one-on-one time with shelter dogs, including animals who were fearful, medically vulnerable, or withdrawn. These visits are the core of each story. Rosenthal’s account is that the dogs are not presented as projects to be fixed, but as individuals whose behavior makes more sense once someone sits with them quietly.
The review also reports two kinds of outcome for the dogs discussed. Some were adopted. Others entered foster programs. The review does not present the shelter visits as a formula that guarantees adoption, and the book’s stories should be read as accounts of individual dogs rather than evidence of how often such visits lead to homes.
Editions and formats
Two publisher listings describe the book, and they differ on one point that matters for anyone comparing copies. The table below uses the values each listing states.
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| Detail | US edition (DK US) | UK edition (DK UK) |
|---|---|---|
| ISBN | 9780593849583 | 9780241738061 |
| Publication date | October 14, 2025 | October 14, 2025 |
| Format(s) listed | Hardcover, ebook, audiobook | Ebook and hardback |
| Page count | 224 pages (hardcover) | Not stated in the UK listing |
| Number of rescue dogs in description | Nine | Ten |
Google Books’ US bibliographic record also describes nine dogs. The consulted listings do not explain whether the difference reflects a revised UK text or simply different catalog copy, so the count should be stated by edition rather than as a single fact about the book.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Who the review is for
- Readers who want emotional, story-driven accounts of rescue dogs and the people who care for them.
- Dog lovers who value patience and individual attention in shelter work.
- Readers who want practical behavior guidance or veterinary information should not expect it here.
The review’s verdict
Rosenthal’s tone is affectionate and admiring throughout. Her closing judgment is the sentence that best captures her view: “At the end of the day, Rocky Kanaka is simply a man who loves dogs, especially the ones most in need, and who has put that love into action in the hope of helping the dogs he meets land homes of their own.” The byline identifies Rosenthal as the author, and the review does not give a separate professional title.
As a short review, it works as a recommendation for readers who want a warm, rescue-centered book about one man’s devotion to shelter dogs. It is not an exhaustive literary critique, and it does not evaluate the book against other titles.
Where to buy or borrow
The book is available in the US as a hardcover, ebook, and audiobook, and in the UK as an ebook and hardback. Check your retailer or library catalog for current stock, as availability and pricing change.
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