I think I went into this book expecting it to be something else and that is fully my fault. I thought most of the weird and wacky ways to get to pet someone's dog were funny, but some of them just fell flat for me. I did kind of roll my eyes at the one "use your hot friends" page. Overall not for me, but there is definitely an audience that will appreciate this type of book.

This is very cute and silly. I would happily add a copy to my high school library for a bit of fun reading (high schoolers love silly books too!).

I like the very first picture is “ask”. I think that’s one of the most important things you can do and I say that as someone with a blind elderly dog who people want to pet. However, one of the panels displays a dog wearing a vest - even though there’s not enough information to see if the dog is a good working doge, I found it a bit tasteless after the really nice preface of not touching service/working dogs.

I thought this was a cute, little book that illustrates the bond between dogs and humans . I found it witty and fun but at times a little repetitive. I do know someone who would adore this book and think it would make a great gift for any dog person.

I loved the preface of the book , advising asking the dog’s owner before petting him/her and service and working dogs . Great advice .
I also think that the cover is a little misleading, because at first I thought it was a children’s book .

Can I Pet Your Dog? was a cute and fun read. As a dog lover, I found the different situations to be quirky and fun. I would recommend this to fellow dog lovers.

Can I pet your dog is a wonderfully silly narrative about the lengths that one can go to pet dogs. I think it's lighthearted, funny, and somewhat accurate to the level that some would go to obtain the right to pet the floor. I find the visuals to be entertaining and I can't wait for it to be published so I can add it to my collection.

Okay, this one made me feel seen. This one will have you laughing out loud and suddenly starkly aware of the bizarre phenomenon and spell that comes over us when we see a dog. This hilarious number, complete with illustrations, celebrates the urge to pet every dog we see, no matter what obstacles get in our way. From luring dogs at neighboring tables with a bit of food, to sneaking away at a house party to spend time with the four legged guests as opposed to the two legged ones (we’ve all been there), to using your hot friends to distract a dog owner while you pet the dog, to installing a giant fire hydrant in your front yard, this one illustrates the lengths people will go to in normal to increasingly bizarre, absurd scenarios to pet a cute dog they see.

Totally adorable series of illustrations -- as a runner, I frequently described my goals as "dog-lek" -- and would run along Mission Bay from the dog park to the Embarcadero, stopping to pet ALL the cute dogs and take their photos. For a San Jose "Rock-n-Roll" half marathon, I petted 89 dogs and still finished the half maraton in 2h 21m! I have cats but I pet ALL the dogs. This book was awesome and I would love to get it for my nephews.

Very cute book! Our son loved it and we'll be grabbing a copy for our sister who has multiple dogs :)

A wacky story about creative ways to get to pet a dog. The words are short. The illustrations are indicate. Not in the ways they are drawn but in the imagination it took to come up with some of the ways to pet a dog. Humorous and silly.


I received an ARC of this book from Chronicle Books through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

Can I Pet Your Dog was available as a Read Now on NetGalley and I wasn’t sure if it was meant to be a children’s book, but who doesn’t love petting dogs? So, I dived in and it was actually laugh-out-loud funny for myself, as an adult, as well as drawn and worded appropriately for children to learn the responsible way to treat other people’s dogs in a fun way that isn’t lectury. Jeremy Nguyen deadpans his words throughout the story and leaves all the interpretation to his illustrations, and a picture is definitely worth a thousand words! Five stars for sure!

Very sweet and quick read. If you are a dog lover like myself, you will definitely relate to a lot of this! The illustrations are wonderful. This would make for a wonderful gift for the dog lovers in your life.

Dog lovers will totally relate to this cute illustrated book. Who among us hasn’t needed a dog fix at some point in time? With me, it’s when I’m away from my own pup and going through withdrawal. And walking Pippa on our local trail, I can attest to the number of folks looking to get some love.
The illustrations are fun and cover all possibilities. It varies from what we’ve all done to the outrageous. Nguyen does a great job of covering a variety of dog breeds.
Nguyen smartly reminds everyone to ASK FIRST.
This would make a fun gift for your dog lover friends.
My thanks to Netgalley and Chronicle Books for an advance copy of this book.

Great fun! Absolutely hilarious! Perfect gift for a dog lover who is a wannabe dog owner!
Written and illustrated by Jeremy Nguyen who lives in Brooklyn (YAY!) and is well known for his illustrations in many publications (like THE NEW YORKER!).
The publisher's blurb is pretty comprehensive, but the imagination and illustrations are FANTASTIC!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Chronicle Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book! Below is my honest review.

I love this book because I'm exactly this way. I will find so many excuses to pet a dog on the street. Anytime I see a dog in public, no matter what I'm doing or saying, I will always shout "LOOK DOG!"

I love how the author illustrates how some of us humans (myself included) will bend over backwards just to pet a dog. Some of the scenes are very over the top but funny nonetheless. And I also appreciate the introduction in the beginning about how you should approach petting dogs (ask the owner, avoid if it's a service dog, etc.)

Would I recommend this book? Yes!

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I loved it and plan to purchase it for our library!

5 stars

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A picture book about how to touch another person's dog, or at least how to ask if you can.

Cute, comical, and with a good message! This book was a little out of my usual reading zone, but I love dogs, so of course I wanted to give it a try! The art is wondrous, it’s imaginative and just plain silly, but also wraps up nicely. I 100% let out an audible “Awwww” at the end that disturbed my sleeping partner.

Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC!

This was a fun book, but I don't think it was geared towards children. It was quirky and clever the ways to get a dogs attention in order to pet that dog, but some of it a child wouldn't understand (like using social media algorithms to see more dogs). The illustrations were great.

This is a great, fun, short book that had me smiling and laughing out loud throughout. It is a must read for any serious dog lover and would make a great gift as well.!

Thank you NetGalley for providing this ARC In exchange for an honest review.

A cute picture book of manners and dogs, illustrating the many different polite ways to approach dogs and their humans if you want to pet a dog.