Here at Dogster, we are huge fans of the Wheaton family. We’ve written about Anne and the wonderful volunteer work she does for the Pasadena Humane Society and the SPCA. Marlowe’s 2012 participation in that organization’s Wiggle Waggle Walk became a Vid We Love — so many adorable “I’m a puppy!” moments. And Wil’s blog post about the passing of Riley earlier this year touched our hearts and inspired a post of our own on the Rainbow Bridge concept.

The Wheaton family’s latest dog-centric efforts circle back to the Wiggle Waggle Walk in the form of A Guide to Being a Dog, by Seamus Wheaton. For the past two years, Anne created a calendar featuring the couple’s famous friends and their dogs to give as a thank-you gift to those who pledged Team Wheaton in the annual fundraising walk. It raised about $76,000 total for the Pasadena Humane Society and the SPCA.
This year, 50 of the tweets of advice elder dog Seamus has shared with Marlowe — via Wil’s Twitter account — have been illustrated by Lar deSouza and collected in a book.
Check a few out sneak peeks of pages the Wheatons have shared:
And as the above page illustrates, this isn’t a book for kids, as Anne warns on Wil’s blog:
As cute as this book is, I would not categorize it as a children’s book, unless you’re okay with your children reading about “taking a shit on the patio” or “dragging your ass across the rug.” But that’s your parenting call. The majority of the book is not like that, but I thought it best to warn you.
Instead, the book captures the warm and witty sense of humor Wil has about being a dog parent — and a cat parent, as Watson and Luna also appear on the pages — for readers old enough for such words and concepts.
To get a copy of A Guide to Being a Dog, simply donate a minimum of $40 through the Wheaton family’s The Foundation to Increase Awesome, which covers all production and mailing costs of the book and sends the entirety of your donation to Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA. Anne reports that $20,000 in donations have already come in! You have until Oct. 20, when Anne and Wil will be hosting another Wiggle Waggle Walk fundraiser, to place your order/make a donation. What are you waiting for?!
Read more about the Wheatons:
- Wil and Anne Wheaton Write Touching Remembrances of Their Dog
- Wil Wheaton’s Dog Marlowe Videos the Pasadena Humane Society’s Wiggle Waggle Walk
- We Chat With Anne Wheaton About the Star-Studded Wiggle Waggle Walk
About the author: Longtime journalist Pamela Mitchell loves dogs, so much so that she made them her day job in 2014 by joining Dogster.com as Senior Editor. She lives in Houston, Texas, with her sweet and stinky Boston Terriers, Dolly and Spot. Read more of her writing on Dogster.