There are nearly a billion of them in the world and approximately one-third of all homes have at least one. We are, of course, referring to dogs. Since being domesticated tens of thousands of years ago, dogs’ lives have become intertwined with our own. They work with us, live alongside us, and have become loving members of families around the world.

Their ubiquitousness means they have also become ingrained in our culture. They not only appear on TV but have shows and movies dedicated to them, and as well as having songs written about them, dogs are also used as the subjects of album covers for artists of every genre.

Below are 15 of the most iconic and awesome dog-themed album covers. While the use of a dog on the cover doesn’t necessarily mean you will love the music, at least they will look good on your music shelf.

The 15 Dog Album Covers

1. Alice In Chains – Alice In Chains

Known as the tripod album by fans of the band, the self-titled album by Alice In Chains uses a faxed image of a three legged dog that was inspired by a dog that terrorized Sean Kinney, the band’s drummer, during his childhood paper round.

Photographer Rocky Schenk completed a photo shoot of the dog, but the band opted for a faxed copy of a concept piece instead, giving the grainy texture that was in perfect keeping with the band’s grunge sound.

2. Barbra Streisand – Songbird

You would be forgiven for expecting to see a picture of a Cardinal, Starling, or another songbird on the cover of Streisand’s 1978 album, Songbird, rather than the Maltese that does feature. But, as the singer herself explains on the cover, she “couldn’t find a bird”.

The cover photo is attributed to Steve Schapiro, who was known for historical photography from the civil rights movement, as well as stills from The Godfather and other major movies.

3. Beck – Odelay

Beck’s Odelay album was released in 1996 and it features a stunning Komondor. The breed is known as the mop dog for its incredible coat, although Beck himself described it as “a bundle of flying udon noodles”. He also explained that his girlfriend chose the cover art after seeing the image, which was originally shot by Joan Ludwig for the American Kennel Club Gazette, in a magazine.

4. Blur – Parklife

Blur’s Parklife was a massive hit in the UK, debuting straight at number 1 and staying in the album charts for 90 weeks. The cover shows two Greyhounds during a Greyhound race, and was taken by photographer Bob Thomas at the Romford Stadium greyhound track.

The band’s singer and founder, Damon Albarn, said Thomas “couldn’t believe we wanted it for an album cover” and chose the picture because he wanted to recreate a betting shop window he had walked past.

5. Captain and Tennille – Love Will Keep Us Together

Love Will Keep Us Together was a 1975 album by Captain and Tennille that featured a cover of the well-known song of the same name, first recorded by Neil Sedaka in 1973. It was Captain and Tennille’s version that would go on to become a worldwide hit.

The album cover is a photo of Captain and Tennille sitting with two of their Bulldogs. The Bulldogs would also feature on the cover of the pair’s 1977 album Come in From the Rain.

6. Fleetwood Mac – Tusk

Tusk features a photo of one of the band’s producers, Ken Caillat, having his shoe bitten by his dog, Scooter.

According to Caillat, vocalist Stevie Nicks disliked the fact that the dog featured on the album cover because, despite having an apparent love of dogs, she was not a fan of Scooter the dog. The rivalry between the pair was so strong that Nicks even told Caillat she had hexed the dog. Little wonder she has had to deny being a witch on several occasions in her career.

7. INXS – Shabooh Shoobah

Shabooh Shoobah was the band’s third album, but it was the first to gain them recognition outside their home country, Australia. The album cover features a whippet in the hands of a semi-naked male torso.

8. James Taylor – One Man Dog

James Taylor’s One Man Dog album was released in 1972, the year he married Carly Simon. The concept album was recorded entirely in Taylor’s home studio and the album cover is a photo taken of Taylor and his dog on a pond in Vermont. The photographer was Peter Simon, Carly’s brother.

9. Kate Bush – Hounds of Love

Hounds Of Love might be best known for featuring the lead title Running Up That Hill, but it is also notable, on this list at least, for featuring Bush and two beautiful Weimeraners. The dogs belonged to Bush’s friend and were named Bonnie and Clyde.

Bush said it took all day for the dogs to be settled enough for photos to be taken but that one of the dogs eventually fell asleep on her.

10. Neil Young with Crazy Horse – Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere

Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere was Neil Young’s second album and the first with Crazy Horse. It included hits like Cinnamon Girl and had a cover photo of Neil and his dog Winnipeg.

The photo was taken by Frank Bez, who also photographed celebrities including Johnny Cash, Sharon Tate, Jim Morrison, and Andy Warhol. The photo was taken at Topanga Canyon.

11. Nelson – Because They Can

Because They Can was the second album from the rock band Nelson. The cover features two hounds, both wearing long blonde wigs, stylized to look like Matthew and Gunnar Nelson, the brothers that started the band.

The album led to the band splitting with label Geffen Records, as label executives turned down the band’s original, heavy album Imaginator and told them to record something lighter or be released from their contract. Nelson split from Geffen Records after the release of Because They Can.

12. Rick Springfield – Working Class Dog

Rick Springfield has suffered from depression throughout his life and once said, in an interview, “There’s no better companion than a dog” and described one of his dogs, Gomer, as “Prozac on legs.” Working Class Dog doesn’t feature Gomer, but it does feature another of Springfield’s former pooches, a Bull Terrier named Ronnie.

Ronnie was also nicknamed Lethal Ron because he had bad flatulence. In the photo, Ronnie is wearing a suit and tie.

13. Rush – Signals

Signals was Rush’s ninth album and not one of the band’s most beloved, but it does feature a beautiful Dalmatian on the cover, sniffing a fire hydrant.

The photo was taken by Deborah Samuel who described the process of getting the photograph, saying they had to rent a hydrant and paint it red while also finding a dog that would sniff on command.

14. Weezer – Raditude

The seventh album from Weezer launched the cover album photo subject to stardom. The cover features a rescue dog called Sidney. Sidney was rescued as a puppy and his owner, Jason Neely, got the incredible action shot when Sidney was 2 years old.

The photo was sent to National Geographic and was picked up a few months later for the cover.

15. Weird Al Yankovic – Poodle Hat

Weird Al Yankovic is known for his parodies of famous songs, and Poodle Hat was his fifth album featuring Couch Potato, a parody of Lose Yourself by Eminem. The album cover features Weird Al standing in a subway car surrounded by people, with a Poodle on his head.

The Poodle is Al’s pet, Bela, and the rest of the people in the car are friends and family. The production crew initially wanted the image to feature Bela urinating on Al’s head, but they decided against this for the final cut.

Conclusion

Such is our love for our four-legged friends that dogs feature in modern culture regularly, including in the 15 album covers above. While we wouldn’t suggest building a music collection based solely on the use of dogs in the cover art, there are some great albums in most genres above that can prove excellent additions to any collection.

Featured Image Credit: Prostock-studio, Shutterstock