George Singleton’s world is one of feckless men (often named Stet), especially feckless fathers, unforgiving women, good-natured drunks, very small-time thieves and, in this collection, dogs. The dogs do what dogs usually do, and that often includes helping humans cope with their messy lives.

These are among the best kind of stories, funny, but serious. Often the serious part is buried deep down, but it’s there. Singleton’s narrators often question their own existence and seem kind of lost. “I realized that I wasted way too much time, didn’t follow dreams, and wouldn’t have minded dying.” ( )