Michael Gawenda is probably best known for being the editor of The Age, but has since found fame and freedom in semi-retirement writing a blog about his daily walks around St Kilda with Rocky, his young shaggy dog of indeterminate breed.

Rocky teaches Gawenda how to appreciate living in the ‘now’ and the simple joys of witnessing changes in the seasons, swans swimming nearby and how many stray tennis balls can be found during a single morning’s stroll.

Not only that, but time spent with Rocky allows Gawenda to reminisce on life as a young Jewish boy sharing a room with his parents above their Fitzroy shop, witnessing the activities at the brothel across the street and how he grew up to be a news-obsessed writer avoiding the word ‘I’ in his articles. He writes, ‘Dogs give people not only the experience of unconditional love, but also the chance to be kind.’ This revealing memoir is delightfully enhanced by the creature who lives for love and to be loved – whether they be man or dog. This is best shared with your own furry friend sitting alongside.