I really want to be skeptical about the skills of this dog who can read. I do. But it’s just too awesome. And it makes me think maybe I could teach my cat to read, too . . .

So, I said we’d be doing this on Wednesdays, but it seems as though I lied. Oh well!

Meet Molly:

Molly is the companion of G. Xavier Robillard, author of Captain Freedom: A Superhero’s Quest for Truth, Justice and the Celebrity He So Richly Deserves. Molly, whose full name is Molecule, is seen here in the Red Rock desert west of Las Vegas in 2007. Molly likes to sit on the front porch with her favorite author, drink coffee and scare off the mail carrier. Please also note that she is touching her nose with her tongue, which delights me even though I know all dogs can do it.

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of Harper Perennial Pets, featuring Willy!

Willy is the companion of Valerie Laken, author of Dream House. Here’s what she had to say about him:

This is Willy, who takes this position next to my desk every afternoon around 3:30. For a while he sits quietly, then he starts to shuffle, then he makes back-of-the-throat, space-alien sounds to impress upon me that I really need to stop what I’m doing and take a walk. Usually he’s right.

For a while in his youth he was an unofficial mascot of the University of Michigan’s MFA program, and he still misses those folks.

For more from Valerie, check out her guest post on Book Club Girl, where she talks about a childhood spent reading in secret (something she and I share!), and where you can win a copy of Dream House!

Plus, Valerie’s on tour this month with TLC Book Tours—check out her tour stops here, and read the review from her first stop at Stephanie’s Written Word.

The other night, Michelle of My Books, My Life sent me a photo of her cat eating a burrito. Aside from being excited to see a cat eating a burrito*, I was also excited to learn that his name is Gatsby, and that Michelle and her husband also have a cat named Daisy!

This got me thinking about other pets named after literary characters. The internet is loaded with pictures of Jake Gyllenhaal’s dog Atticus:

but are there any other famous pets named after literary characters? Do YOU have a pet named after a literary character, or an author? (My boyfriend would love to name a dog Ellroy, after James Ellroy.) Tell me in the comments! Bonus points for linking to pictures.

*I think my new thing might be pictures of dogs eating spaghetti, lady and the tramp style.

It’s been a very busy week here at Harper Perennial, with events, authors in town, book blogger appreciation week, the goodbye party for our beloved Stephanie, and more. I think we could all use a few minutes with this guy:

His name is Duff and he lives with Alberto, our publicity director. And I’m hoping that someday he comes to visit the office!

My favorite part of this video from our friends at Harper hardcover is when the two dogs’ paws are touching. It’s like they’re holding hands!