Yap!: A Short History of Small Dogs

by Stephanie Howard-Smith

Small dogs are our first true pets - the first creatures we invited to share our homes, and often our beds. From the convents of medieval Europe, where nuns hid small dogs to be their faithful companions (despite the disapproval of male church leaders), to King Charles II's spaniels, Queen Victoria's Pekingese, Paris Hilton's Chihuahua and the pet influencers of 21st-century social media, Yap! follows the pawprints of the breeds we have grown to love and cherish. While celebrating the pets with whom we've had the longest and closest relationship, from French Bulldogs, to Poodles, Shih Tzus and Pomeranians, Stephanie traces the rise and fall in popularity of different breeds through the centuries and offers a passionate defence of the pooches that some love-to-hate.

Yap! reveals how small dogs have shaped our lives as much as we have theirs, challenging social dynamics, changing the way we spend our leisure time, offering valuable companionship and a chance for self-expression, and contributing to a global industry now worth over �250 billion. A must-read for any lover of small dogs, Yap! is a paean to the unbreakable bond between humans and their petite pets.

Genres: Nonfiction

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 8, 2026

About the author

Dr Stephanie Howard-Smith is a lecturer, writer and historian of dog-human relations — and a lifelong dog lover. She completed her PhD on the cultural history of the lapdog in the eighteenth century at Queen Mary University of London. She has lectured in English and History at universities across the United Kingdom.

Reviews

[Lauralee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited to read this because I love small dogs, especially lapdogs. This gave an interesting background on small dogs but ultimately it felt a little too much like I was studying for school. It made me thankful that I graduated 20 years ago! But I did enjoy learning more about these amazing little creatures. Overall, “Yap! A Short History of Small Dogs” could have been a little shorter, but I loved reading a lot of the stories and it made me grateful for my own small puppies and the time we live in!

I read an advanced copy on NetGalley and opinions are my own.