by Tommy Tomlinson; c.2024, Avid Reader Press; $28.99; 231 pages

The big blue ribbon is almost the size of your head.

It took serious yardage to make it, and the fancy circle in the middle couldn’t have been cheap, either. That’s not to mention the trophies, the loving cups and all the other accolades that came from a competition you couldn’t win, no matter how much you tried. No, those awards belong to the fuzziest member of the family, and in “Dogland” by Tommy Tomlinson, you’ll meet a superstar in a fur coat.

You can always tell when a pro athlete is happy. He smiles wide. She pumps her fists and low-fives with teammates. But Tommy Tomlinson thought of something else a few years ago while watching the Westminster Dog Show on television: “Are those dogs happy?”

Tomlinson likes dogs. He had a dog once himself, and he still thinks about Fred. But these show dogs, all fluffed up, trotting in circles, are they enjoying themselves? For that matter, do dogs love us or do they ...