James Herriot's Dog Stories is a collection of short stories about dogs. James Herriot is a veterinarian who practiced in the English county of Yorkshire and later found fame as an author depicting the animals and humans he came to know.

Yorkshire was a very rural place at the time Herriot wrote, so most of his stories are known for depicting human characters without much education; they tend to be gruff and have a thick Yorkshire accent. However, despite these characters seeming cold at first, they tend to become emotional when interacting with their animals.

Herriot writes with much compassion about a variety of dogs, from working border collies who sleep outside and herd sheep to overweight Pekingese dogs who are overfed by their owners as an expression of love. Because Herriot is a vet, he often has to interact with dogs when they are sick or dying, and this can be emotional for him and the dogs' owners.

Herriot also has his own dogs who tend to come with him on his trips to various farms around the country, and their company often provides solace after particularly difficult veterinary endeavors.