The Bark

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, March 1, 2004

Byline: Liz Borod

WHAT IT'S ABOUT: Celebrating the love affair between canines and their human companions, The Bark has offered up a mix of fiction, poetry, essays, book reviews, service columns and newsy features four times a year since 1997. The canine theme, literary tone and clean design succeed in tying the varied content together.

WHY WE LOVE IT: This high-quality mag is hip without being trendy, and upscale without being elitist. Plus, you don't have to be dog-obsessed - or even own a dog - to enjoy the striking photography, gorgeous illustrations, animal rights stories or stirring essays by name writers such as Ann Patchett.

RECENT ARTICLES: Adopting retired racetrack greyhounds; a roundup of fictional detective's canine sidekicks; an interview with "The Mutts" cartoonist Patrick McDonnell; underwater rehabilitation therapy for injured dogs; the latest addition in the serial novel Rex in the City about a young couple and the unwieldy spaniel they rescued from a shelter.

AD BASE: Mostly high-end products and services from small businesses, it's a menagerie of dog accessories (for both pets and owners) and dog food.

VERDICT: Definitely not for cats. But any human with an appreciation of dogs will find this magazine a smart read and a real treat.