The file includes an early book prospectus [c. 1837]; early journal articles, 1856-1902, including, by Charles Dickens, 'The Renowned Dog Caesar' in All the Year Round, 9 May 1863; and more recent notes, pedigrees, advertisements, letters and cuttings, 1932-1978, featuring canine anecdotes, breed characteristics, exports, working dogs, sport, shows, famous dogs, canine literature, illustrations and cats.

The file, originally an untitled bundle, contains drafts, research notes, newspaper and magazine cuttings and letters, some of them referring to particular books, journals and articles, including The Afghan Handbook, 'Always a Friend', The American Dachshund, 'Canis' dog features, Chambers Concise Encyclopedia, The Dog, The Dog Yearbook, Dogs in Britain and 'How to Live with a Dog', a catalogue of an exhibition of dog books held at Luton Central Library, 1968, and the script of a lecture on British and foreign dogs, 1897, 1915-1919, 1929-1950. Subjects of interest include animal mythology and superstition, greyhound racing, coursing, dog cemeteries, famous dogs, Alsatians, hunting, geological fossil evidence of dogs, canine conformation standards and literary indexing techniques.