Patrick McDonnell, creator of "Mutts," the comic strip -- who we have long hoped would never go all Purina on us and threaten to forbid our blog from sharing the same name -- has come out with a lovely new book that features his strips alongside the stories of animals adopted from shelters.

Shelter Stories: Love. Guaranteed is a collection of more than 100 of McDonnell's "Shelter Stories" strips, accompanied by photos of 70 rescued animals -- dogs, cats, ferrets, rabbits, guinea pigs and birds.

The book also includes a reference guide with tips for adopting the right pet, and a list of useful website links.

About 7.5 million adopted dogs and 16.2 million adopted cats live in U.S. homes; yet another six million find themselves in shelter every year, about half of whom are euthanized.

McDonnell's book contains an introduction by Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, an organization on whose board of directors McDonnell serves. His official website, muttscomics.com, receives roughly one million visits each month. The book is available from Andrews McMeel Publishing.

(Cover photo courtesy of Andrews McMeel Publishing)