The Dogfather: My Love of Dogs, Desserts and Growing up Italian Paperback – August 23, 2020

Joe, if you ever read your reviews, please know you made me very happy. I ordered this before I fell and broke my hip on May 5, 2021. I had three screws put in my right femoral head and I was in the hospital for several days. Your beautiful little book was waiting for me when I got home. You did a wonderful job with the photographs, the stories, and the layout. You have a great talent for 'Gattography' and your stories are funny, thoughtful and endearing.Please do more books as you have an outstanding talent for it. Maybe an illustrated children's book about your doggies and the adventures they have, eating yummy pastries along the way 😊 (no chocolate of course) and to let our lovely young readers (including maybe my future granddaughter, due in July) learn early about the importance of adoption.THANK YOU for helping so many doggies and promoting adoption from shelters over buying in pet stores, and for sharing the individual story of each dog. Because that's what they are, individuals.You have given so many furry friends a chance at a safe, happy, healthy home life and I can't thank you and your family enough for that. It's so very important. Also thank you for furnishing the names of organizations that help take care of furry friends that are looking for their permanent homes.One last p.s. I noticed that your book is printed on demand and I saw that the book was published on, you guessed it: May 5, 2021.Thanks for helping me with my recovery. Through this book, and of course your awesome work with The Tenderloins, you have helped me more than you'll ever know.May God continue to bless you, Bessy, Milana and Remo and of course all of your doggies for all of your days.Love, me.

This is the most adorable loving book I’ve bought in a long time. To be honest I purchased this book because of my love of anything Impractical Jokers. After reading and Rereading I have more respect for Joe and his Beautiful wife. This book makes me want to go straight to the nearest shelter and adopt. The heartwarming stories for each dog is a tribute to the love Joe Gatto has/had for everyone of them. Not to mention you get great tips and even a recipe or 2 of delicious desserts. Oh and a huge thank you for the tip of how to correctly cut a Napoleon ! I absolutely recommend this book. It will not disappoint. Thank you Joe Gatto for a wonderful addition to our family library.I

After losing our sweet girl back in July, The Dogfather serves as a great reminder that you'll always have room in your heart to expand your pack.An added bonus? Joe has the innate ability to make you feel like family. I felt as though I was recalling the memories he shared alongside him, as if I were there all along. Maybe it's from watching IJ all these years, or maybe it's simply his craft. Whatever it is, it works. This is a great little book with a solid nod to shelter pups, and getting them their long overdue time in the limelight.Adopt. Don't shop.

I enjoy everything Joe Gatto does and this adorable book is wonderful!! What’s better than dogs and pastries and Joe family stories!!!! It’s really great because you can almost hear his voice while you’re reading it and I caught myself just laughing at the thought of his facial expression!!! So glad to have added this to my fun book collection!!!

The first thing that drew my attention to “The Dogfather” was a color picture from the book of one of author Joe Gatto’s eight “Gatto pups” sitting beside the plate of the Italian pastry he named his cute dog after. I knew right then that I had to pre-order. But what I didn’t know until I received the book was that there are also heartwarming, true-life stories written by Joe beside each adorable dog photo.After reading the intro, I flipped through the first chapter, “Cannoli,” and was delighted to see that beside Cannoli the pup’s photo looking down at a plate of cannolis was a sweet anecdote of how Joe used to joke around with his young nephew while eating cannolis at dessert time. The chapter continues with how he brought his puppy, Cannoli, home to become the very first Gatto pup.One of my favorite chapters is “Then There Were Two” which is about how Biscotti, the second Gatto pup, was introduced to Cannoli and how they took to each other right away, even cuddling with each other! The photos of these two sisters together are some of the cutest I’ve ever seen.The “Zeppole” chapter is another of my favorites. It’s about how Joe’s then-two-year-old daughter, Milana, particularly took to senior dog, Zeppole, and how their relationship was what began her love of dogs. This chapter actually made me choke up with tears as it is so beautiful! The other two senior dogs featured in “The Dogfather” are Mishkeen and Pignoli. In addition to reading how sweet and gentle these dogs are, Joe has a hilarious description of Pignoli’s looks that really will make you laugh out loud. I know I did!In the “Tartufo” chapter, I was surprised to learn that Joe doesn’t like ice cream. I was even more surprised that Gatto Pup, Tartufo, has a soft, white coat that feels like a cloud and that she hugs her family by actually putting her arms over their shoulders, as if she is slow dancing! This chapter also reminded me of the two ice cream choices that were on every children’s menu at Italian restaurants in Staten Island when I was a kid. One choice was Spumoni, but when I read Joe’s description of Tartufo, it didn’t sound like the other ice cream choice. After reading the “Tartufo” chapter, I Googled and realized it was Tortoni that I’d remembered which was an ice cream dessert topped with almond and coconut as opposed to Tartufo’s chocolate covering. Tortoni sounds like it might be a good name for the next Gatto Pup!Spumoni is a Yorkshire Terrier mix who was rescued in Arizona and adopted by Joe in Las Vegas. The story of how she was found and the events leading up to her adoption could be a book on its own. I also enjoyed reading the story about the Ralph’s Italian Ices Store in this chapter since I remember Ralph’s Ices from my Staten Island childhood as well. The childhood memory that Joe writes about here tells the story of eating Ralph’s Ices on summer nights and sharing his mom’s favorite Spumoni flavor with her as the family sat on top of his father’s car while looking up at the stars. Just another story which was such a pleasure to read.Overall, I really loved “The Dogfather” book and would recommend it to anyone who is cheered up by looking at pictures of dogs and who enjoys reading tender stories of the relationship between dogs and people and to those who love keeping childhood memories alive.

Ordered this for a relative who's a fan of Impractical Jokers. He loves the book. It's a cute addition to any bookshelf and helps inform fans about Joe's pets.

This book arrived in days. The cover is soft. It is that texture that almost feels velvety. It is very nice to hold while reading.The stories of these dogs, their personalities, and how they adjusted to life as a loved pet will warm your heart. It is amazing what love can do.Like the desserts Joe describes, you'll want to devour every word. The stories of each dog eminate the love Gatto and his family share for each other, including their adopted dog members. The photos are the cherry on top. They make the book extra sweet.

My copy arrived today and, like a delicious dessert, I wanted to make it last but had to devour it all in one go! The pups (and their dad) are adorable and it's a privilege to be allowed a glimpse into their world. Lovely pictures and engaging text. Anyone know a good Italian bakery???

I have been waiting for months to get this book and when I got it, I read it on the spot. The way the book was written was so inspiring and insightful. There were a few parts of the book where I teared up because of how Joe described his dogs. I have a lot of respect for Joe and his family, more dogs need to be adopted and not bought!

What’s not to love? Puppies, pastries and an insight into the life of TruTvs impractical joker Joe Gatto! It’s just what I needed a little book of happiness, thank you Joe! 💜💜💜

Joe’s book is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. It’s packed with his cute dogs, wonderful stories about how he got them and more. If you need a pick me up, love dogs (and even if you don’t), love desserts, and love Joe, you need this book!