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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallWhen the COVID-19 pandemic made it unsafe to approach unfamiliar dogs, Iowa child Gideon Kidd adapted his popular dog-documenting project: instead of meeting dogs in person, he posed with photographs of dogs sent in by their caregivers. The playful “virtual petting” kept the project going without pretending that he had physically touched the animals.
The book announced in the 2020 story, Pet That Dog! A Handbook for Making Four-Legged Friends, was subsequently published on October 20, 2020. Written by Gideon Kidd and his mother, Rachel Braunigan, and illustrated by Susann Hoffmann, it turned the project into an interactive children’s guide to meeting, understanding, and caring for dogs.
A pandemic changed the way Gideon met dogs
Before the pandemic, Gideon Kidd’s project had a straightforward goal: meet as many dogs as possible, photograph them, and share what made each one special. When public-health concerns and COVID-19 restrictions made approaching unfamiliar dogs inappropriate, he and his mother changed the format around March 2020.
Dog owners began sending photographs of their pets. Gideon would hold or display a picture of the dog while posing as though he wished he could pet it. The project described this as “virtual” petting, but the term was intentionally playful. Gideon was not physically interacting with the dogs, using virtual-reality technology, or claiming to have met them in person. He was continuing to tell their stories remotely.
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Daily Paws reported that Gideon had virtually “petted” 228 dogs during the pandemic period, after physically petting more than 1,100 dogs over the preceding years. Those figures were snapshots from 2020, not current totals.
How the dog project began
Gideon began the project in 2016, when he was eight years old. Initially, it was a way to keep track of the dogs he encountered and show other people the animals he found interesting. He created a website to catalog the dogs by name and date, then expanded the project to Twitter in April 2018.
The usual process was simple but important. Gideon and his mother would encounter a dog in the community, ask the dog’s caregiver for permission, meet the animal, and take a photograph. Posts generally identified the dog by name and included a short description or a few facts.
Over time, those descriptions became more varied. A post might discuss a dog’s personality, breed, background, work, rescue history, or some other distinctive detail. Some featured rescue dogs or included adoption-related information, but the project was not a shelter or formal rescue organization. It was a child-led documentation and storytelling project supported by his family.
Rachel Braunigan’s role
Gideon’s mother, Rachel Braunigan, was central to the project. She took the photographs, helped find dogs for Gideon to meet, and supervised the interactions. The two are credited as coauthors of the eventual book.
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That parental involvement also matters from a safety perspective. A child should not approach an unfamiliar dog alone or assume that every dog wants to be touched. Asking the caregiver first, watching the dog’s behavior, and respecting a refusal are essential parts of a safe encounter.
From online project to children’s handbook
The 2020 announcement was not for a book that remained “set to release.” Pet That Dog! A Handbook for Making Four-Legged Friends was published on October 20, 2020. The paperback is a 128-page illustrated book from Quirk Books, with ISBN 9781683692294 and a listed U.S. price of $14.99. The ebook has ISBN 9781683692300 and was listed at $9.99 by the publisher.
For families looking for the project in book form, the Pet That Dog! handbook is the most direct place to start. It is aimed at children approximately seven and older, or readers around second grade and up. Availability and pricing can change, so the publisher’s current listing or a bookseller should be checked before purchase.
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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →The book is more than a collection of photographs from Gideon’s online project. It uses his experiences as the framework for an illustrated, interactive introduction to dogs. Its subjects include:
- How to approach a dog safely
- How to recognize and interpret canine body language
- Basic dog care and training
- Adoption and rescue-related information
- Facts about dogs and stories about notable animals
- A personality quiz
- A “Dog Tracker” for recording dogs encountered by the reader
The physical format is especially relevant because the tracking pages and other write-in features are part of the appeal. A digital edition may be convenient for reading, but it should not automatically be assumed to provide the same practical experience as the paperback.
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What children can learn from the book
Permission comes first
The central lesson is not simply that dogs are enjoyable to pet. It is that a dog encounter should be mutual and supervised. Children should ask the dog’s caregiver for permission, wait for guidance, and accept “no” without trying to force an interaction.
Permission from the caregiver is only one part of the decision. The dog’s body language also matters. A dog that is stiff, frightened, hiding, growling, showing its teeth, backing away, or avoiding contact should be given space. A relaxed dog may still not want to be touched, so children should allow the animal to approach rather than reaching over it or cornering it.
Dogs are individuals
Gideon’s original posts worked because they treated each dog as an individual rather than as a generic example of a breed. The book carries that idea into its stories and activities. Readers encounter information about dogs’ personalities, histories, abilities, and circumstances—not just lists of breed characteristics.
Curiosity can become responsible observation
The “Dog Tracker” turns a child’s enthusiasm into a record-keeping activity. Instead of rushing from one dog to the next, a reader can note what they observed and think about the dog’s behavior, appearance, or background. Used with adult guidance, that activity can encourage respectful attention rather than impulsive touching.
How the project grew
By 2020, publisher materials said Gideon had met and profiled more than 1,000 dogs and had more than 300,000 Twitter followers. Contemporaneous news coverage put his Twitter following above 380,000. The difference reflects changing counts and publication dates; neither figure should be presented as a current follower total.
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- Paws Down, Pets Love It - Our customers find that the grooming gloves are a great tool for scrubbing clean during washing, but also great for de-shedding and waterless massaging with the non-abrasive flexible nodules on the fingers and palms. So many of our small and large furry friends get excited to see the gloves for the one-on-one time as a special treat
The numbers are less important than the project’s unusual premise. It began as a child’s personal record of the dogs he met, developed into a public collection of short profiles, and then became an online community project during a period when ordinary dog encounters were restricted. The pandemic adaptation allowed people to contribute photographs and stories even when Gideon could not safely meet their pets.
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The book occupies a middle ground between a personal project, an activity book, and an introductory dog-safety guide. It is a strong fit for children who already love dogs, children who are curious about approaching them, and families considering adoption or dog ownership.
It should not be treated as a comprehensive veterinary, behavioral, or medical manual. A parent, teacher, or caregiver should supplement it with advice from qualified veterinary and animal-behavior professionals when a child has questions about illness, aggression, training problems, allergies, or a particular dog’s safety.
Reviews from Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal emphasized the book’s fact-filled, entertaining approach and its coverage of safe approaches, body language, adoption, care, training, allergies, famous dogs, quizzes, and tracking pages. School Library Journal also noted a practical library concern: write-in activities can make an interactive book harder to circulate in the usual way.
The lasting appeal of Gideon’s idea
Gideon Kidd’s project was appealing because it did not rely on a controversy, stunt, or adversarial premise. It celebrated ordinary dogs and the details that made each one memorable. The pandemic did not end that idea; it forced the project to become more imaginative and more careful.
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That transition—from in-person encounters, to remote photographs, to a hands-on book—is the story’s most significant development. Pet That Dog! preserves the enthusiasm behind Gideon’s project while adding practical lessons about consent, observation, care, and responsible interaction with animals.
The original website’s current status is not reliably confirmed. A third-party domain-status report found it offline when checked in 2026, but that is not an authoritative statement from Gideon’s family or the publisher. Readers should therefore treat the site’s present availability as unconfirmed rather than definitively closed.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Pet That Dog! published?
Pet That Dog! A Handbook for Making Four-Legged Friends was published by Quirk Books on October 20, 2020.
Did Gideon Kidd really pet the dogs virtually?
“Virtually” was a playful description of the pandemic-era format. Dog owners sent photographs, and Gideon posed with the images. He did not physically touch those dogs or use virtual-reality technology.
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Who wrote Pet That Dog!?
The book was written by Gideon Kidd and his mother, Rachel Braunigan, with illustrations by Susann Hoffmann.
What ages is the book for?
Publisher materials identify it broadly for ages seven and up and grades two and up. Adults should provide additional guidance for questions involving dog behavior, health, or safety.
Is Pet That Dog! a complete dog-care manual?
No. It introduces children to safe approaches, body language, care, adoption, training, and dog facts, but it is not a substitute for veterinary or professional animal-behavior advice.
The Bottom Line
Gideon Kidd’s “virtual petting” project was a 2020 pandemic adaptation of a much larger child-led effort to meet, photograph, and document dogs. The resulting book, Pet That Dog!, was published on October 20, 2020, and extends that cheerful project into an interactive guide to safe, respectful encounters with dogs.
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