Mike White has had dogs most of his life, including a giveaway mongrel when he was a teenager, a puppy who was going to be drowned, and his current huntaway, Cooper, who features throughout How to Walk a Dog.

They've been wonderful mates, loyal company and frequently disobedient. Some have broken his bones; all have broken his heart when they've gone. White is one of New Zealand's best-known journalists and a senior writer at North & South magazine where he has won more than 20 national media awards, including the Wolfson Fellowship to Cambridge University.

In 2013 he wrote the best-selling true crime book Who Killed Scott Guy? He lives in Wellington with his partner, Nikki, and they walk Cooper along the coast, through the bush and at the city's dog parks.