Knitted in the round this is an easy pattern if you already know how to knit stranded colorwork and this pattern assumes that you do know how to knit stranded colorwork. If you have not knitted stranded colorwork before then this is an experienced level pattern.

Instructions are given for head sizes 18” (46 cm), 21” (53 cm), and 23” (58 cm). These correspond to child, small adult and medium-large adult sizes.

Fingering weight yarn.
The samples were knitted with Happy Sheep Magic Sock Wool/Knit Picks Palette/Knit Picks Hawthorne.
BC: (background color), DC: (dog color)
Size 18” (46 cm), BC 76 yds (69 m), DC 38 yds (35 m)
Size 21” (53 cm), BC 96 yds (88 m), DC 42 yds (38 m)
Size 23” (58 cm), BC 105 yds (96 m), DC 54 yds (49 m)

From The Dog People: The phrase “man’s best friend” originated in the American Supreme Court in 1870 when a talented lawyer named George Graham Vest defended a man who deeply loved his coon hound named Old Drum. Vest argued that when a neighbor killed Old Drum for trespassing, the neighbor took the life of more than just a pet—he killed an important family member. Vest famously stated, “The one absolute, unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world—the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous—is his dog.”