Is there anything else in this world better than puppies? Probably not.

New mothers talk about that “puppy smell” — I understand. It’s intoxicating. There is no better cure for the blues than a nice afternoon puppy cuddle.

Rachael Hale’s latest photo collection, Snog — a gorgeous series of new photos featuring puppies galore — is, arguably, this year’s best release. It’s like an encyclopedia of cuteness — a puppypedia, if you will. Snog features some of today’s best-known puppies — Boss, Turbo, Tucker — in their finest sweaters and necklaces, but most of the puppies aren’t wearing any clothes at all. It’s a tad risqué, but it’s an art book, so it’s to be expected.

Throughout the book are various aphorisms and lyrics, like the old chestnut “if you trip over love you can always get up” (totally true, by the way), with a photo of Eeney, Meeny, Miney and Mo, four Staffordshire Bull Terrier Cross puppies on a skateboard. Adorable.

There’s also “what the world really needs is more love and less paperwork” (so says Pearl Bailey) with a photo of Cody and Carter, two West Highland White Terriers — you guessed it — nearly buried by a pile of paperwork! How are these little cuties going to get all of that work done? I’m sure they’ll figure it out.

Hale also provides a useful appendix of commentary for each photo, adding insight to the creative process. For young Sebastian, a tiny English Cocker Spaniel photographed atop a pile of yummy chocolate bars, Hale says: “It was quite warm the day we photographed the puppies with chocolate, so poor little Sebastian had to have a second bath after he ended up with his feet, bottom, and tummy covered in Cadbury’s Dairy Milk.” Chocolate and puppies — nothin’ better.

If there’s any flaw with the book, it’s that some of the puppies are so cute that they look fake. They aren’t, of course — some of these puppies’ careers have been well documented — but sometimes a sundae can have a little too much chocolate syrup, you know?

But that’s a minor quibble — Snog is fantastic. For a bout of melancholy, nothing works better than a dose of vitamin p.