"I Love My Dog" is a song written by Cat Stevens, and was his first single (b/w "Portobello Road"), appearing the following year on his debut album Matthew and Son.
Stevens later acknowledged that he had essentially written the lyrics to the music of American jazz multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef's "The Plum Blossom", from his 1961 Eastern Sounds.
[2] Stevens indicated that he "told Yusef Lateef about it, gave him a big cheque, and in fact, started paying him royalties."
The song lyric was written by American Kim Fowley, and Stevens was asked to collaborate by composing music for it.
[4] The song has also been covered by Carolyn Hester, Theo Bikel, Linda Tillery, and Mike Batt.