List of fictional dogs in prose and poetry

This is a list of fictional dogs in prose and poetry and is a subsidiary to the list of fictional dogs. It is a collection of various dogs in prose literature and poetry.

Prose and poetry[edit]

Name(s) Breed(s) Source Author Notes
Abraham Akita How to Stop Time Matt Haig Tom Hazard's dog
Argos[1][2] Odyssey Homer Faithful dog of Odysseus.
Baleia[3] Vidas Secas Graciliano Ramos Later adapted into the 1963 Brazilian classic Vidas Secas. The dog actress, Piaba, was celebrated at the Cannes Film Festival amidst controversy over the dog's (simulated) death scene.
Banga[4] The Master and Margarita Mikhail Bulgakov Pontius Pilate's dog.
Baree Wolfdog Baree, Son of Kazan James Curwood Son of Gray Wolf and Kazan.
Bendicò Great Dane Il Gattopardo (The Leopard) Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa Belonging to the central character Don Fabrizio Corbera, Prince of Salina
Belle Pyrenean Mountain Dog Belle et Sébastien Cécile Aubry Lives with her owner Sebastian in village in the French Alps close to the frontier with Italy.
Big Red[2][5] Irish Setter Big Red Jim Kjelgaard
Blood[5][6] A Boy and His Dog Harlan Ellison Later adapted into a film where Blood is voiced by Tim McIntire.
Blue The Sound and the Fury William Faulkner
Bob Fox Terrier Dumb Witness Agatha Christie Also released as part of the Agatha Christie's Poirot series.
Bodger and Luath[2] Bull terrier, Labrador Retriever The Incredible Journey Sheila Burnford Based on a true story.
Buck[1] St. Bernard-Scotch Collie The Call of the Wild Jack London[A] Adapted in five movies: A silent film (1923); (1935); 1972; The Call of the Wild: Dog of the Yukon (1997); and Call of the Wild 3D (2009).
Bugle Ann Foxhound The Voice of Bugle Ann MacKinlay Kantor Spring Davis' dog; about a farmer's love for his hunting dog and the feud it sparks in the county.
Buller The Human Factor Graham Greene Protagonist Maurice Castle's dog
Bulls-eye[1][7] Oliver Twist Charles Dickens Bill Sikes' dog.
Buster Scottish Terrier Five Find-Outers Enid Blyton Belonging to Frederick Algernon Trotteville ("Fatty").
Cafall[2] Historia Brittonum Nennius? Dog belonging to King Arthur (occasionally spelled "Cabal" or "Caval").
Carl Rottweiler Good Dog, Carl Alexandra Day
Charkie Cocker Spaniel Curious George H. A. Rey and Margret Rey Steve and Betsy's dog, about a brown monkey who is brought from Africa to live in a big city.
Clifford Vizsla Clifford the Big Red Dog Norman Bridwell An enormous dog. He is friendly, outgoing and helpful, but his sheer size can sometimes cause trouble.
Crab[1][7] Two Gentlemen of Verona William Shakespeare "the sourest natured dog that lives".
Cujo[2][6] St. Bernard Cujo Stephen King 200-pound Saint Bernard who chases a wild rabbit into a small limestone cave where he contracts cryptic bat rabies and terrorizes Castle Rock, Maine, killing a few residents.
Daisy A Ball for Daisy, Daisy Gets Lost Chris Raschka A small white dog who loves to play with her ball.
Dingo Dick Sand, A Captain at Fifteen Jules Verne
Diogenes Dombey and Son Charles Dickens Friend of Paul Dombey and later his sister Florence.
Disreputable Dog[5] Lirael and Abhorsen Garth Nix
Einstein[6] Golden Retriever Watchers Dean Koontz
Eos Funeral Games Mary Renault Beautiful white dog.
Fang[6] Mastiff Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone J. K. Rowling Hagrid's dog.
Fluffy[6] Cerberus Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone J. K. Rowling Guards the sorcerer's stone in the dungeons, just as Cerberus guards the underworld in Greek mythology. Inspired by the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Orpheus reaches the underworld by putting Cerberus to sleep with a harp. Similarly, Harry Potter passes Fluffy by playing the flute in order to put Fluffy to sleep. [8]
Flush Cocker Spaniel Flush: A Biography Virginia Woolf
Garm Farmer Giles of Ham J. R. R. Tolkien
Garryowen[2] Ulysses James Joyce
Gaspode and Laddie Discworld Terry Pratchett Unusually clever dog that talks and his Wonder Dog client.
Ginger[9] The View from Saturday E. L. Konigsburg Genius dog of Nadia Diamondstein.
Ginger Pye[5] Ginger Pye Eleanor Estes
Gnaish Thunder Oak Garry Kilworth
Go Go Girl and Slinkster Dog Weetzie Bat Francesca Lia Block
Gyp Adam Bede George Eliot Adam Bede's dog.
Hank Hank the Cowdog John R. Erickson
The Hound of the Baskervilles[1][2] Hound Sherlock Holmes Arthur Conan Doyle Written with the famous line, "They were the footprints of a gigantic hound!"
Grip, Fang and Wolf The Lord of the Rings J.R.R. Tolkien Dogs belonging to Farmer Maggot.
Huan Wolfhound The Silmarillion J. R. R. Tolkien Companion of Valinor, friend and helper of Beren and Lúthien.
Missis, Perdita, Pongo, and other Dalmatians Dalmatian The Hundred and One Dalmatians[2] Dodie Smith Subsequently, made into a film by Walt Disney. Later also adapted as a live-action film and as a stage musical.
Jip[1][2] Lapdog David Copperfield Charles Dickens Belonging to Dora Spenlow, David Copperfield's first wife.
Jip Doctor Dolittle Hugh Lofting One of Doctor Dolittle's animal companions.
John Joiner The Tale of Samuel Whiskers or The Roly-Poly Pudding Beatrix Potter Terrier who rescued Tom Kitten from being made into a pudding by rats.
Jump Page (novel) Tamora Pierce
Kambyses The Hound of Florence Felix Salten Every other day the protagonist Lukas Grassi is transformed into a dog, Kambyses, that belongs to the Archduke Ludwig.
Kashtanka[10] Kashtanka Anton Chekhov
Kazak English Mastiff The Sirens of Titan Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Companion of William Niles Rumfoord. In another Vonnegut novel Breakfast of Champions, there is a Doberman Pinscher, also named Kazak.
Kipper Kipper the Dog Mick Inkpen Warm-hearted, friendly and curious dog.
Know-Nothing Bozo the Non-Wonder Dog So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish Douglas Adams Dog belonging to advertiser Will Smithers.
Lad[1][5] Rough Collie Lad, A Dog Albert Payson Terhune
Laska Anna Karenina Leo Tolstoy Levin's hunting dog.
Lassie[2][5] Rough Collie Lassie Come Home Eric Knight
Lorelei[6] Lorelei's Secret Carolyn Parkhurst Dog who was the only witness to his owner's suicide. Her husband attempts to find out why she committed suicide by teaching the dog to communicate by talking. U.S. book title is The Dogs of Babel.
Martha Martha Speaks Susan Meddaugh Main protagonist, Martha is a talking dog that was born an energetic stray and was put in the dog pound as a puppy.
Max Mongrel How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Dr. Seuss The Grinch's only companion in Mount Crumpit.
McKinley Malamute The Good Dog Edward Irving Wortis The protagonist who becomes leader of a dog pack.
Melampo The Adventures of Pinocchio Carlo Collodi A deceased companion dog for a farmer.
Mo 'Mo: The Talking Dog' Michelle Booth Puppy who is given a specially-grown voicebox by a veterinarian and develops the ability to talk.
Molly John Dies at the End David Wong Rust colored dog who eventually returns from an alternate universe as Fred Durst. In the second novel, Molly is shot dead, during an instant of time, in order to save Dave, who was saving Amy, who was running in front of an entire army as they were mowing down zombies.
Montmorency[11] Fox Terrier Three Men in a Boat Jerome K. Jerome Narrator's dog who accompanies him and his two friends on a boating holiday over the river Thames.
Moses Dogville Lars von Trier Chuck's dog, seen only as a chalk outline on the ground until the final scene.
Mouse The Dresden Files Jim Butcher Harry's dog.
Mr. Bones[6][12] Timbuktu Paul Auster Stray dog and narrator of the story. Later renamed Sparky/Sparkatus
Mutt Unknown The Dog Who Wouldn't Be Farley Mowat Farley Mowat's dog in the book.
Nana Newfoundland Peter Pan J. M. Barrie
Nathaniel Scottish Terrier City Clifford D. Simak First of Bruce Webster's mutated dogs in this sci-fi novel in a world of dogs.
Old Dan[2] and Little Ann[2] Redbone Coonhound Where the Red Fern Grows Wilson Rawls
Olive Jack Russell Terrier Olive, the Other Reindeer Vivian Walsh and J. Otto Siebold
One Eye Mixed Breed Spill Simmer Falter Wither Sara Baume
Pansy Neapolitan Mastiff Burke Andrew Vachss
Patapouf Martine Marcel Marlier and Gilbert Delahaye
Patrsche[1] A Dog of Flanders Ouida
Pearl the Wonder Dog Pointer Spenser Robert Parker
Pepper English Mastiff The House on the Borderland William Hope Hodgson
Petula Pug Molly Moon Georgia Byng
Pierre Miniature poodle The Prairie Dogs Glenda Goertzen
Pilot Jane Eyre Charlotte Brontë Mr. Rochester's dog
Poky The Poky Little Puppy Janette Sebring Lowry
Pippin Pippin and Mabel K.V. Johansen
Pompey[13] The History of Pompey the Little Francis Coventry Also known as The Life and Adventures of a Lap-dog.
Ponch So You Want to Be a Wizard Diane Duane
Popper The Goldfinch Donna Tartt Dog originally belongs to Xandra, taken by Theodore Decker. Often called Popchik or Popcyk.
Prince Terrien Bridge to Terabithia Katherine Paterson Leslie Burke's (and the Burke parents') dog.
Pugnax Against the Day Thomas Pynchon Literate mutt that is the associate of the Chums of Chance.
Rab[1] Rab and his Friends John Brown
Renni German Shepherd Renni the Rescuer Felix Salten a military working dog
Ribsy Ribsy Beverly Cleary Companion of Henry Huggins.
Robinson Crusoe's dog[14] Robinson Crusoe Daniel Defoe While unnamed in the original, the dog is given a name in some remakes of the novel. Examples include "Tenn" in the 1967 novel Vendredi ou les Limbes du Pacifique and "Aynsley" in the 2016 film The Wild Life.
Rollo Effi Briest Theodor Fontane Protagonist Effi Briest's dog
Rowf and Snitter[6] Mongrel, Fox Terrier The Plague Dogs Richard Adams
Scamper Golden Spaniel The Secret Seven Enid Blyton Belonging to Peter and Janet.
Searchlight Stone Fox John Reynolds Gardiner Heroic sled-dog that pulled Little Willy's sled.
Shadow Border Collie The Sorcerer in the North John Flanagan Injured dog Will adopts. Taught many tricks, including barking on command, to aid Will's disguise as a jongleur.
Sharik, later changed to
Poligraf Poligrafovich Sharikov 		Mongrel Heart of a Dog Mikhail Bulgakov Anti-hero of the novel, a stray transformed into a New Soviet Man, then back again
Shiloh[5] Beagle Shiloh Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Dog saved from his abusive owner.
Sirius[6] Sirius Olaf Stapleton Eponymous hero, the result of an experiment to produce a dog with something like human intelligence.
Snowy Wire Fox Terrier The Adventures of Tintin Hergé Tintin's dog.
Snuff A Night in the Lonesome October Roger Zelazny Jack the Ripper's companion, and the narrator of the novel.
Sorry-oo Moomins Tove Jansson
Spark Little, Big John Crowley Daily Alice's dog
Spot Spot the Dog Eric Hill
Sweetie Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days Jeff Kinney A dog adopted by the Heffley Family. Frank got the dog to satisfy Greg's wanting of a dog and his feelings over the loss of his pet fish. He (Frank) later gives the dog to the Heffleys' maternal grandmother at the end of the book.
Timothy / Timmy / Tim Mongrel The Famous Five Enid Blyton All three names are found interchangeably. George Kirrin's dog.
Toto Cairn Terrier The Wonderful Wizard of Oz L. Frank Baum Dorothy's pet dog
Tock The Phantom Tollbooth Norton Juster "Watchdog" (the name is a pun, because the dog has a large clock on his side)
Walter Walter the Farting Dog William Kotzwinkle and Glenn Murray
What-a-Mess{Muir, Frank "What-a-Mess in Summer". Picture Corgi, 1982} Afghan Hound What-a-Mess Frank Muir Proper name Prince Amir of Kinjan but known as What-a Mess
White Fang and Kiche[5] White Fang Jack London
Wellington Poodle The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Mark Haddon Mrs Shears's dog, found dead at the beginning of the story.
Wiggins The Little White Horse Elizabeth Goudge Heroine Maria's dog.
Bluebell, Jessie, and Pincher Animal Farm George Orwell Raised by Napolean of the Animal Farm.

Bibliography[edit]

Footnotes[edit]

  1. ^ Buck in "Call of the wild" is described thus: "His (Buck's)father, Elmo, a huge St Bernard, had been the Judge's inseparable companion, and Buck bid fair to follow in the way of his father. He was not so large,—he weighed only one hundred and forty pounds,—for his mother, Shep, had been a Scotch shepherd dog. Nevertheless, one hundred and forty pounds, to which was added the dignity that comes of good living and universal respect, enabled him to carry himself in right royal fashion." The use of the term "Scotch shepherd dog" is a Victorian phrase which probably refers to Scotch Collie but might refer to English Shepherd. Three Leonberger 'actors' (one was a female, and two males) played the starring dog "Buck" in The Call of the Wild: Dog of the Yukon (1997), a Canadian rendition of Jack London's Call of the Wild starring Rutger Hauer as John Thornton (narrated by Richard Dreyfuss). "Leonberger Facts". American Kennel Club. Retrieved October 8, 2012.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i J. Walker McSpadden (April 2005), Famous Dogs in Fiction, ISBN 1-4179-0414-3
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Bankroff, Georgene (2002). A Compilation of Classy Animal Names. iUniverse. ISBN 0-595-20674-3.
  3. ^ 'Short film: Baleia the Dog' in 'Vidas secas' DVD, 1963 Nelson Pereira Dos Santos, published 2005 by New Yorker Films
  4. ^ "Master and Margarita, The (unabridged)". Naxos Audio Books. 27 January 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Hogan, Walter. Animals in young adult fiction. Scarecrow Press. 2009. ISBN 978-0-8108-5994-4
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Bousfield, Wendy (2005), "Dogs", The Greenwood encyclopedia of science fiction and fantasy, vol. 1, ISBN 9780313329517
  7. ^ a b "Dogs in Fiction.; Famous Novelists Who Have Written About Them", New York Times, May 28, 1898
  8. ^ Dizayi, S. ., & Bagirlar, B. (2022). Mythmaking In Modern Literature: Harry Potter by J.K. Rolling. Journal of Advanced Research in Social Sciences, 5(3), 26–31. https://doi.org/10.33422/jarss.v5i3.761
  9. ^ Gutcheon, Beth (November 10, 1996), "Wise Guys", New York Times
  10. ^ "Kashtanka". www.eldritchpress.org.
  11. ^ Miller, Laura. "Great Literary Dogs: Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome".
  12. ^ Pearl, Nancy. Book lust: recommended reading for every mood, moment, and reason. Sasquatch Books. 2003. Pg.103. ISBN 1-57061-381-8
  13. ^ Cosslett, Tess. Talking animals in British children's fiction, 1786–1914. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. 2006. ISBN 0-7546-3656-9
  14. ^ Armstrong, Philip. What animals mean in the fiction of modernity. Taylor & Francis. 2008. ISBN 978-0-4153-5838-5
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