Pets: Guest Blog by David Owens

08 SEP 2018

Here is Dave once again, this time with some guiding words on pets in writing.

An image of my Boston Terrier Mayla. She insists I cover her each time she goes to her doggie bed in my office. 

Why an image of my dog you ask? First, examine television commercials. A widely accepted fact among marketers and advertisers is animals and children, when shown in a commercial, tend to hold viewers' attention. "Yo Quiero Taco Bell" anyone? The GEICO gecko as well, though to be honest he was brought into being during a SAG strike when no humans could be used in commercials. 

Second, in writing, the use of animals in a story may very well have the same effect upon a reader. IMHO the animal, especially dogs and cats, may be used in much the same manner as any other literary device. They can be used to foreshadow, further the plot or any number of things. "The Hound of the Baskervilles" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is one example.

Third, I don't think the use of animals, pets, etc., detracts from story. In many literary works animals became integral to the story even though they were used only as a "prop," for a stage play. Examples: Hemingway's prolific use of animals in his stories - he used all kinds of animals (The Bull in "The Undefeated, The water buffalo in "The Short Happy Life Life of Francis McComber," and insects in "Big Two-Hearted River." Steinbeck's "Travels With Charlie" is a wonderful example. [Frank here: I would like to add Fortinbras, the dog in Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quintet, is an excellent example of pet use in fantasy]

I do not mention "creatures" created for Fantasy works, because their roles are somewhat different than the animals used in the aforementioned stories and novels. In Fantasy, the creatures are specifically designed or "created" for a specific role, whereas the point of my short article is to invoke the use of animals as a different kind of device.

~David Owens



Well, I wholeheartedly agree with Dave on this issue. Pets are wonderful in stories, and they also may appear as a request for a themed anthology. One precaution, don't use them as filler. Ensure that whatever animal you write about has a porpoise, I mean purpose!