D is for DogLit
D is for DogLit
Welcome to day 3 of Blogging from A to Z and my theme the Three R’s: Reading, (W)riting, and Research!
So, I’ve been noticing that the appearance of dogs in my writing has escalated. My first (unpublished) novel contains no dogs. My second, Moonlight Dancer, features a dog with a minor role. My current work in progress, Poseidon and Me, introduces a service dog with a major role. The novel after that, Please Take Me (still in the outline stage), involves a dog as protagonist.
What’s up with that?
I honestly don’t know. I do like dogs, though. I am owned by Nala, a naughty shelter dog with her own dermatologist on speed dial.
All of this means that I read a lot of novels about dogs. I find myself sucked in by canine news stories, most notably articles about service dogs or those strays that happen to rescue babies in the wilderness. Yeah, it happens. When I come across particularly poignant stories, I post them on Twitter under #DogsInTheNews.
I try to review dogLit novels in addition to my usual haunt–ghost fiction. As usual, I read far, far more than I can ever review. Don’t we all need a clone? I know I do. I’d make my clone clean house.
For your reading pleasure, here are some novels I like that contain service dogs:
No Mark Upon Her by Deborah Crombie
When an Olympic rower/senior police officer goes missing, Scotland Yard calls in detectives and dogs to solve the case. What I love about Crombie’s writing is that she puts so much soul into her characters you feel you know them. She includes the detectives’ personal lives, as they face complications in the adoption of a precocious preschooler orphaned in a previous case. I think this is the first book with dogs I’ve seen from this author, but she makes them come alive, too.
The Search by Nora Roberts
The Search is romantic suspense featuring Fiona who trains the humans and canines of a volunteer search and rescue team. Fiona is the survivor of a serial killer who murdered her fiance, and now the killer is back to finish off “the one who got away.” Fascinating portrayal of search and rescue teams and the work they do.
Suspect by Robert Crais
LAPD officer Scott James has been physically and emotionally damaged by the gang of men who gunned down his partner. He now works solo. The last thing he wants is a partner suffering from bomb-related injuries compounded by PTSD, but that’s what he gets with Maggie. Maggie, a German shepherd, has given up hope after the death of her beloved handler. It’s up to Scott and Maggie to gather the strength to start over. Author Crais develops their burgeoning relationship so beautifully, you just want to step into the pages and hug them. I was especially impressed with the way the author portrays Maggie’s thoughts, how she things in terms of “pack” as she bonds with Scott.
You can find service dogs featured in film, too. I love the movie K-9 about a police dog with a young Jim Belushi. It’s a little sentimental, but very cute, and I just lap it up like a, well, you know.
What about you? Do you have a soft spot for dogs in books and film?
12 thoughts on “D is for DogLit”
I like animals in fiction, period! My books always end up with cats in them though, cause I’m a cat person I guess. But yay for puppies, too! Woof woof!
I like cats, too. I especially love fat, furry ones–the fatter the better.
I enjoy finding out about new genres. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as DogLit, and I am a dog person… Thank you! 🙂
@TarkabarkaHolgy from
Multicolored Diary – Epics from A to Z
MopDog – 26 Ways to Die in Medieval Hungary
Oh, well, I sort of made it up. Thanks for stopping by. I love how your name includes the word bark–sounds appropriately doggy to me.
Animals in stories – this thought actually crossed my mind not to long ago. They seem to be huge in children’s stories, or family stories with the idea of using animals to connect with kids. And thus, I see many animals as just there to attract an audience. They never seem to play a huge role.
I take that back. I used to read lots of horse books and you can’t have The Black Stallion without the black stallion.
But I feel like it’s rare to find stories where 1) animals are important to the plot and 2)animal-centric stories aren’t marketed towards children. So for widening my horizons I should check out those service dogs stories.
Ha ha! It would indeed be hard to have The Black Stallion without a horse. I hope you check out those three dog novels and let me know what you think of them.
I never really had a soft spot for dogs in literature until I married a dog person, now I’m more likely to notice them. There was a book I read years ago, which I can’t even remember much now. All I remember is that there was a service dog and I loved it. 🙂
Mary @ Willoughby Editing
So sad that you can’t remember the name of the book; I would have liked to check it out myself. I’m glad you loved it, though.
I’m a doggie lover for sure. We have three crazy mutts at our house. I really enjoyed Marley & Me. W. Bruce Cameron’s A Dog’s Purpose was also amazingly good. I teared up at both. Elle @ Erratic Project Junkie
I’ve heard of Marley & Me but not A Dog’s Purpose. Thanks for the recommendations. I just ordered both!
Animals in fiction are always cool. Re-reading the Dark Tower books and this made me think of Oy, the billy bumbler.
Shawn from Laughing at Life 2
I had to look this one up. I did not know Stephen King had ventured into fantasy. He is one daring and prolific writer! Apparently the Dark Tower series has some connection to Hearts in Atlantis? I really liked that movie. Thanks for sharing his series.