People love pups, so it’s not surprising when humankind’s best friend shows up in the stories we write, even if those stories take place in some fantastical realm or on an alien planet thousands of years in the future.
Oftentimes these dogs (or wolves, or other dog-adjacent species) play the sidekick or the supportive friend to a human character, such as the direwolves in The Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin. Other times, however, a canine character can be the antagonist of the story, such as in Stephen King’s Cujo. And still other times, most often in middle grade books but not always, there’s a dog who speaks like a human and has adventures of their own.
There are many books out there that feature our canine friends in some form, even when you narrow your scope to the genres of science fiction and fantasy. And even within the genre space, there is a broad array of SFF doggos for you to choose from. Read on for examples of five very different SFF books that can scratch your dog-loving itch.
Nighteyes in The Realm of Elderling Series by Robin Hobb
Nighteyes falls in the dog-adjacent category for being a wolf, but he’s a major character in three trilogies that fall under Robin Hobb’s expansive Elderling series. We first meet him in Royal Assassin, the second book in The Farseer trilogy, when he bonds with the main character, FitzChivalry Farseer. The bond that Nighteyes and Fitz have lasts their entire lives, and it goes beyond the muggle love a man can have for his dog. The two are Wit-bonded, a form of magic that allows them to speak with each other telepathically and see what the other is doing. They are for the most part inseparable throughout their hardships and adventures over the course of three trilogies, and Nighteyes’s unwavering support and devotion to Fitz make this relationship one of my favorites in all of fantasy.
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Royal Assassin
The Tines in A Fire Upon The Deep by Vernor Vinge
Shifting from epic fantasy to space opera, we have the Tines in Vernor Vinge’s A Fire Upon The Deep. The Tines are extremely dog-adjacent—they are an alien canine-like species who share a single consciousness across a group of several dog-like members. We meet the Tines after a human-occupied spaceship crashes onto their planet. Two children become the ultimate survivors, and they soon find themselves caught in the middle of a medieval-like battle between two factions of Tines. The Tine conflict is resolved in the book, but not before it becomes tied up in an intergalactic struggle replete with an evil super-intelligence called the Blight.
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A Fire Upon the Deep
Bumbersnoot the Mechanical Dog in The Finishing School series by Gail Carriger
If dogs and steampunk are two things you enjoy, then Bumbersnoot the mechanical dachshund from Gail Carriger’s Finishing School series will be right up your alley. This young adult series takes place in a school that’s located in a dirigible floating around a city set in a time period that’s the steampunk version of 1850s London. The main character is a girl named Sophorina, a student at the school who has a mechanimal named Bumbersnoot, a robot dog who eats coal and steamwhistles out warnings. Bumbersnoot is a reliable companion to Sophorina; he helps her out of more than a few pickles and even gets the chance to meet Queen Victoria at one point, making him a very special dog indeed.
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Etiquette & Espionage
Lopside and Others in The Voyage of the Dogs by Greg van Eekhout
The Voyage of the Dogs is a middle grade book set in space, but the premise is cute enough to engage dog-lovers of any age. In this tale, the main character, a terrier named Lopside, is a Barkonaut on a primarily human-run spaceship. Things go wrong, of course, and Lopside and the other Barkonauts (including a Corgi…a Corgi!) are on their own to figure out what happened to their humans and save the day. While the story appropriate for younger readers, the book holds up for older humans as well. Read this one with your favorite furry friend snuggled against you on the couch, and you’ll have a warm and furry feel-good evening.
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Voyage of the Dogs
Dol in the Villians Duology by V. E. Schwab
Many people, including myself, don’t enjoy reading anything where a dog dies. Dol is a unique exception to this rule—because although he does die (more than once, actually) in V. E. Schwab’s grippingly dark duology about two best-friends-turned-enemies with supernatural powers, he is brought back to life by his loving owner, a young girl named Sydney who can bring once-living things back from the dead. Dol, despite dying multiple times, is the closest on this list to being a regular pup—he’s just a big old black dog with floppy ears who loves his owner Sydney. He is a great friend, and keeps her company while her world is threatened by the supernatural machinations going on around her.
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Vicious
Hopefully one of these books combines your dog-loving desire with your favorite SFF sub-genre. Dogs love everyone, after all, and it’s great to see them shine in books of all kinds.
Vanessa Armstrong is a writer with bylines at The LA Times, SYFY WIRE, StarTrek.com and other publications. She lives in Los Angeles with her dog Penny and her husband Jon, and she loves books more than most things. You can find more of her work on her website or follow her on Twitter @vfarmstrong.
No dogs but a little dog adjacent, I just finished the Embers of War trilogy and the ship’s cyborg like AI includes some canine dna and is named Trouble Dog or as Nod likes to call her, Hound of Difficulty.
Discworld features Gaspode, a magically enhanced talking dog, as well as Sgt. Angua, who is definitely dog adjacent, especially at that time of the month. She also has a rabid family.
How can you overlook Oberon, the gravy-loving sidekick [who steals every scene] from the Iron Druid Chronicles? There are two novellas in that world that follow Oberon’s point of view and rarely have I laughed out loud so often..and I’m a cat person!
Obviously, City by Simak.
Less so: “A Planet For Texans” by Piper. The aliens are sapient dogs, who are rumored to just love barbecued human, who are planning to invade New Texas. (This is a side-plot to the actual story, which is a courtroom drama.)
As a dog lover, I was moved by the dog sub-plot in Richard Matheson’s I Am Legend, even though I concede that it’s a bit of a stretch to call this dog a key character. (It provided much needed psychological support to the (human) protagonist, though, so maybe it is a key character after all? You decide.)
Two proper key characters are Rowf and Snitter, the eponymous Plague Dogs in the novel by Richard Adams of Watership Down fame. A truly heartbreaking novel but a good one.
Oh, and I second Simak’s City.
Ash the loyal fleethound in Deerskin by Robin McKinley is by all measures the best doggie
Not SFF but worth checking out – Spencer Quinn’s mysteries told from the dog’s point of view. He has an adult series and two middle grade series, the latest one starring dog and cat narrators. Hilarious, especially in audiobook form.
Knowledgeable Creatures by Christopher Rowe, short story published on this very site:
https://www.tor.com/2019/03/06/knowledgeable-creatures-christopher-rowe/
@@@@@: Thanks for mentioning this story. I’ll check it out! :-)
Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones. Admittedly this time the dog is a star living out a punishment as a dog, but canine nonetheless. This is one that made so much of an impression on me as a kid that I’ve never quite been brave enough to reread it.
Tim the Weimaraner in Meddling Kids. He’s a Very Good Boy and easily the best character.
There’s Mouse, the Tibetan Mastiff/Foo dog in the Dresden Files series. I also remember reading Stephen Kings fairy tale-like story “The Eyes of the Dragon” when I was a kid and the protagonist princes had a dog who was an important character and you even got some stuff from his p.o.v.
By all means, Simak’s “City” belongs on such a list as this.
But how about Roger Zelazny’s “A Night in the Lonesome October”? That book is actually narrated by Snuff the watchdog; this is the only SFF novel I know that is presented entirely from a canine point of view.
Louie in John Levitt’s Dog Days series is not really a dog though he looks and acts like one. Great paranormal mystery series.
Oh, yes, Plague Dogs. Read it once, loved it, but haven’t been able to read it since.
Definite oversight not including Simak’s classic “City” on this list. Sapient dogs with robot helpers outliving humans, to the point where the existence of man is considered mere myth.
Also, the Animorphs series: the Chee robot race was built by extinct doglike aliens, and had ties to the origins of Earth dogs.
I immediately thought of Gloria, the tiny talking dog in the Children’s Fantasy ‘No Flying in the House’. I’ve got to find myself a copy. I remember it well.
“City”, of course. And I also thought immediately of Rex, the Great Dane in Gordon R. Dickson’s “The Magnificent Wilf”.
Thank you for the nice tips! :)
@5 – Agreed with I am Legend. The dog sub-plot was one of the most poignant things I’ve ever read.
I’m surprised we’ve gone this long with no one mentioning Harlan Ellison’s “A Boy and His Dog” and its fix-up accessories. More obscure is the delightful Dalgoda comic from the mid-eighties by Jan Strnad and Dennis Fujitake.
Let us not forget about Joe the dog in Nora Roberts’ Year One. I am currently reading it and will destroy the world if anything happens to that pup
Let’s not forget SIRIUS by Olaf Stapledon: a moving tale of a dog whose intelligence is enhanced by science.
It’s fantasy, but my very own THE MASKS OF MIRANDA and THE THIEF OF CRAGSPORT, published by Eric Flint’s Ring of Fire Press, has Fellfang, a bullmastiff that plays a very prominent role…
THE MASKS OF MIRADA
THE THIEF OF CRAGSPORT
Fellfang is a main character in my mind, and that’s how I’ve written him.
Will Shetterly’s novel DOGLAND.
A really funny online comic is “Dungeons and Doggos” about a group of dogs who play D&D. Absolutely cute.
A FERAL DARKNESS, Doranna Durgin. Reprint. Contemporary fantasy/horror. A really excellent book that connects with people and their relationship with their dogs, a strong heroine, and a scary antagonist. Some animals are killed.
HANK HUDSON, Clark Chamberlain. Juvenile historical paranormal fiction set during The Great Depression. The young hero “talks” with a psychic dog who helps him.
GHOST MAKER, Robin D. Owens. “A Ghost Seer Novel.” Paranormal mystery with strong romance element. Ghost dog Enzo helps a psychic medium deal with dangerous ghosts.
I also highly recommend Jim Butcher’s Mouse in the “Dresden Files” although he doesn’t have much page space. Oberon in Kevin Hearne’s “The Iron Druid” urban fantasy series has much more page space and is really funny.
@6 Matts Yes. A night in lonesome October. Despite the Holmes characters disguises he is recognised every time by the dog puzzling over his ladies clothes. Ha ha.
Obviously Dog Soldiers. Heinlein used well trained dogs in a few stories. (Tho he mostly liked cats).Do Wargs count in LOTR?
I also have a memory of a post apocalyptic story where the protagonist foils a dog pack attack by shouting “Sit!” Which the mutts remember and react to. Maybe it was Earth Abides.
I agree that Terry Pratchett’s Gaspode and Angua belong on the list, and I would add Rex, the Wonder Dog, who gave Gaspode 10% of his steaks. I will second Zelazny’s A Night In The Lonesome October. And I will also cast another vote for City by Clifford D. Simak, where dogs are the moral authorities of the planet.
For me, though, the ultimate dog story is the short piece, “A Boy And His Dog” by Harlan Ellison, a deep and moving look at the unbreakable bond between, what else, A Boy And His Dog. It also the story that convinced me that I am, in no uncertain terms, a cat person.
Jane Lindskold’s Wolf books come to mind.
ETA: And the Wheel of Time. But most especially the Koningen wolves from the Iskryne trilogy. Though these are very much not dogs.
I was reminded of Freki, Ritter’s wolf from the Mongolian Wizard series by Michael Swanwick (published right here in tor.com).
And also of lovable Woola, the ten-legged space dog from Burrough’s Barsoom stories.
I’d also mention TenSoon of Scadrial (from the Mistborn series), but I suppose I can’t as he’s really not a dog.
Also, almost anything by Dean Koontz.
Joan Aiken’s charming ghost? magical realist? story “Humblepuppy”.
The Darger and Surplus stories by Michael Swanwick.
Add me to the list of those that love Night in the Lonesome October. And not only dogs, the whole tale is told from the perspective of the familiars of some….let’s just say some very odd people.
Also, in the Discworld books, could The Luggage be considered ‘dog-adjacent “? Or maybe “feral dog-adjacent”😂
The K-9 Corps series by Kenneth Von Gunden. The dogs are genetically altered for intelligence, and they work with their humans. It has been so long, I believe it is time for a reread.
Dog-adjacent: Warrl from Mercedes Lackey’s Vows & Honor duology (and short stories)
Starts as dog-adjacent, but finishes as definitely dog: Dog from Good Omens (he’s not a major character, but I can’t read his first appearance without laughing out loud)
And I can’t express how much I love the Plague Dogs.
@17 I thought I was the only person who had ever read No Flying in the House!
Also: Huan.
one of the Malazan books is literally called Toll of the Hounds….
@30: if we’re counting wolves and canine aliens, I’d say TenSoon falls under “dog-adjacent” .
Seconding Mouse from The Dresden Files, and his fellow giant intelligent ambiguously-magical monster-hunting Good Doggo, Huan from The Silmarillion. I have a crack headcanon/fanfic wish that Mouse is Huan’s reincarnation.
The Hunter dogs in Michelle West’s Hunter duology. Cavall in assorted Arthuriana, but my favorite is GGKay’s Fionavar, for his and Arthur’s joyous reunion. It is so extremely dog and favorite person.
Peawlake, frojm Eric Frank Ruswsell’s Allamagoosa!,
Macchiata, the talking dog in R. A. MacaVoy’s Damiano.
But she dies. Nuts.
@31 As a golden retriever nut, I totally agree about Koontz. The super smart golden Einstein in WATCHERS and later books is a perfect example. Also, the dogs in the “Odd Thomas” series are also wonderful.
@28 Dogs don’t eat their dead humans, cats do. Just saying.
@5 is SOOOOO right about Spencer Quinn’s ability to write from a dog’s perspective that it RATES as SF. But in truth, for an unseen dog, @41’s note on Eric Frank Russell’s Allamagoosa! beggars the question, why hasn’t this story been adapted into a TV episode (perhaps a Star Trek short starring Lt Reg Barclay, aka Dwight Schultz??) or better yet, a short movie. It’d be creatable on a very thin budget and the ending is spectacular.
So says a multiple miniature short-haired dachshund owner.
Another character no one has mentioned: Ralph von Wau Wau, from various works by Phillip Jose Farmer and Spider Robinson.
Definitely “Dog” from Good Omens. I sometimes refer to my own cute little dog as “hellhound,” particularly when she tries to intimidate another dog ten times her size
What about the Disreputable Dog in Lirael by Garth Nix?
As a dog person, I very much enjoyed this article and the comments. Brought back a lot of fun memories.
The dog people and robot dogs in Jeff Noon’s Pollen. And can’t leave out the Rat Things cyber-enhanced rat/dog hybrids in Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash.
I’m sure K-9 from Doctor Who counts as a dog-adjacent individual!
Was going to mention Sirius and Lonesome October but was prempted. Didn’t see anyone mention Einstein from Dean Koontz’s Watchers though.
Also Slasher (I think that was the dog’s name) from Robert E. Howard’s “Beyond The Black River. ” Conan esteems him as a warrior and vows to slay 7 Picts to avenge his death.
Alan Dan Foster’s Taken trilogy (Lost and Found, The Light-Years Beneath My Feet, The Candle of Distant Earth) has George, a stray dog from Chicago, that can talk because of some tech that aliens implant in him (if I remember it right). He works with the human main character to resist their alien captors.
Misspelling of the name of the main character of the Finishing School series, there; It’s “Sophronia”, not Sophorina. An old Greek name, apparently.
My first thought of books with dogs was Bongo the coonhound from The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher. He’s a good boy who is simultaneously a great comfort and a source of anxiety for his safety when all the bad things in that book go down.
@17: My wife and I both loved “No Flying in the House” (and we have a copy).
No one has yet mentioned John Varley’s “Irontown Blues”? The story is told by alternating narrators – a former cop turned PI and his genetically enhanced bloodhound Sherlock – who are investigating a crime on the lunar colonies. Sherlock is a Very Good Boy with an interesting POV.
I always wanted Robert Jordan to release a book about the adventures of Hopper and the other wolves of tWoT.
From before Perrin.
For the sake of symmetry, Tor must now run an article on SFF cats.
Surely no list of dog related SF is complete without Dogs of War by Adrian Tchaikovsky!?
The Innkeeper Chronicles by Allona Andrews. The inn keeper, Dina, has a tiny fluffy dog named Beast. When something threatens Dina,Beast turns into tiny ferocious devil with huge teeth.
Don’t forget Ponch, the Ultimate Dog in Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series.
Gordon Dickson’s post apocalyptic Wolf and Iron. The wolf originally acted like a dog, until some wolf-nerd complained. So Dickson rewrote it to make the critter more wolf-ish.
TOMORROW by Damian Dibben is told half the time from the point of view of an immortal dog. It’s a confusing story because of how it’s told, but it makes sense in the end. I’ve never read anything quite like it.
Damiano Delstrego’s dog in Trio for Lute, by the marvelous R. A. MacAvoy.
In Zelazny’s This Immortal, one of the characters killed the last dog on Earth. He wanted him stuffed in his prime. Well…almost the last dog. Something dog adjacent survived. Later in the story, just in the nick of time:
He spent the last second if his life screaming, as the force of Bortan’s leap pulped him against the ground, before his head was torn from his shoulders.
My hellhound had arrived.
The Kouretes screamed, for his eyes are glowing coals and his teeth are buzzsaws. His head is as high above the ground as a tall man’s. Although the seized their blades and struck at him, his sides are as the sides of an armadillo. A quarter ton of dog, my Bortan…he is not exactly the kind Albert Payson Terhune wrote about.
He worked for the better part of a minute, and when he was finished they were all in pieces and none of them alive.
“What is it?” asked Hason.
“A puppy I found in a sack, washed up on the beach, too tough to drown. My dog,” said I, “Bortan.”
The Luther & Blackjack storyline from Matt Ruff’s (“Ruff!” :) ) “Fool on the Hill”… Still one of my favourite books ever…
A real oldie but you can’t disregard the First Quest book when it comes to dogs. Summerhill Hounds – when orcs steal their humans, the dogs of a village go to rescue them – orcs, pirates, one cat Gatto, faerie and wolves, it is a great book. The death of one character is a real heartbreaker and it is evident that Robert King is a dog lover. The characters are based on specific breeds and you have stately hunting long-hounds, cowardly mastiffs, obsessive collies and cute pet cockers trying to prove they as a good as any “working dog”. https://www.fantasticfiction.com/k/j-robert-king/summerhill-hounds.htm
D’joan .
The dead lady of clown town
Cordwainer Smith.
66 comments and not a single mention of Oy, from Steven King’s “The Dark Tower”?
I am very disappointed.
Knife of Never Letting Go where the dogs thoughts are audible
I also recommend Alan Dan Foster’s Taken books where the Earth dog given speech by alien kidnappers (taken with his human). He’s a major character in all three books
Iron Druid Chronicles and Oberon…best dog ever.
Voyage of the Dogs is very very good, but “feel-good” doesn’t really sell it right. No dogs die, and there is a happy ending, but there are also some serious emotional gut punches, and a lot of suspense/peril in the story.
Dog adjacent though the puppy is pretty much like any canine—Anne Bishop’s The Others series.
What, no mention of Elfquest?
A Fire Upon the Deep is definitely galactic but, while there is brief mention of life in other galaxies, I would not call it intergalactic.
Let’s not forget that great dog of Sci-Fi “Blood” of a Boy and His Dog.
Huan from the story of Beren and Luthien by Tolkien.
This is lovely, but let’s have a nice list of cat books! Only fair.
This is lovely, and appreciated, but please, let’s have a nice list of cat books now! Only fair!
I was surprised to find no mention, either among the works cited, or in the comments, of Harlan Ellison’s A Boy and His Dog, or Jonathan Carroll’s marvellous story, Friend’s Best Man.
@10: It’s safe to reread Dogsbody. It’s as good as you remember.
@65: But you left out Hassan’s response, a few paragraphs down:
“It is good for a man to have a dog,” said Hassan. “I have always been fond of dogs.”
A dog is a significant character in Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman’s Death Gate Cycle.
A Boy and His Dog by Harlan Ellison. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Boy_and_His_Dog
I know it’s not a book, but no mention of FRANKENWEENIE? Required watching, if only for the science teacher’s speech to the PTA (gives away state secrets about how some science teachers feel about both students and their parents).
And hey, let’s not forget Sirius Black, aka Padfoot.
Connie Willis’s To Say Nothing of the Dog is a wonderful, comedic time travel novel. Definitely worth a mention.
@@@@@ 43, MByerly
@@@@@31 As a golden retriever nut, I totally agree about Koontz. The super smart golden Einstein in WATCHERS and later books is a perfect example. Also, the dogs in the “Odd Thomas” series are also wonderful.
You might enjoy Sarah Hoyt’s Dog’s Body. The short story is set in her Dragon Shifter series. It features a golden retriever/girl crossbreed. (It depends on which shape she is wearing.)
Allamagoosa by Eric Frank Russell (https://www.baen.com/Chapters/1439133476/1439133476___3.htm) has a dog in a minor but stressful role.
Chomir, from the “Telzey Amberdon” stories of James H Schmitz – specially bred for fighting ability and fiercely loyal to his owner – apart from the occasion where was – unsuccessfully – brainwashed into attempting to kill her.