Bookish annoyance; where do the dog stand in the narrative?

Heey!

I don’t know if i’m alone on this.. but whenever I do read a book that have dogs in them, I pay close attention to how they’ve been written and included in the story. Are they used as a “props” and just mentioned here and there and not really talked about at all? Or are they actually taking an actual character spot with a constant presence?

 

As you should know, I am a true dachshund old lady here- I do believe my two dachshunds have their own souls & entities. They are a member of my family to the same stance as me or my mother; no matter that they are a different species.. really not of a “it’s just an animal” kind of person, I would put myself at risk for either of them 😅. Without hesitation.

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While I do tend on wanting “proper dachshund writting” within my books, aka them actually being in the story as any other characters would be (aswell as their own personalities & breed traits), this does applies to all animals. In real life, animals aren’t gifts or accessories.. and it irks me a tad to have them solely as such in books too.

 

This has been the case in my last read, One last stop, and as much as I did love the romance.. this had been a case or poorly done animal. Wes had a poodle- as of which we’ve seen barge in August’s room ONCE in the beginning, and almost unheard of for the rest of the novel. I don’t remember if it even had a name or gender.. qualified as a «ghost in the night» and that was it.

Living in an appartment with three other people… even if the owner of said dog is noctural, you do know there’s a dog in there. The thing surely barks eventually, or need to go outside, or play- or anything at all??! Can’t just be shoved in a closet and turned off; the poodle wasn’t even in the events they were all chilling together in the living room either.

 

So far, i’ve only read one serie of books where the doxie is always present (which truly always amaze me everytime!) And not just mentioned as an item within the book once or twice and that’s it.. That has been the Cockleberry Bay Serie by Nicola May.

Hot is so detailed, not just by always or mostly being with Rosa- but also with given recognizable dachshund trait. They often talk about it’s powerful high-pitch barking; She also gave him his own backstory as to how Rosa “adopted” him! He got it’s own “problems” per say within the story.. One heartfelt moment where he saved his little brother in the second book that got me absolutely balling!

 

This is how I expect authors would write their dogs; please give them an actual spot as a character.. not just there to be pretty. Have them interact with things & people, have their own traits/personalities.. even their own backstories too!! They deserve it.

 

 

Have you been aware of this too?
Do you perhaps have some recs for me with proper animal representations? Xx

 

 

Related: Why dachshunds?, My dachshunds saved my life, My favorite breed in books (dachshunds)