List of fictional dogs present in English literature

“A dog is the only thing on Earth that loves you more than he loves himself. It will teach you unconditional love. If you can have that, things won’t be too bad.”

Undoubtedly, dogs are man’s best friend. It is capable of teaching you so many things. When you look at this simple innocent creature, you forget the miseries of life for some moments. It inspires you to have hope, and faith and to take life in a positive way. For ages, it has made a prominent place in English literature as well. From being the author’s lucky chum to helping him to solve the mystery, this species has inspired writers for so long. Numerous fiction has highlighted their deeds so efficiently and in this article, we are picking a few out of these hundreds of fiction where a dog has played the most crucial role in English literature. So, let’s start –

Argos, a loyal friend of Odysseus

A loyal hound named Argos was the earliest recorded companion in the Odyssey, one of the classics by Homer. After a long absence of two decades, when Odysseus returned to Ithaca, it was Argos who recognized him at once. Even Eumaeus has no clue whom he is talking to and then the protagonist asked for the dog, the sight of it gave him immense happiness. Argos is now in the darkness of death “almost immediately after laying eyes on his master. So I can conclude that he is gone but not forgotten.

Snowy from the famous Tintin series

The most renowned series by Hergé where we find Tintin’s dog, Milou in the original French and Snowy in the English. It is quite biographical where we find Snowy as the indicator of their fondness for his little dog. Snowy is the shadow of the protagonist, always loyal, brave, and optimistic. So, it’s pretty impossible to think of Tintin without his loyal partner, Snowy.

Bull's-eye from the Victorian novel, Oliver Twist

“A white shaggy dog, with his face scratched and torn in twenty places”. Yes, that’s how Charles Dickens has described the muscular bull terrier of Bill Sikes. This terrifying breed fairly resembles his master as Dickens has said “faults of temper in common with his owner” but he has also become a victim when his master tried to kill him.

So, we can conclude that dogs have been in our hearts for hundreds of years. Their loyalty, dedication, and affection make us learn that humans still have many things to improve in themselves.