An absolutely irrefutable list of the best dogs in fiction

[Stephen]

When I am not reading books, I like to research books and came across a site for 'An absolutely irrefutable list of the best dogs in fiction.' Thought it would be a fun topic.

The article written by Indira Birnie says 'In which we rank the goodest boys to be found in classic and contemporary literature. And please, no arguments.'

I assume that is written tongue in cheek, so thought I would raise the topic for discussion. Here is the selections from the online article, but you will have to go to their site for more details:

Argos from The Odyssey by Homer
The dog from the Adrian Mole books by Sue Townsend
Bosun from Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Buck from The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Snowy from the Tintin books by Hergé
Lufra from Frederica by Georgette Heyer
Six-Thirty from Lessons in Chemistry
Bull's-eye from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Gaspode from the Discworld books by Terry Pratchett
Hairy Maclary from the Hairy Maclary and Friends books by Lynley Dodd
Snoopy from the Peanuts comics by Charles M. Schulz

I appreciated how it had books I was not aware of. If anybody actually does look in this group for discussions, love to hear your thoughts. I will have to take some time to come up with my list of best dogs to counter or confirm these.

[Christine]

Toto from the Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum should be considered for the list.
And one of my favorite dogs is Bullet the Wonder Dog, in "Roy Rogers' Bullet Leads the Way" by Frances Wood. In addition to Spot, from the Dick and Jane readers, these two dogs were childhood favorites.

[Stephen]

Christine wrote: "Toto from the Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum should be considered for the list.
And one of my favorite dogs is Bullet the Wonder Dog, in "Roy Rogers' Bullet Leads the Way" by Frances Wood. In additi..."

Thanks Christine for engaging in the conversation!

I have not read Wizard of Oz, so now will have to read it to see how much of a role the dog plays. I don't think i have heard of Bullet the Wonder Dog either, so will look that one up and see if I can get my hands on it. Amazing with all the books I own and have researched, there is still so many more dog books out there!

I haven't given it my full attention to dogs from literature to put out there, but Old Yeller comes to mind. Seems like he should be included. Also, Lad, in 'Lad, a Dog' seems like one that should be included.

Raises the question as to what criteria we should use to make it worthy of 'best dogs in fiction.' There are so many dogs that have their heroic moment, but seems like for 'best' they have to be significantly heroic and a major character in the work of fiction.

[Stephen]

I found another interesting article from Doggie Connect for '10 Most Famous Dog Books of All Time by Markos Koemtzopoulos.

It says 'In this article, we will explore the 10 most famous dog books of all time, diving deep into the reasons why dogs make great literary subjects and examining the impact of these books on readers worldwide.'

Books mentioned and my comment -
White Fang, by Jack London. - mentioned before he talks about 'Call of the Wild, which should be higher up in any dog book list. But White fang is a good mention to 'best.'
Lassie Come-Home - yep, I would say one of the best dog books.
Marley & Me - certainly one of the most well known at this time, not sure if it would be on everyone's 'best' dog book list, but good so can't argue too much.
The Art of Racing in the Rain - Another currently very well known. Lots of people LOVED this but a lot of us didn't. Seems like it was effectively hyped.
Where the Red Fern Grows - good one to have on the list.
The Incredible Journey - good one to have on a best list.
A Dog's Purpose - another well known current book and not bad to have on the list.
Dog Man by Dav Pilkey - I don't include children's graphic novels, like this one of a half-dog, half-human police officer in my list of dogs and haven't read it. Others will need to chime in if it deserves to be on a list of 'best' dog books of all time.
Spencer Quinn’s “Dog on It” series - I enjoyed the 1st book in the series that I read, not sure if it belongs in a best list.
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle - is another current one well known and hyped a lot. A lot liked it, a lot of us didn't. But it is one for those who like 'literary' books.
Hachiko Waits - I own it yet but haven't read it yet. Well known story. Interesting if you learn the back story with books like Empire of Dogs: Canines, Japan, and the Making of the Modern Imperial World. I will have to read this to comment well on the 'waits' book.
Timoleon Vieta Come Home by Dan Rhodes is mentioned as an international gem. His article says 'Set in Italy and the UK, this darkly comedic novel follows the journey of a lovable mongrel named Timoleon Vieta after he is abandoned by his eccentric owner. Rhodes’ exploration of loyalty, home, and belonging transcends cultural barriers, resonating with dog lovers everywhere.' In GR it seems to be rated below 4, with some calling it depressing. GR also says it has LGBT themes, so maybe some people respond to that, or maybe it is included in the article because of that aspect. Would love to hear from people who have read it.
Travels with Charley: In Search of America is mentioned as an example of dogs immortalized by bestselling authors. I don't think it is a great 'dog' book, and don't even remember the name of his dog.
Merle’s Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog” by Ted Kerasote is mentioned and I heartily agree a great addition to any 'best' dog book list.
Cesar’s Way: The Natural, Everyday Guide to Understanding and Correcting Common Dog Problems is mentioned. There could be a lot of conversation on Cesar Milan, but he has made a big splash and worthy of discussions.
Clifford, the Big Red Dog and Go, Dog. Go! are mentioned. I have not considered it enough to know what is best for children's dog books, but these are certainly two of the best known books.

[Capn]

Steve - do you think The Art of Racing in the Rain is the most over-rated dog book of all? Or are there other contenders? :)

I tend to shy away from anything new and contemporary! :) Seriously - I like to wait a decade or two (or more!) to see how the ratings hold up over time. Sometimes, in my more seditious moods, I consider tracking new releases on GR and watching how fast that inflated and suspiciously high 4-5 star rating gets its shine taken off as actual readers have the chance to review it! ;)

So - most over-rated? (Cesar Milan is a funny case - what a polarizing individual! I was going to say he was universally hated around the globe, but I've found some fans in every country I've lived in, so...!)

I don't like Clifford the Big Red Dog especially, and Go, Dog. Go! has nothing to do with dogs (you could replace them with any other creature or with people and the plot would be identical).

I could have a discussion on the best children's books (picture books) with dogs... :)

[Stephen]

Capn wrote: "Steve - do you think The Art of Racing in the Rain is the most over-rated dog book of all? Or are there other contenders? :)

I tend to shy away from anything new and contemporary! :..."

Thank you very much for engaging me in the dogs group!

Most over rated dog book.... gotta think about that. The Art of Racing in the Rain and Edgar Sawtelle come to my mind, but they really could just be my personal preferences. Both are written well. I am perfectly ok with people liking different things. But yah, after considering it, I would put 'The Art of Racing in the Rain' in my category of most over-rated dog book.' Not sure if people believed the hype and then they liked it, or if truly it was good book based on preferences different than mine.

Cesar Milan is another good one to talk about. He is VERY well known. I have watched his TV series and enjoyed what I saw. I personally found him to be a bit one note in his training and therefore the same note reflected in all his books didn't make more books any better for me. There are a LOT of training books, but I think he is the most well known, so therefore people think of him.

Good points on Clifford and Go Dog Go. So many great children's books with dogs, and really they are not among the best, but are among the best known.

We could talk about children's books. I don't read as many because they lack the serious big bunch of a big adult book, but there is a lot of great ones. As far as the illustrations go, my favorite is Black Dog by Levi Pinfold. Have you read that one?

What others would you suggest?

(Oh yeah, love the Pinkerton books and illustrations, I will have to look for some of those books...anything with Steven Kellogg are amazing! Damn, now that will make me want to go out and buy them...)

[Capn]

Oh, I did not know Black Dog! Thanks!

NOT kid's books, but I love this guy's sense of humour: My Dog: The Paradox: A Lovable Discourse about Man's Best Friend (Volume 3) and If My Dogs Were a Pair of Middle-Aged Men (who also wrote "How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You", which is also hilarious - cats are adorable little psychopaths!).

There's a Swiss one I like: Blaze the Farm Dog, but I wouldn't recommend it widely (I like it for the location and setting, but the plot could be anywhere). Similarly, Dear Alexandra: A Story of Switzerland has working dogs helping out, but isn't focussed solely on them. Again, Switzerland. ;)

On the very young end of the scale, Doggies: A Counting and Barking Book! And I saw you mentioned Hairy McClary from Donaldson's Dairy above (from the article) already!

I read more middle grade and up, and I liked the sheepdogs in A Year at Sheepfold Farm (dognappers and all!). There are a few 'middle grade' dog books that I've been meaning to read (I already like these authors):
Dog Called Scampi
A Dog So Small
Dogsbody

[Stephen]

Great! i will investigate all of them and add it to my list of books I don't own yet.. now if I could just keep from buying more now until I get through the 350+ books I haven't read yet.

(I know, but they are kids books, quicker to read... :-) )

[Capn]

Stephen wrote: "Great! i will investigate all of them and add it to my list of books I don't own yet.. now if I could just keep from buying more now until I get through the 350+ books I haven't read yet.

(I know,..."

Kid's books don't count! :D He he he!

[Dee]

I totally agree with you. I was very disappointexd in THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN. And EDGAR SAWTELLE ..which I found tedious. And another was GOBI. This book I found less about the dog & moe about the runner than the dog until near the end of the book. But if you like sports, long distance running, by all means give it a shot

[Stephen]

Dee wrote: "I totally agree with you. I was very disappointexd in THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN. And EDGAR SAWTELLE ..which I found tedious. And another was GOBI. This book I found less about the dog & moe abo..."

Thanks for engaging in the dogs group. I would really like to make conversations here more active. there is so much to be said about dog books!

I am not sure if THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN. And EDGAR SAWTELLE are popular just because there was a good hype campaign done on them, or if those who like it generally love it so much, that it just counteracts those of us who didn't.

Gobi falls into the category of a good book you can like or not, but the actual 'dog' doesn't have a big role in it, where you don't get to know and care about the personality and being that is the dog. Another good fact to learn from reviews as the summary will often hype a dog more than what the dogs interaction really is.


I keep saying people can like what they want. What is helpful is to say why you don't like a book. I don't usually care for dogs narrating a book using terms and concepts WAY over what a dog would be thinking. I also don't like artsy stupid endings. Some rate a book lower because the dog dies in the end. Some rate a book less because they see grammar or spelling errors. What is important is knowing what criteria and peeves a reviewer has so we can know if the particular criticism is something we care about.

Ooh... sorry I can talk too much sometime... I love talking about books, especially dog books.