Monday, August 26 is National Dog Day. The holiday was first established 20 years ago by animal advocates with the goal of advocating for the adoption of the numerous dogs found in animal rescues all over the country. According to a 2024 study, 65.1 million households in the United States own a dog, which amounts to over 40% of homes. So, clearly people love their fluffy friends even if they can also drive you crazy (see all my hounds).
The love for man’s best friend extends to literature. Throughout history, dogs have made for compelling main characters, whether they be anthropomorphized or not. Back in 2019, there were more than 70,000 books on Amazon with dogs as major characters. That number has likely only increased over the last 5 years with the isolation of the early pandemic leading to spike in pet ownership. The love for dogs is so strong among the public that there is even a website that specifically lets people know whether a dog character lives throughout the story or not in books, movies, and TV shows.
Many believe that dogs can also help children learn to read. Groups like K9 Reading Buddies advocate for programs that allow children to read to therapy dogs. These reading programs are believed to help children develop confidence as both readers and public speakers (and maybe it might just help a few adults improve their vocabulary and self-confidence). And if nothing else, studies have shown that simply petting a dog for 10 minutes can reduce your stress levels (and we can all use that).
So, in honor of National Dog Day, we’re compiling a list of some of the more popular books with dog main characters as well as a few hidden gems. Some of these are books that your kids can read to dogs while others are more adult-oriented. And while I really do love the idea of a website devoted to protecting people from having to read about dogs dying, we will try for minimal spoilers in the descriptions below.
- Marley & Me by John Grogan. The book that sold 1,000 tissue boxes, John Grogan’s 2005 memoir is the ultimate love letter to dog ownership showing the good and the bad. The book covers the 13 years of Grogan and his family owning Marley, a destructive Labrador Retriever who they adopt as a puppy. It covers the terrible puppy years into the family accepting him for the mess that he is. The book has served as the source material for three other book adaptations (including a picture book) and was famously adapted into a tearjerker of a film in 2008 starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson.
- Sounder by William H. Armstrong. Moving into the world of fiction and moving back in time in setting to the 1960s, William H. Armstrong’s Sounder focuses on an African American sharecropping family trying to make do on a farm in spite of the Jim Crow era. The dog in question in this book isn’t the main character although he is the title character. He’s in fact the only character that is named in the novel. The novel uses Sounder as a conduit to explore the family’s struggle with poverty while also exploring the familial relationship between father and son.
- The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. Continuing the tearjerker theme comes Garth Stein’s major bestseller written from the perspective of a Golden Retriever named Enzo. The book focuses on Enzo’s relationship with his owner, a race car driver named Denny, while also exploring human nature and philosophy through the eyes of a dog, who at times sees himself just as human as the characters walking on two legs surrounding him. The book was adapted into a film in 2019 with Oscar winner Kevin Costner voicing Enzo (yes, you read that correctly).
- The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. It might sound like something thought up in a fever dream, but David Wroblewski’s debut novel is a retelling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but with dogs. Well, not all of the characters are dogs. The main character is a mute boy who comes from a family of dog breeders who must avenge his murdered father. However, a dog named Almondine takes the place of Ophelia from Shakespeare’s original tragedy (and if you remember Ophelia’s fate, you probably don’t need to check www.doesthedogdie.com for this one).
- Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. I cried when my mother first read Wilson Rawls’ 1961 semi-autobiographical novel to me as a child, and I cried when I reread it as a teenager. And I’d probably tear up again reading it as an adult. The classic coming-of-age tale tells the story of a young boy who dreams of owning two Redbone Coonhounds in the Ozarks in the 1910s. The book covers the bond between a boy and his dogs as he grows from an adolescent into a young adult with all the tragedies and struggles in between.
- Cujo by Stephen King. To be an equal opportunist, horror master Stephen King needed to remind everyone that dogs can in fact also be villains. Cujo tells the dark and horrific story of a Saint Bernard that becomes rabid after being bitten by a bat and terrorizes a small town in Maine. It might be the only book on this list where the audience roots for the dog to die.
- Honorable Mention – Lob’s Girl by Joan Aiken. Lob’s Girl is only 10 pages long, so it doesn’t quite qualify for this list, but the story is a nice departure from the others on this list as it features a story of a girl and her dog as opposed to a boy and his dog. It’s a quick but lovely little read for those who want their fill of dogs but in flash fiction form.
If you are interested in adopting a dog (or any animal for that matter) or donating to help animal rescue shelters, visit the ASPCA website or check out local shelters in your area. What is your favorite book featuring a dog? Do you have a book in mind where the dog doesn’t die (believe me I tried to find one)?
By: Chris Moffitt
Chris is a Managing Editor at Technica Editorial
