65% of people in the US, that’s 89.6 million, own at least one dog. 97 % of US dog owners consider their dogs part of their family. Dog owners spend, on average, $1,248 on their pups, buying food, treats, and toys, paying medical bills, and daycare. 35 % of cat and dog owners have created social media accounts for their pets. 63 % of people say they would be more likely to watch a film or TV show with a dog in it. 73 % say they would be even more likely to watch if that dog was a main character.

The stats don’t lie. You get the picture. Not only are our dogs important to us, but we’re willing to spend money on dog-related products. That being said, if you’re a novelist looking to gain readers, adding a dog to your story could be very beneficial. Even better, if you use your furry friend effectively, you can up-level your novel. Below are seven great ways to incorporate a dog into your story.

1. Use a dog to heighten suspense. Think The Conjuring (2013) or Woman in the Yard. (2025) You can give readers a sense that something is amiss by having your dog growl, bark, or disappear.
2. Instead of having your protagonist talk things out with her human bestie or partner, give her a pooch to emote to or theorize with, like in John Grogan’s 2005 book and the 2008 film Marley and Me.
3. Don’t forget that a dog can be a fantastic protagonist or narrator. Spencer Quinn does this in Chet and Bernie, his series about a dog who leads his detective owner to solve crimes.
4. Follow the lead of filmmakers and make your pup the inciting incident of your novel.  In the 2008 thriller Red, based on Jack Ketchum’s novel, a widower goes on a quest to hunt down the teens who brutally kill his beloved Australian Kelpie. Also, in the Netflix movie Dog Gone, 2023, a father and son work through their relationship when their dog gets lost on the Applicant Trail.
5. Put dog-related settings front and center in your novel. Maybe set your book in a dog park like Laura Caldwell does in her 2014 novel, The Dog Park, or like Chelsea Thomas does in her mystery series, the Dog Groomers Mysteries, which takes place in a dog grooming shop in Cottonwood Springs.
6. Propel your plot and drive your story forward with your canine’s actions, like in the 2007 film I am Legend, which is based on the 1954 horror novel by Richard Matheson, or in the 2019 Netflix series In the Dark. In Matheson’s novel, the protagonist’s German Shepard, Sam, is his companion and source of hope in a post-apocalyptic world. In In The Dark, when a blind woman stumbles upon a body, her guide dog, Pretzel, serves as the only witness and helps her solve the crime.
7. Take advantage of your pup’s instincts and have her foreshadow a natural disaster like an earthquake, a storm, or evil. Recall how Toto from The Wizard of Oz senses evil and the tornado, jumps out of mean old Miss Gulch/Wicked Witch’s basket, and runs.
8. Reveal character via a protagonist’s treatment of their animals. Mob boss Vito Corleone from The Godfather films and books often petted his dogs. His soft spot for his pets made him a deeper, more complex character.

I hope these tips help. If you’ve written a novel and have incorporated a dog into your story, I’d love to hear about your book. Or, if you’re a dog owner like me (I have a doodle), I’d love to hear about your pup too. Thanks for reading!