There’s something about putting an animal into a story. At first, they’re just supposed to be there.
A horse carries the hero into town. A dog sleeps beside the stove. A barn cat wanders through a scene. Maybe there are chickens scratching around the yard because, well, it’s the Old West and there ought to be chickens scratching around somewhere.
And then something happens…
The animal develops a personality, and before you know it, the hero’s horse has opinions, the heroine’s dog has chosen sides in the romance, and the chicken has wandered into a scene where it most definitely does not belong.
In other words, the animal has become a character.
I’ve always enjoyed animal sidekicks in books, especially in Westerns. Animals were part of everyday life, so it’s only natural that they become part of our fictional towns and families too. Sometimes, however, things get a little out of hand.
Take Mr. Gilbert Snow who lives in my fictional town of Clear Creek. Mr. Snow has a soft spot for animals, particularly ones 
that need rescuing. At one point, he rescued a collection of exotic animals from a cruel circus owner in New York before moving his family to Clear Creek. And when I say exotic, I don’t mean he brought home an unusually large dog. He has a lion. A camel. A chimpanzee. A zebra. And two lemurs.
The lion has since taken up residence in the chicken coop. This meant that the chickens, understandably, needed new accommodations. Then there’s Sheik Ali, the camel, whom Mr. Snow rides into town. Because apparently arriving in Clear Creek on an ordinary horse just wouldn’t do. Alexander the chimpanzee is also part of the family menagerie, along with the zebra and two lemurs. At this point, I’m not entirely certain whether the Snow family owns the animals or the animals own the Snow family.
And that’s one of the things I love about using animals in stories. They create possibilities. An animal can add humor without a single line of dialogue. Put a dignified character on a camel and you already have possibilities. Put a lion in a chicken coop and suddenly an ordinary household problem becomes something quite different.
But animals can do more than make us laugh. They can tell us something about the people who care for them. Mr. Snow didn’t collect exotic animals because he wanted a private zoo. He rescued creatures that had been mistreated and gave them a home. That tells us something about him without my having to stop the story and explain what sort of man he is. The way characters treat animals can reveal tenderness, patience, stubbornness, compassion—and sometimes a remarkable tolerance for chaos.
And animals can have relationships of their own with the characters around them. A horse might tolerate one person and adore another. A dog can become fiercely protective. A cat will, of course, do whatever it wants.
And every so often, you get a creature like Clyde, the Muiraran justice bird (belonging to my other pen name’s story world) who appears in some of my western books and definitely has his own ideas about how things ought to be handled.
But Clyde is another story.
The Snow family menagerie has always been one of my favorite examples of what can happen when animals become more than
background decoration. They become part of the family, part of the town, and sometimes part of the trouble. And once that happens, it’s hard to imagine the story without them.
Now I’d love to hear about your favorites. Is there an animal from a book that completely stole the scene for you?
And just for fun—if you lived in an Old West town and could have one unusual animal sidekick, what would you choose? I’m giving away one e-book copy of Wilhemina, The Snows of Clear Creek, Book 1 to one lucky commenter.
I love a dog in a story.
Don’t we all! I wonder how many of us in here grew up watching Lassie?
I think a donkey would make a good sidekick. They can be fiesty or very docile. Maybe a little sneaky.
I’ve read some books where a donkey was a side kick though the books weren’t in the western genre.
Jen Turner Turano has used animals liberally in her funny stories. The most recent release had attack ferrets! Hilarious!
Oh my gosh, Paula! That would be hilarious!
I love having llamas since 1999! Their personalities are just like a dog – very much 1 person animals and very loyal to that person!
I wrote a book with a llama in it. And you’re right, they are just like a dog!
I once had two monkeys as pets and I definitely know that they can be quite mischievous as well as loving, so I would probably choose one if I lived in an old west town (which I do, but I don’t have a monkey, just an elderly dog and cat!).
Oh, wow, Karin! I remember as a kid thinking how cool it would be to have a monkey as a pet and you had two!
I typically think of a dog as a sidekick, but I could see a horse or donkey being one also. It might interesting to have a llama as one. I’ve heard they can spit 20 feet, don’t know if that is true.
Llamas are fun, Karijean! A lot of folks here in Oregon own them.
Maybe a llama or alpaca.
You’re not the first to mention a llama, Bridgette, but no one’s mentioned an alpaca yet. Hmmm, maybe I should put one in a book!
I would probably have a dog.
Dogs seem to be the clear winner for a lot of animal sidekicks, Linda. I love them in cozy mysteries!
My favorite books that “star” animals have the animals as the main characters!! A Wolf Story by James Byron Huggins has wolves for the main characters and Methusaleh’s Gift has raccoons and a human young girl. In other books, the animals always steal the show! I love animals in books!
I love all those animal cozy mysteries, Trudy where the animals help the sleuth solve the crime.
I have read some stories where I loved the animal sidekick. I think I would have a dog and a cat and maybe a goat.
A goat! No one’s mentioned a goat yet. Now that would be funny!
I got a kick out of the mule from the pendleton petticoat series by shanna hatfield. steve the mule was such a funny animal sidekick, and i loved his book for children as well.
I love Steve the mule! Those are great books, Laura. And yes, I remember when he got his own book!
I think whenever an animal is introduced in a scene, book or movie, they steal the entire book/movie! I love the animal sidekicks, especially the ones in the paranormal cozy mysteries because they are always so snarky. lol
I love cats, so, my choice is a cat. The unusual part for this cat would be a three legged racing cat!
I love paranormal cozy mysteries! And yes, I love their snark too!
Love Steve the mule in Shanna Hatfield’s books. I think it would be neat to have a mule. You could plow with it or ride it to town.
My sister had neighbors that raised mules. We always enjoyed watching them whenever we went for walks and passed the mules in their field.
no fav
There are so many different kinds of animal sidekicks, it’s hard to pick one!
One of my favorite stories is one that my daughter and I read together the first time when she was in 2nd grade. The book is Tornado by Betsy Byars. The dog lands on the farm inside his doghouse during a tornado, thus the name. Annette loved the book and we read it several times together over the years. The dog stole the show and brought so much love and happiness to the family.
It’s great when a book sticks with you for that long, Patti!
Most of the books I read have either a dog or cat for the side kick so I guess I would choose a cat for mine because a cat is my pet at home.
Cats and dogs are the big favorites, but it’s fun to read a story that has other animals that you wouldn’t expect.