Creating Character Companions

I’m talking about the non-human variety. Be it a dog, cat, horse, or even a fish, the companion you pick for a character tells the reader something about that character. Spend time selecting the perfect pet by digging deep into your character’s backstory.

Did they always want a pet but weren’t allowed one or did they grow up with animals as part of the family? Or were all the animals a means to an end, a working cow horse or maybe a hunting dog that was never allowed in the house?

Things to keep in mind when you develop this non-human companion: How did he or she acquire that pet? What does it mean to him or her? What is it named? Male or female? Big or little? Color and breed? Well-behaved or a constant source of mischief? Does the pet reflect characteristics of its owner, or not? Why or how did they pick this particular pet? Did they choose it, or did they inherit it from a favorite or hated relative? Is it purebred or of unknown parentage?

Did they raise it from infancy or was it full grown? Did it come from the pound or a high-priced breeder? The answers to these questions tell the reader a lot about your character as you weave this list of traits into your story.

An animal provides a wonderful way for you to show, not tell, more about your characters. Why that particular animal? What does it represent to that person? Unconditional love, obligation, duty or a painful reminder of someone lost? Can the pet be a metaphor for issues the character is trying to work out? Does the animal reflect hidden characteristics, or does it represents where your character needs to be at the end of their transformation?

As a writer, you need to do your research if you don’t have any first-hand experience with that particular animal. In my current work in progress I have a twelve-year old boy who has a ferret.

I’ve only been around one in my whole life, so I took to the Internet—several hours later I had a few new scenes I could write that would allow me to use that boy’s pet to explore issues with his mother’s death. (Plus I had a ball watching ferrets’ play in a plastic swimming pool of packing peanuts!)

The relationship between the character and pet can be almost mystical like the Black Stallion and Alec Ramsay,

or comic relief like Stephanie Plum and Rex, her hamster and Eve Dallas and her fat cat Sir Galahad. Then there was Cujo a chilling antagonist brought to life by Stephen King. These animals became characters in their own right, which to my way of thinking is exactly what we should strive for—don’t let them be trivial—make them work and carry their own weight in your novel.

So, do you have any favorite character companions? What makes them memorable to you?