In one of the previous posts in this blog, we have gone through few of the interesting movies based on pets. Now we shall turn our attention towards literature in which pets make appearances. For all the pet lovers who are also avid readers, here is a list of where you can find pets in books.
1. Dogs
• Argos from The Odyssey

The epitome of faithfulness, Argos is one of the first dogs to have appeared in Western literature. He was the only one to recognize Odysseus when he returned to his home in disguise, after a long gap of twenty years. Upon seeing his master after so long, old Argos put his years down n wagged his tail, dying shortly after. Seeing his old friend’s loyalty brought tears in to eyes of Odysseus
• Toto from the Wizard of Oz
The little black dog of Dorothy Gale, Toto is the famous character of the books under the title “the Wizard of Oz”. He accompanied Dorothy on her adventures to Oz and other lands. He does not talk in many of the books unlike his other animal counterparts. Later it is revealed that he is capable of speaking but he only chooses not to.

2. Cats

• Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland

Possibly one of the most annoying yet amusing cats of all times, the Cheshire cat is known for his mischievous grin. He often engages Alice in interesting and baffling conversations. He possesses the ability to appear and disappear at will, thus escaping from punishment and danger quite a few times.
• The Cat in the Hat
The cat in the hat is a peculiar cat who enters the home of Sally and her brother while their mother is away. He dresses up and talks like a human being. He first proposes to play games with the children, making a mess in their house in the process. But just as their mother is about to return, he also manages to clean up the whole house, thus saving the kids from getting into trouble.

3. Horses
• Black Beauty

A must read for all horse lovers, Black Beauty is the story of a horse from his childhood to his old age. Here, the horse himself narrates his story and speaks of his memories. He has to face many hardships and also cruelty at the hands of others. But he overcomes it all and teaches everybody lessons of kindness, sympathy etc
• Houyhnhnm from Gulliver’s Travels
Houyhnhnm are a race of very intelligent and rational talking horses, with whom Gulliver comes into contact. They are calm and never do wrong things. All of them agree on the rightness of things and so there is never a difference of opinion amongst them. However, these horses are devoid of emotions like love and affection. But they do take interest in the well-being of all.

4. Rabbits
• Rabbit from Winnie the Pooh
He is often the self-appointed leader of the lot and can get bossy at times. He makes plans but they do not usually go the way he intends them to, as he misses some important points. He also likes to organize things. He is loyal to his friends but take some time to warm up to outsiders.
• Peter Rabbit from The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Peter Rabbit is an anthropomorphic rabbit who wears a jacket and shoes. He lives with his close family members in a rabbit hole. He once goes to his neighbor’s garden and eats a lot of vegetables. As a punishment, his neighbor takes away his jacket and shoes. Later on, Peter once again sneaks into his neighbor’s garden to take back his clothes which now adorn the scarecrow there.

5. Birds
• The Ugly Duckling
This is perhaps the most famous story about a bird, which is told to children right from the time when they are small. The story speaks of a little duckling who is ridiculed by everyone for his looks. He moves from place to place but nobody accepts him. Finally when he matures, he turns into a beautiful swan and then is loved by all.
• Fawkes from Harry Potter

Fawkes is the name of a mythical creature, called Phoenix, in the Harry Potter series. He was extremely loyal to his master, Dumbledore. He also helped Harry many of the times that he was in danger and also healed him once, with his tear. Fawkes was highly intelligent and understood his master and he was also capable of knowing when his help was needed.

Most of you might be familiar with many of the pet characters above for they have appeared in famous works of literature. Some of these works have also been made into movies, cartoons or series. But the adaptation of the book is not always perfect on screen. Therefore, it is suggested that you read the books first as emotions and feelings can be better experienced in books than on television. I hope you like the books and are able to connect with the animals mentioned here. Happy reading!

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