My husband often reads out loud to me before we go to sleep. We most often read children’s classics and more recent middle grade novels because I want something interesting but not so exciting that I can’t go to sleep. We’d just finished a few books by Bruce Coville (if you’re interested in MG fiction at all, you should run outside RIGHT NOW and buy some of his stuff, because he’s fabulous), and after some pondering, for our next read we’d selected The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie.
Warning: There be spoilers ahead!
My husband began to read, and the book was well written, interesting, and had a sense of humor. But within a few pages it was clear that for his first dramatic incident, the author was going to kill a dog. I told my husband to stop reading because *@*%@*%!!*!! I am so incredibly done with reading about dogs dying.
I am TOO CUTE for your shenanigans!
Here is a list of the dying dogs in fiction I have encountered in the past three years: The Knife of Never Letting Go, by Patrick Ness (I was bawling so hard at this one that my husband got worried); a story in Paolo Bacigalupi’s Pump Six; The Big Splash by George Galuschak; “I Can’t Imagine” by Sandra Wickham; and Mama, We Are Zenya, Your Son, by Tom Crosshill. At Taos Toolbox, Nancy Kress told us about her novel Dogs (which I refuse to ever read) and Eric Kelley threatened to kill off the police dog in one of his novels-in-progress. In Working Stiff by Rachel Caine, the dog is threatened, and in Robert Sawyer’s Mindscan, the dog is unable to recognize its master in his new robot body (which completely broke my heart). And these are just the examples I can think of off the top of my head.
Seriously, writers, WE GET IT. Killing off the dog (or pretending you might) is very, very sad. It reliably makes me cry even if I don’t like your story very much otherwise. And it also shows up the bizarreness of human behavior, that we cry when an animal dies and not when a person dies (although to be fair, I often cry when writers kill off people, too…but never for the bad guy, which says something else interesting). So could you please stop now?
Also, do you ever notice how writers don’t seem to kill off cats? (Not that I have anything against cats.) Why all the dog hatred, writers, huh? Why not pick on those of the feline persuasion for a change? Why do you want to violently dispose of sweet little bundles of fur like this?
You know you want to pet me!
I’ll admit, the “pick on the cute and loyal dog” thing used to be shocking. But now, it just makes me feel tired. It makes me want to stop reading. It has nothing to do with the merits of the work (if you’re not as sick of dead dogs as I am, you’ll want to check out everything I referenced above). But it’s become even more unpleasant to me than werewolf tropes, and you know, that’s saying something.
So please, the next time you consider killing off the poor innocent puppy to pull some heartstrings, back away slowly. Maybe you can kill off the bratty kid sister or the brooding and boring boyfriend instead. Or, I don’t know, have your protagonist lose a finger or something. Just enough with the dogs.
Thank you.
*****
I’ll be in Detroit this weekend for Epic ConFusion. Say hi to me if you’re there!
The Practical Free Spirit 
“My husband often reads out loud to me before we go to sleep.” – How cool is that?!
I haven’t come across any dead dogs in my reading, but I tend to read more funny books than heavy.
“And it also shows up the bizarreness of human behavior, that we cry when an animal dies and not when a person dies” – I’ve noticed that too, and it really is strange to me and I’m guilty as well. Perhaps it’s because of the innocence of an animal.
Reading before bed is one of the best parts of the day. 🙂
Someone on G+ mentioned that he hates watching kids being forced to kill each other (aka Hunger Games), and kids are pretty innocent, aren’t they? But I enjoyed Hunger Games myself. So I’m not sure if it’s the innocence that tips the balance, although maybe it’s a factor.
Although I wonder if I’d start to get upset about killing babies after awhile too, so maybe it’s degree of innocence? It’s bizarre however you look at it.
Well, maybe it’s innocence + no real idea what is happening to them? This would apply to babies and dogs.
I loved Hunger Games and Peeta’s death probably got to me the most. I’m on Catching Fire right now so no spoilers 🙂
My wife and I read our kids to sleep every night. My wife reads to our 5 year old (who has benefited from this, and reads at a 4th grade level herself) so she gets better books. I’m still on picture books with our 2 year old, so try to go with Dr. Seuss when he lets me.
It may have to do with you having a dog, but not having kids. I know several people who became much, much more sensitive toward depictions of violence or death happening to kids after they had kids themselves.
That’s a fair point. I can definitely see myself becoming more sensitized to violence against kids if I had my own. The driving “big idea” of The Hunger Games, that teens are forced to arena fight one another for reasons of oppression, is supposed to be shocking, perhaps in a similar way to the death of a dog, so I do understand the comparison.
Very interesting to think about it.
I could not agree more. While there are instances in which this device serves as a vital element in stories, more often than I not I feel like it is a cheap (and cruel!) way to elicit an emotional response from the reader without really *earning* that emotional response through plot or character development.
I hate animal-in-danger stories 😦
But, then, I am a big, animal-loving sap.
To be fair, the Patrick Ness novel is brilliant, and the dog death in that book didn’t feel cheap to me. I’m not really arguing that no writer should ever do this…just what my current reading habits have become.
Haha, love tha tyou called out Mr. Kelley!
I also hate when the dog dies. It always makes me put down a book and take a few days off. Sometimes I’ll go back, and sometimes I won’t.
Have fun this weekend!!
Thanks, I had a wonderful time!
Usually I just plow straight on through (and of course, if it’s a short story, I don’t have long to go). Of course, I remember crying buckets when I was a kid reading “Where the Red Fern Grows.”
Great blog post!
I wrote “The Big Splash” when my cat was very sick. The only reason I used a dog instead of a cat is because a lot of people don’t like cats. Cats are viewed as being – if not cold-blooded – certainly a bit aloof. Dogs are more universally loved.
That is an interesting observation. I think the cat photo on the internet phenomenon has perhaps skewed my thoughts on cat vs. dog popularity, but you could very well be right.
It was nice to meet you at Epic Confusion! I’m with you on the dead dog thing. I’ve thankfully managed to avoid stories like that so far.
It was great to meet you too, and to have such an interesting conversation. And apparently I need to develop your radar for avoiding dead dogs in fiction! 🙂
Killing off the dog really is a cheap move. Though, it does seem odd on a purely logical level that killing pets hits harder than killing people. But, that’s certainly how it is on an emotional level.
Odd indeed! And if nothing else, the dead dog distracts me from any other emotional coloring a story may have (which is quite possibly my own weakness as a reader, of course).
I met you at Epic Confusion!
While the dog will tell you Timmy fell down a well, the cat likely pushed Timmy down the well.
I talk my wife to bed. I prattle on about this or that (ie, “Tell me what’s new on The Internet”) and she’s out light a light. I’m not sure if this is a superpower or not.
Hi, Steve! Good to see you here!
It is true that dogs are seeing as loyal and noble, “man’s best friend.” Whereas cats, I suppose, are seen as being more fickle, independent, and, as George said above, aloof. It’s strange because I’ve known cats who love snuggling just as much (or more) than my dog does.
Also, that is TOTALLY a superpower.
This really made me think, because I have a dog death in my novel-in-progress. I’m keeping it. The dog in question is not presented as a particularly appealing character. I wrote the scene in order to confront the issue of responsibility for domestic animal, and the way people use them irresponsibly. And what’s really going on in the scene is a change in the way the reader regards the human characters — there’s a shift in the balance of power that results from one character being more capable of responding appropriately than the other.
But I do agree with you on the subject of using animal death as a means of emotional manipulation. It is pretty gross.
While the words ‘pretty gross’ are still fresh, I think there are very good reasons why cat deaths aren’t used the same way dog deaths are. In my thankfully-limited experience, there is a particular type of violence aimed at cats that is distinctly unwholesome — dogs may be more prone to fictional violence, but in real life, there is a specific type of sicko that targets cats, and there is a particular sadistic vibe to their activities, and I suspect that dynamic makes cat violence a tricky issue in fiction.
It sounds like you have your reasons for doing it clear, which is probably the most important thing. And of course, you know me–I don’t actually think it’s taboo, just getting personally fatigued.
That’s interesting what you say about cats; I hadn’t thought of that. But now that you mention it, I’m creeped out by that too, maybe even more so.
Dead thread resurrection, but stumbled across this post and thought you’d appreciate this as much as I did when I found it in the kids’ section at the local bookstore a few years ago:
http://www.amazon.com/More-Dead-Dogs-Gordon-Korman/dp/0786805315
Judging by reader reviews, it’s a pretty popular sentiment!
Oh, that’s hilarious! I think I did hear about this book at a SCBWI conference, but then I totally forgot about it. Thank you!