According to the American Pet Products Association 2025 State of the Industry Report, overall about 66% of households own some type of pet. Pet-owning households are around 94 million with 68 million dog owners and 49 million cats owners. And then there’s my family that has three dogs and two cats and heaven knows what else my grandson has in his room.
With this in mind, I included a dog in each of the three Dead Horse Canyon stories. In “The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon” it made sense that Bernie Keller had a service dog. As a disabled vet with PTSD and an opiate problem, it made sense.
Bernie’s dog, Terminator, is a Rottweiler. He hangs out below his desk and is quick to reassure his master by placing his chin on his good leg when he appears upset, which a lot, having to deal with the likes of Eddie Johannsen.
He loves to run after jack rabbits in the field outside his makeshift office outside the Albuquerque airport or go for walks.
In “Return to Dead Horse Canyon,” when Charlie returned to the reservation to stay with his uncle Joe Whitewolf and his family, he met their family dog, Náhkȯhe, which means bear in Cheyenne.
Náhkȯhe is the typical family dog who loves hanging out with his family. He’s a mixed breed, probably part Australian shepherd, black with longish hair, and floppy ears.
As a working dog he loves living on a ranch and he really enjoyed going for walks with Charlie as he recovered from his injuries incurred while drilling for oil and especially when Charlie and Winter Hawk went for the trail ride to Eaglefeathers Butte.
The final canine character in “The Revenge of Dead Horse Canyon,” is Blossom, Sara’s service do. Blossom is a pit bull terrier who could help her while she was confined to a wheelchair. She helped put away groceries, make the bed, and could even answer the phone or call 9-1-1 if required. At one point in that story she and Náhkȯhe actually met, but Blossom wasn’t impressed.
She went on numerous adventures with Sara and especially enjoyed riding in the four-wheeler RV they bought for up at the cabin. Blossom did a great job of character assessment, snarling at the bad guys and wagging her tail for the good ones, and in one case, doing both when the individuals were a mix, though Sara didn’t catch it at the time. When you read that story, be sure to pay attention to the time that Blossom snarls while her tail waves slowly back and forth. Spoiler Alert: It will make sense a bit later.
Like my other characters, these canines appeared on the scenes as part of the story. I didn’t think about adding them, they just showed up. They added warmth and realism and hopefully brought some smiles to pet lovers. Pets are clearly a part of life as the statistics demonstrate.
There were a few cats in the second book, but only in one scene. Now that I think about it, I really should have given Will and Connie a cat. Or Patrice, who surely would have had a big, furry Maine Coon or Ragdoll hanging around in Cosmic Portals.
What do you think of pets in novels? Needless to say, I like them. In all the books you’ve read, which was your most memorable? Leave your answer in the comments below.
The Curse of Dead Horse Canyon 
