February tends to be the month for love stories around the book groups, but there are many kinds of love, including the kind of love we have for our animal friends.

Readers most often tend to like animals. Our cat or dog companions are family to us and social media is filled with photos of our furry loved ones, as well as some less furry species with scales or feathers. The love we have for these special creatures in our lives can sometimes bleed into our stories as well.

They certainly have in mine. You’ll never see a tragic animal death in any of my stories because many of them are depictions of real animals I’ve loved. For example, the ginger cat in Dance of the Goblins was modelled after a cat my daughter got at the age of twelve. Lucky was an amazing cat and the play on his name when the goblins are winding up Count Anton reflected my own close relationship to the little fur monster.

Similarly, Khana in The Wake of the Dragon was modelled after the colour and personality of one of my beloved cats, who probably would have made a great airship cat if airships were a part of our world as they are in the story.

My current WiP also has an animal companion, but this one, at least, is fantasy, as it’s a miniature dragon. I would love to have such an animal friend in the real world, but alas, this one will have to remain a book love.

Some very emotional stories, even Classics, present us with animal characters that range from realistic depictions to anthropomorphised animals. Who could forget the devastating ending of the story, Ring of Bright Water, or fail to feel the special bond of human and lion in Born Free, an actual true story?

Watership Down has entered the world of modern classics with a variety of rabbit characters (and one bird) who are unforgettable. Similarly, old television programs like Lassie and Flipper have stolen many hearts, as did Daktari, with Clarence the Cross-eyed Lion, and Judy the chimp. These series from the 1960s affected an entire generation of animal lovers and led the way to awareness of animals as sentient entities, capable of deep seated love for their human companions, as well as members of their own species.

One of my favourite childhood stories is Toby Tyler, which features a chimpanzee called Mr Stubbs. In more modern times, we’ve had Marley and Me, about a dog who teaches his human to love despite his faults, and Dewey the Library Cat, who stole the hearts of many library goers.

Children’s books often feature animal characters. The effortlessness with which we can love these characters makes them ideal as sympathetic characters who can teach children emotional lessons a human character might not convey so easily.

It is love that makes animal characters effective in a way that transcends human limitations. Like our pets, we can love an animal character unconditionally. An argumentative dragon or talking cat is far more easy to forgive when they rock the boat of our plans or assumptions than a fellow human character.

Having romance in your life is a natural human characteristic and many couples will be doing something special to celebrate their relationships this month, but lets remember to also hug our furry companions and appreciate what they bring to our lives, as well as perhaps reading a story where the animal character lives happily ever after, which isn’t always the case in some of the stories I’ve mentioned.

Do you have any favourite stories with animal characters? Do you write them? Let’s chat in the comments.