This week: The Pet Sidekick in Romance Edited by: Dawn Embers  
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A Romance/Love Newsletter by Dawn
Taking a look at writing romance stories that include a pet or animal helper that might be a big influence on the romance or the conflict in the story. Sometimes a pet can bring people together. |
A pet can be very helpful in a romance story. I'm fairly certain that there are a couple of those hallmark movies where the characters fall in love when adopting a dog or cat. A pet can be a very important someone in a person's life, so how the love interest interacts with said animal will also be very telling as to whether the relationship will work out or not.
As a pet owner, I know how important it is for a romantic relationship to include acceptance of an animal and by one. By that I mean, if I'm going to date someone, they have to accept and love the pets that I have because I have three cats and I love them all. Someone who hates cats won't be a good match for me. Also, it is very helpful if my cats can at least be okay with the person that I'm dating. They don't have to like them as much as they like me, but can't all be afraid of the person. Hermione is scared of everyone and only likes me, so she will hide. That is expected. However, my little black cat JiJi tends to like almost everyone. She doesn't care if they are a dog person instead of cat, she will rub up against their ankles and want attention. So, she better be okay with the person or there is a problem.
Characters and stories in the romance genre can also include this type of dynamic. And this gives us options and ideas for how to develop the romance story. One option is with the meet cute, where the characters meet and first notice each other. A pet can help with that. Perhaps the main character decides to volunteer at an animal shelter where they end up coming across a really cute veterinarian who donates their time and expertise to help the animals. Another option is with the pet sitter since now there is an app where people can get someone to walk their dogs or to come to the house to check on an animal to make sure they had food and such. Could be a good way to meet someone and build rapport since they take care of the pet while the other character is gone often for work.
Then there is the conflict option. Perhaps the character is in a relationship but with the wrong person and the pet can help point that out. A cat can avoid the bad dating partner but then someone else comes along and they show a very different side, making it clear that they like the other person. Or perhaps something happens to the animal that it needs to be saved and the love interest does something big to help them survive.
On the other hand, a pet could just be a companion for some of the scenes where the main character and the love interest aren't together. If the protagonist is sort of shy and doesn't have a lot of friends, that can make it difficult when it comes to having conversations and such outside of the romantic meet ups. But an introvert who stays home all of the time with their pet is bound to talk out loud to them even if they don't respond back in the same language. Can help to work through a problem by having them talk out to their dear pet instead of being uncomfortable finding another human to have that interaction.
Pets, even if it's not a magical one that talks, are helpful in fiction for a number of things but also realistic because there are many people with many different kinds of pets. And you have options. Cats and dogs are common but not the only options. Some people have snakes. Others have horses. I've even taken care of someone's pet rabbit when they went out of town for a vacation. Doesn't matter if you go with a standard or something unusual, having a pet will add quite a lot. to your story. Try it out and see what you can create. Have fun and enjoy writing about the romance and how an animal helps things come around. |
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Have you ever included an animal or pet that helps with a romance story?
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Romance/Love: January 07, 2026 Issue [#13543]
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