Pet and Animal Companion Tropes

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This index is for tropes about relationships between animals and humans. It includes tropes about pets, pet owners, working animals, familiars and other tropes related to animal domestication. It also includes tropes about positive relationships between humans and wild animals.

Tropes:

• Abandoned Pet in a Box: A (usually young and adorable) cat or dog found in a cardboard box, who usually gets adopted by the hero.
• Absent Animal Companion: Pets tend to show up in one episode of an episodic series, and disappear forever by the next.
• Action Pet: A domestic animal that can kick ass for their master.
• Adopt the Food: Adopting a pet that was originally intended to be eaten.
• Aging Pet Angst: A pet is getting old and doesn't have a lot of time left, which is Played for Drama for the owners.
• Afraid to Hold the Baby: A character is afraid to hold a baby or animal.
• All Animals Are Dogs: Potentially dangerous and/or wild animals interact with humans like harmless pet dogs.
• All Animals Are Domesticated: Wild animals that act as tame as any house pet.
• All Witches Have Cats: Witches own cats and cats are associated with witches.
• Androcles' Lion: If you help out a creature or character, it will later help you.
• Animal Chick Magnet: A man uses an animal to flirt with women.
• Animal Eye Spy: A character who can experience the world through senses of other animals.
• Animal Maul Attack: An animalistic attacker takes the target to the ground and mauls them for damage.
• Animals Fear Neutering: Animals are scared of being neutered/spayed/sterilized.
• Angry Guard Dog: That "BEWARE OF DOG" sign? Yeah, you'd better listen.
• Apathetic Pet: This pet isn't emotionally attached to its owner.
• Artistic License – Animal Care: Animals in fiction get care that would be improper if applied to animals in real life.
• Asians Eat Pets: The stereotype that Asians eat meat from cats and dogs.
• Attack Animal: A non-human attacks for their master.
• Baby and Dog Bond: A dog portrayed as being the friend or protector of a human baby.
• The Beastmaster: A type of character who uses the assistance of an animal, force of nature, or just some sort of not-highly-sentient creature to help them fight.
• Beast in the Building: An animal is unexpectedly found in a building.
• Beast of Battle: A creature made to be ridden into battle.
• Black Comedy Pet Death: The death of a pet is played for dark laughs.
• Bond Creatures: Creatures who choose a human partner to share/boost their powers; usually called familiars.
• A Boy and His X: A story about the bond between a young boy and his animal companion.
• Boys Like Creepy Critters: Boys think bugs and lizards are the best thing.
• Caligula's Horse: Animals appointed into positions of power by The Caligula.
• Chariot Pulled by Cats: A vehicle pulled by an unusual animal that signifies the character is a fantastic or mythological being; and usually they're also awesome and powerful, or slightly crazy or downright insane.
• Christmas Cat-astrophe: A pet (often but not always a cat) causes mayhem with Christmas decorations and/or presents.
• Chronic Pet Killer: A character whose pet, unfortunately, has met an untimely end. Just like the last one. And the one before that, and the one before that...
• Class Pet: An animal that is kept in a classroom and cared for by the students.
• Come Back, My Pet!: A character gets angry with their pet until realizing their actions made their pet run away.
• Cone of Shame: A medical cone is placed around an animal's head, making them look silly.
• Consenting Animal Performers: When fictional performing animals are sapient and enjoy performing for humans. They're also usually able to speak with humans.
• Crazy Cat Lady: An older, poorly adjusted woman who finds company in her excessive number of pet cats.
• Crotch-Glance Sex Check: A human character looks between an animal's hind legs to determine whether it's male or female.
• Dead Pet Sketch: Someone has to take care of someone else's pet while the someone else is away. The pet ends up dying.
• Designated Team Pet Fight: Two teams' pets battle it out.
• Diligent Draft Animal: Draft animals (donkeys, horses, mules, and oxen) are portrayed as diligent and hardworking.
• Dog Got Sent to a Farm: Telling a small child that their pet has gone somewhere else when they've actually died.
• The Dog Is an Alien: An alien disguises itself as someone's "ordinary" pet.
• Dog Walks You: A pet owner tries to take them on a walk, only to find that the pet is clearly in control while the owner is dragged around.
• Dogs Love Being Praised: A dog loves being called a "good dog" or "good boy/girl".
• Domesticated Dinosaurs: Prehistoric animals being kept as pets/mounts/beasts of burden/zoo animals/livestock.
• Dragon Tamer: The pet is a dragon.
• Drowning Unwanted Pets: A drowning or attempted drowning involving pets (usually kittens or puppies).
• Emergency Food Supply Animal: When food is extremely scarce, the pet might become its owner's dinner.
• Empathy Pet: A pet whose emotions and behavior reflect those of its owner.
• Even the Dog Is Ashamed: When a character messes up so badly, even their pet is ashamed.
• Evil-Detecting Dog: When a pet can sense that someone is evil.
• Familiar: A creature that has been magically bound to a person in a master-and-servant type of relationship.
• Fantastic Livestock: Magical, alien, or otherwise otherworldly livestock.
• Fantastic Pets: Fantastic creatures treated as pets.
• Feather Boa Constrictor: Wearing a snake (real or fake) as though it's a fashion accessory.
• Firehouse Dalmatian: Firefighters own Dalmatians as pets.
• First Pet Story: A story which focuses on the main character or characters getting a pet and dealing with all the problems and joys that come along with it.
• Fluffy Tamer: A person skilled with animals, and is especially good at the kind of snarling beasts which qualify to be called Fluffy the Terrible.
• Formally Named Pet: A pet with Mr. or Mrs. as its first name.
• Free-Range Pets: Pets that are allowed to roam free.
• Friend to Bugs: A character who enjoys creepy crawlies.
• From Stray to Pet: A person finds a dog or cat on its own and decides to keep it.
• Fuzz Therapy: A pet makes a person happy.
• Gourmet Pet Food: When pet food is marketed as classy.
• Gratuitous Animal Sidekick: The insertion of an animal sidekick into a property that normally wouldn't be expected to have one.
• Hands Off My Fluffy!: Someone's pet is mistaken for a threat before the owner reveals that it's theirs and harmless.
• "Harmful to Pets" Reminder: A character is reminded that certain foods or activities are bad for their pet
• Head Pet: A small animal that often sits on its owner's head.
• Heroic Pet Story: A show or story that stars a non-anthropomorphic animal that regularly engages in heroic acts.
• Horse of a Different Color: Creatures that can be ridden like a horse.
• Housepet Pig: Oinky pink companions.
• Human Pet: When other sapient species decide to domesticate humans.
• Incompetent Guard Animal: An animal meant to guard, protect or chase away intruders hilariously fails at its job.
• Introverted Cat Person: The archetypical pet for Shrinking Violet or loner characters is the domestic cat.
• Jealous Pet: Pets are overprotective of their owners and get jealous easily.
• Kindhearted Cat Lover: A person who likes cats, and is generally seen as a Nice Guy.
• Lab Pet: Scientists getting unwisely attached to animals meant for lab experiments.
• Lazy Neutered Pet: Neutering your dog or cat will make it fat and lazy.
• Live Mink Coat: A character is wearing one or more fur-bearing animals like a fur garment.
• Lost Pet Grievance: A character's pet dies or runs away, causing him or her to get upset.
• Make the Dog Testify: An animal is called to the stand to testify in court.
• Mascots Love Sugar: Critters have a massive Sweet Tooth.
• Men Like Dogs, Women Like Cats: Man's Best Friend is a dog, Woman's Best Friend is a cat.
• Military Animals: Animals that are trained and used by humans for warfare.
• Mistaken for Dog: Someone thinks their pet is a dog (or another animal typically kept as a pet), but it's actually some other creature.
• Mistaken for Stray: An animal is mistaken for a stray, but turns out to have an owner after all.
• Mon: Monsters you can collect and fight with.
• Mon Tamer: People who have the ability to tame Mons.
• Nature Abhors a Vacuum Cleaner: Animals and vacuum cleaners do not mix well. A gag usually applied to pets, but can be done with wild animals, too.
• No Animals Allowed: A rule that states that pets and other animals are not allowed at specific places.
• Non-Human Sidekick: The hero is human, but their sidekick is not.
• Only the Chosen May Ride: A horse or other rideable creature which can only be tamed and ridden by the one it chooses.
• Parrot Pet Position: A pet that rides on its owner's shoulder.
• Pest Controller: Someone with an ability to command pests to do their bidding.
• Pet Baby Wild Animal: A younger character adopts an abandoned or orphaned baby wild animal and cares for it as a beloved pet.
• Pet Contest Episode: A character and their pet participate in a contest.
• Pet Dress-Up: Little girls dressing up their dogs, cats, and anything else pet-like they can find as if they're dolls.
• Pet Fad Starter: A fictional pet inspires audiences to adopt a similar animal in real life.
• Pet Fish in Distress: A pet fish's life is temporarily put in danger.
• Pet Gets the Keys: A character breaks out of captivity by getting an animal to bring them an implement of escape, often keys.
• Pet Heir: Rich people leaving their fortune to their pet.
• Pet Interface: A pet is used as a guide in a virtual world.
• A Pet into the Wild: A pet is released into the wild.
• Pet Monstrosity: The character owns a pet that is highly dangerous in the real world.
• Pets as a Present: A pet is given as a present to someone.
• Pet's Homage Name: A person names their pet after someone famous.
• Pet Positive Identification: A domestic animal always recognizes its owner.
• Pets Versus Strays: Domesticated animals that live with humans versus feral animals that live in the wild.
• Pet with a Double Life: A pet keeps a secret from their owner(s).
• Pirate Parrot: Pirates keep parrots as pets.
• Pocket Pet: A pet that is small enough to be carried around in a pocket, bag, or purse.
• Pony Tale: A story about a girl and her horse.
• Raised in Captivity: A wild animal raised in a zoo, household, or farm environment suddenly finds itself in its "natural" environment and is expected to survive.
• Right-Hand Attack Dog: A villain's active fighter pet.
• Right-Hand Cat: A villain's sinister on-hand, non-fighting pet.
• Rodent Cellmates: Rodents being the only companions of an isolated or imprisoned character.
• Sapient Pet: Pets who are intelligent and able to interact with their owners on the same level.
  • Sapient Steed: A horse who is intelligent and able to interact with its rider on the same level.
• Sea Aping: A fictional version of sea monkeys.
• Secret Pet Plot: A character secretly adopts a pet and tries to hide it.
• Shoulder Teammate: A character carries their pet around on their shoulder wherever they go.
• Smart Animal, Average Human: In a duo consisting of an animal and a human, the animal is the smarter one.
• Stray Animal Story: An animal goes from being a pet to a stray animal.
• Surprise Litter of Puppies: The family pet goes missing only to reveal that they have a mate and babies.
• Team Pet: The default mascot of The Team.
• Thieving Pet: A pet steals human things.
• This Is My Human: A pet acts as if it's the dominant one in the relationship with its owner.
• Timmy in a Well: What's that, Lassie? You say Timmy fell down the well?
• Training the Pet: When the plot revolves around training an unruly pet.
• Treated Worse than the Pet: Someone's status in their family is so low that even animals are treated better or valued more than they are.
• Troublemaking New Pet: A new pet causes trouble and blames it on the old pet.
• Troublesome Pet: A character's pet is a nuisance to the owner and/or their neighbors.
• Tropey, Come Home: A character's pet runs away from home.
• Uncatty Resemblance: Pets who tend to resemble their owners.
• Unsuccessful Pet Adoption: Someone adopts a pet, but it runs away or has to go.
• Unusual Pets for Unusual People: In fiction, the type of pet a character owns is often used to signify their personality.
• Weasel Mascot: A weasel or ferret that is an animal sidekick.
• We Named the Monkey "Jack": Naming your pet after someone as an insult or tribute.
• Werewolves Are Dogs: A werewolf that acts like the equivalent of a pet dog.
• Your Tomcat Is Pregnant: A pet that is thought to be a boy turns out to be a girl...and pregnant.