Dogs

Dogs are four-legged canines that go "bow wow". Some also go "arf arf". Others merely howl or whine and sometimes even growl. There are many different breeds of dogs and, along with cats, are one of the most popular types of household pets. Dogs are smaller, more docile versions of their canine cousins, wolves, which by far are the most popular breed of animal featured in the horror genre, mostly due to the latter's connection to werewolves. Dogs don't always get the dirt end of the stick when it comes to their contributions to the genre however. After all, one of the most famous dogs of all time, Cujo, is practically a household name. Cujo is a large adult Saint Bernard that went rabid after being bitten by a bat and went on a killing spree, attacking first his master, then members of the Trenton family including Donna and Tad Trenton before finally being felled by first a baseball bat and then a bullet to the head.

Dogs sometimes have supernatural origins as well. One of the more obscure, and yet notable of such canines is Zoltan, a vampire dog featured in the 1978 Albert Band film Zoltan, Hound of Dracula. Zoltan was once the pet of an 18th century innkeeper named Nalder, who saved a woman from being bitten by the vampire lord Dracula while he was in the form of a bat. Out of revenge, Dracula turned Zoltan into a vampire dog.

Another breed of supernatural canine are Hellhounds. These beasties are literally demonic animals from Hell in service to a more powerful demon or even to Satan himself. Hellhounds make notable appearances in the CW Network television series Supernatural. One Hellhound was even responsible for killing one of the main characters, Dean Winchester, though Dean was eventually resurrected. Two of Dean's fellow demon hunters, Ellen and Jo Harvelle heroically sacrificed themselves in order to destroy a pack of Hellhounds that were converging upon a small town.