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I’m using the term spirit animal, but I’m going to use another definition near the end to pull in another topic.  Now, a spirit animal is a beast that falls into one of the following categories:

• Physical animal that is spiritually bonded to a character.  Familiars can be put in this category if there is an actual bond.
• Magical creature that is bonded to character and can be summoned.
• Creature that can be transformed into by character.
• Totem that does not physically manifest, but character can take on traits or habits.
• An extension of the character’s soul like in His Dark Materials.

These are very useful for plot devices, flushing out a character, and have an ability path for certain genres.  They are also very dangerous because you can abuse them, misuse them, or waste them.  A spirit animal is an oddly delicate creature to put into your book because it is not a normal animal.  A dog is just a dog unless it is a bonded dog that can telepathically communicate with its owner.  You can have the conversations happen to give both a personality or have the dog do things under the umbrella of a narrative telling the reader about the telepathic link.  One thing you should NOT do is have this bond be a reason for the dog doing things that are against its nature or sacrifice itself without a second thought.

These are still living creatures, so there is typically an individual sense of will unless it is completely a magical summon with no nature connection.  If it is the latter then it shouldn’t be permanently out and about because the you have a creature walking about that has no natural niche.  It can exist, but problems should ensue like it mistaking mundane actions for attacks or not giving the master privacy.  Personally, I think it’s lazy writing to have a summons permanently out and still acting like an obedient summons.  Even a well-trained pet will have some animal-like habits.

Another thing to factor in with these creatures is what happens when they’re hurt.  It might sound romantic to have a spirit animal sacrifice its life to protect its bonded master.  It does bring up the question of spiritual repercussions.  What happens to the master when the animal that is connected to his/her spirit is dead?  In D&D, a familiar dying causes a lose of magic and levels to a spellcaster.  I’ve read books where characters go mad when such a beast is killed.  Others die too or live their life as a shadow of their former self.  My point is that going the spirit animal route means you have to define the depth of the bond and what happens when the bond is damaged or severed.

Now, you might be asking:  I don’t write fantasy, so why do I need to know about spirit animals?  You don’t need to if you stick to the definition that I’ve been using.  Yet, a romance novel character with a pet can have a similar situation.  It is an emotional and influential bond that I speak of.  The normal pet can still have a bond if you write it carefully.  Best example that I can think of off the top of my head is a romance character talking to the animal about their problems.  You can let the pet sit there like a deer in headlights or you can have the pet react to the character.  This gives you a chance to have an odd back and forth that might even make development progress.  After all, animals have personality, so write them with more the scenery and filler in mind.