Maggie McDonald's pets and those of her friends and neighbors are an important part of every story and help to reveal aspects of the human characters that might otherwise remain hidden.
Golden Retriever Belle believes she is the main character of the Maggie McDonald Mysteries. She may be right.
Munchkin the Mastiff is companion to Stephen Laird. Stephen tells the story of Munchkin and his ill-fitting name in Address to Die For.
Mackie first appears in Address to Die For. The West Highland Terrier is companion to Elaine Cumberfield, who has constructed her mailbox in Mackie's image.
Mozart the German Shepherd is a retired Marine trained by Stephen Laird as a companion for Tess Olmos and her son Teddy. Bilingual, Mozart responds to commands in German and in English. He's Belle's best friend and first appears in Address to Die For.
Tess and Maggie often meet in places where Mozart and Belle can play. This picture of the two of them together was too cute to leave out of the line up.
Holmes is slow to adapt to new surroundings and has trouble coming to grips with the turmoil in the McDonald house in Address to Die For.
Watson is the adaptable counterpoint to her fearful brother Holmes and is eager to explore new surroundings. Her footprints become a permanent part of the recently resurfaced staircase of the McDonald's home in Address to Die For.
Newton, named for Sir Isaac Newton, is a gangly Irish Wolfhound and first appears in Scheduled to Death as companion to Professor Lincoln Sinclair.
Jelly is named after T.S. Eliot's Jellicle cats in Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. In the book, Jellicle cats are black and white. They sleep by day and "dance by the light of the Jellicle moon." Jelly is companion to Professor Lincoln Sinclair and appears as a kitten in Scheduled to Death.
Outside Cat (OC) is a visitor to Maggie's garden and can often be found napping in the warm stone of the empty bird bath. Maggie hopes to one day learn his story. He has not yet made an appearance in the books.
