When I was asked to put together a top 10 list of children's books with amazing dogs the first thing I realised is that mutts in children's fiction have brilliant names. What self-respecting child called Jack or Emily wouldn't really rather be Pongo or Missis Pongo from Dodie Smith's The 101 Dalmations? Or the mashed-up pit-bull from Larry Levin's Oogy? Sure, you can dream about being Spiderman or Batgirl, but why bother when you can be Sam Angus's Rocket in Soldier Dog? You can even go to hell if you want, as boy Conor does with Scrote in Anthony McGowan's Hellbent, proving that even in the afterlife you can have a loyal hound at your side.

Because that's the point, isn't it? Cats are tricksy and fickle, but you can rely on a dog. Which is why it's pretty hard to name five random children's books WITHOUT a dog in them somewhere. Try it.

Of course, we have our famous Disney scamps. We have our classic dogs too – Sherlock to Sir Henry: "They say it is the cry of the Hound of the Baskervilles". And we have in children's literature a fair number, of course, of trusty undemanding companions who'd follow us, well, let's face it, anywhere. "A place where there isn't any trouble. Do you suppose there is such a place, Toto? There must be. It's not a place you can get to by a boat or a train. It's far, far away."

In any case – woof! – here are some classics plus a few other exceptional dogs in children's literature you may be less familiar with.

Timmy from the Famous Five series by Enid Blyton

Yes, Timmy, Timsy, Tim, whatever you preferred to call him. It was definitely as easy to lose sleep over Timmy getting stuck down a rabbit hole in Five Go On A Hike Together than anything that happened to George, Julian, Anne or Dick. That little rascal could never get enough treats as far as I was concerned.

Toto from the Oz books by L. Frank Baum

Reliable Toto. But did you know that in the later Oz books, as other animals are revealed to have the ability to speak, Toto finally admits that he can speak too — he just chooses not to! In the 1939 film adaptation of The Wizard of Oz Toto was played by a female brindle terrier named Terry who was actually paid more than the human actors at $125 per week.

Lassie from Lassie Come-Home by Eric Knight

Rough Collie Lassie is most famous from her on-screen franchise (12 movies and several seasons of television), but she originated in a 1938 Saturday Evening Post story by Eric Knight, later expanded into his 1940 novel Lassie Come-Home.

Buck from Call of the Wild by Jack London

The great children's dog ever? My favourite, certainly. There's a paragraph in the novel where his owner, Thornton, asks Buck to haul an incredible pack-weight on his sledge. An impossible weight. A weight no dog should ever be able to pull. "Thornton knelt down by Buck's side. He took his head in his two hands and rested cheek on cheek. He did not playfully shake him, as was his wont, or murmur soft love curses; but he whispered in his ear. 'As you love me, Buck. As you love me.'" And does he? You bet he does.

The Huskies from Ice Race by Gary Paulson

An extraordinary book about a writer/dog-lover and his relationship with his packs of huskies in the wilds of Canada and Alaska. The dogs are funny. They're brave. They save his life, too. And finally they haul him on the the Iditarod 1000 mile endurance trek across Alaska, the hardest man-and-dog race in the world. A children's book not well known at all in the UK, but tender, harshly beautiful and exhilarating.

Rufus from My Brother's Ghost by Allan Ahlberg

Even after his death, Tom is there for his little sister Frances and brother Harry in this poignant short ghost novel written in 2001. As in so many other children's stories it is, however, a dog, this one their dead old mongrel Rufus, whose ghostly walks hold the narrative together and bind the characters.

Best Mate from Born to Run by Michael Morpurgo

Morpurgo has created a lot of memorable dogs for young readers – Shadow, Leroy, Little Manfred, take your pick – but I have a bit of a soft spot for greyhounds so I'm going for Best Mate. Dumped in a sack as a puppy, he ends up a champion greyhound. But what will happen when he can't run any more?

Hogni from Bloodsong by Melvin Burgess

And as a complete contrast, let's branch into dogs that are also human. Not werewolves, but literal hybrids. In his sequel to the extraordinary 2000 novel Bloodtide, Burgess creates gay and horny Hogni, half man, half mongrel, falling hopelessly, hopelessly in love. No one does this sort of thing better than Burgess.

Nameless from Fire Bed and Bone by Henrietta Branford

An unnamed old hunting dog narrates this tremendous Guardian's children's fiction award-winning novel from 1997. Set in rural England in 1381, unrest is spreading like plague among the peasants, rebellion is in the air, and life for man – and dog – is about to change dramatically. Tough, short and beautifully crafted.

SKYE from Dead Man's Cove by Lauren St John

OK. Let's circle back. Are you secretly missing Enid Blyton? Would you like your children to feel the same thrill you had reading the Famous Five or Secret Seven? Do you want them to experience that same sense of adventure, but nothing too scary, not too much jeopardy? Look no further than the Laura Marlin Mysteries. Accompanied by her trusty companion, Skye, a three-legged husky (and the dog she's always wanted) Laura Marlin longs for a life of excitement just like the characters in her favourite detective novels. And guess what? She finds it. Heart-warming.

Cliff McNish has just published his first dog-themed book aimed at 8-12 year-olds: Going Home. The story is narrated by Ralph, who has been stuck in a dog rescue centre for five years after his heroic saving of a puppy resulted in terrible facial injuries.