*Dumb Witness* is dedicated to Peter, Agatha Christie’s wire fox terrier.
The dedication reads, in essence, “To dear Peter, most faithful of friends and dearest of companions, a dog in a thousand.” Peter was Christie’s own beloved dog, and the dedication reflects the prominent role that dogs play in the novel’s design and atmosphere.
Christie published *Dumb Witness* in 1937. Its central canine character is Bob, a wire-haired terrier belonging to the elderly Emily Arundell. Bob’s ball is connected to the apparent accident that precedes the murder investigation, making him the story’s “dumb witness.” Bob is fictional, but the character was inspired by Christie’s real dog Peter.
Readers sometimes confuse the dedicatee with the dog inside the plot. Peter is Christie’s real terrier and the book’s dedicatee; Bob is the fictional terrier whose behavior helps shape the mystery. The novel was also published in the United States under the title *Poirot Loses a Client*.