importance of Lyra, the Dog

Lyra the dog is representative of several things. First, she is Trond's reality check. Anytime he drifts too far down memory lane, she brings him back to the here and now, remind him that he is still living in the present, not the past.

Secondly, she is also representative of true friendship and loyalty, something the reader is lead to understand Trond has not had a lot of in his lifetime.