The white dog (symbol)
The titular canine is the symbol of Anna's childlike purity. When Gurov first meets Anna, the pomeranian is constantly in her company. Once Anna and Gurov consummate their affair, however, the dog vanishes, thus symbolizing her loss of innocence. The dog is also one of the indicators of change over time in the story, hinting at the larger transformation that occurs for both Gurov and Anna as they fall in love. At first, the dog is an important aspect of the story: Gurov fixates on it as he watches Anna from afar, and he uses the dog as an excuse to begin talking to Anna. Over time, however, the dog's central positioning in the story falls away, and it is soon ignored entirely.
The theater (symbol)
The theater in S— symbolizes public life, an important theme in "The Lady with the Dog." Gurov goes to S— to try to track down Anna and rekindle their affair. He locates her address and loiters outside, but is unable to make contact with her. On a whim, he heads to the theater, partly seeking distraction and partly hoping she will attend. When she takes a seat in the third row, the theater—in some ways the most public place in a city—becomes a new site of origin for their secret love affair. In this way, Chekhov plays on the tension between public life and private intimacy that drives the characters in this text.
Snow (motif)
The motif of snow surfaces several times throughout the text. It first appears when Gurov returns to Moscow at the start of winter. Here, snow is integral to the change in scenery, which in turn represents the conclusion of his affair with Anna. "Everything was in its winter routine" in Moscow, and Gurov enjoys the sight of the first snow. Later, once Gurov and Anna's affair has rekindled, the snow motif surfaces again. On his way to see Anna in her hotel in Moscow, Gurov walks his daughter to school and discusses the snow with her. Gurov takes on the role of educator, explaining to his daughter why the snow is falling in such huge, wet clumps—all the while anticipating his meeting with Anna. In the first instance, Gurov feels free of his affair, and enchanted with his return to Moscow; in the second instance, he is distracted from the scenery of Moscow, and even from his daughter, by the thought of Anna.
