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| “ | My memories of Junktown are tainted, and I feel no remorse for my actions in that place. It was there that I came across a dog, who adopted me and was my faithful friend from there on. I miss Dogmeat to this day. [...] None could stand in my way. I had a mission. I had a goal. I had a really large gun. It was here that Dogmeat fell, a victim of a powerful energy forcefield. I miss that dog. I destroyed the Vats that day, and with it, the mutant army. | „ |
| ~ The Vault Dweller |
Dogmeat is the alias given to several dog companions throughout the Fallout franchise.
The Fallout 4 rendition was played by - and modelled after - a female Alsatian called River, who passed away on 26/6/2021.
Games[]
Fallout[]
He can be found in Junktown in 2161, terrorising an old man named Phil, by remaining at the doorway to his house and keeping him out. The Vault Dweller can distract him for the old man and, by doing this, recruit him as a companion. His previous owner had been killed by thugs hired by Gizmo (most likely the Skulz) about a month before Dogmeat met the Vault Dweller. In the Vault Dweller's memoirs, it is disclosed that Dogmeat died in the Mariposa Military Base after running into a force field. Although, in the game, it is possible to survive the military base with Dogmeat alive, usually by sealing him inside different rooms to protect him from the super mutants.
Fallout 2[]
The same dog appears several decades later, but this is non-canon, as dogs cannot live this long. Dogmeat is a special non-player character who can be located and recruited in Fallout 2. The Chosen One can find him in the special encounter "The Café of Broken Dreams", though this is just an Easter egg.
Fallout 3[]
In 2277, the Lone Wanderer can find Dogmeat's descendant, an Australian Cattle Dog, in Scrapyard (south of Minefield), fighting off several raiders who'd killed the dog's previous master. Dogmeat can also be found fighting super mutants in a random place in The Mall. Regardless of any other companion or Karma level, Dogmeat can be recruited without incident.
Fallout 4[]
Dogmeat's son is a German Shepherd living in the Commonwealth in 2287, and a possible companion to the Sole Survivor. He will be named "Dog" until the Sole Survivor speaks to Mama Murphy about his true name during the quest When "Freedom Calls", or until Nick Valentine reveals his name during "Getting a Clue", when Dogmeat has to sniff out Kellogg. A typical Commonwealth canine, Dogmeat is capable of tracking a man's scent for miles. An example is when he must track Kellogg in "Getting a Clue".
Whilst he doesn't really have an owner, he is a loyal and faithful companion to those he accompanies. According to Mama Murphy when the Sole Survivor speaks to her in the Museum of Freedom in Concord, she states that Dogmeat "is his own man". During the time that the Sole Survivor was cryogenically frozen in Vault 111, Dogmeat assisted Nick Valentine on a number of cases, and also accompanied Preston Garvey and his group of settlers on their way to Concord. When the Sole Survivor arrives, he/she can choose to adopt Dogmeat, who will accompany him/her on their travels throughout the Commonwealth. Dogmeat's remarkable senses and tracking abilities come into good use when the Sole Survivor searches for Kellogg.
Trivia[]
Fallout[]
- Phil and the dog were used before in Scrapheap, where Stone could intervene.
- If Katja and Dogmeat are both following the Vault Dweller, Katja will say "I hate dogs" repeatedly.
- Dogmeat can be obtained as a follower in both games, regardless of the player character's Karma.
- Unlike humanoid NPCs, Dogmeat cannot wear armor, equip weapons, or use items. However, he can be administered stimpaks by the protagonist, and has a Damage Resistance & Damage Threshold equal to those of leather armor.
- Scott Bennie was the designer who came up with the name "Dogmeat" for the in-game character. The name was initially applied to Jake's dog in the Hub (previously called Dogshit). Later, it was applied to the current non-player character Dogmeat, either by Tim Cain or Jason D. Anderson.
- The namesake for "Dogmeat" is Vic's canine companion, "Blood" (also called "Dogmeat" by Vic) in the movie A Boy and His Dog (1975) starring Don Johnson and based on the novel by the famed sci-fi author Harlan Ellison. This movie dealt with post-nuclear war survival with "Dogmeat" apparently conversing with Vic as they both scour the wasteland for food and women.
- Dogmeat is a reference to Mad Max 2 and A Boy and His Dog. Both movies featured a lone wanderer and his canine companion in a post-apocalyptic world, and in the latter movie, the main character uses "Dogmeat" as a disparaging nickname for his companion.
- Phil confirms the point above when he describes Dogmeat's former owner in the original Fallout: "Oh, the guy was tall, dark-haired with a little graying around the edges. He was dressed all in black leather, like that's a good idea in the desert, and carried a shotgun." The description matches all of Max's characteristics in Mad Max 2.
Fallout 3[]
- If enemies are nearby, Dogmeat will growl. Since he is programmed to be a higher priority target than the Lone Wanderer, Dogmeat will draw more of the attackers' attention.
- When instructed to find something, Dogmeat is capable of bypassing locked containers and doors, allowing access to items in containers beyond the Lone Wanderer's ability to pick.
- Dogmeat can sometimes go missing for long periods of time when asked to find something, sometimes for days. He may be found in the area around Vault 101 in this scenario.
- At level 22 (with the Broken Steel add-on installed), the "Puppies!" perk can be taken so that, when Dogmeat dies, a puppy appears at the main door of Vault 101.
- The "Puppies!" perk has a second, unintended use that makes it possible to recruit multiple followers.
- In Dogmeat's dialogue, there are "Scold" and "Praise" options. These, however, do nothing at all and appear to be there purely for flavour material.
- He has heterochromia - his right eye is brown, while his left eye is blue.
- If Dogmeat is told to wait in Megaton, and then the town is blown up, Dogmeat will still be alive outside of the Megaton ruins afterwards.
- With Broken Steel installed, Dogmeat (along with other companions) will gain a large amount of health every time the Lone Wanderer levels up.
- If Dogmeat is not present at the scrapyard, he should re-appear after a few hours by waiting.
- Dogmeat always appears in the ending slides, even if he is never met at any point in the game.
Fallout 4[]
- Dogmeat is modelled after River, a female German Shepherd owned by Michelle Burgess, the wife of Joel Burgess (Bethesda's senior designer).
- After first encountering Dogmeat, he will just be named "Dog". Later on, during the quest "When Freedom Calls", Mama Murphy mentions to the Sole Survivor that Dogmeat is his real name. She can also mention that Dogmeat is his own man, but she has seen that he will follow the Survivor. If Dogmeat is not present during this quest, the conversation will not take place.
- If this conversation is missed, Dogmeat will be named "Dog". However, during the quest Reunions, Dogmeat is referred to by his name whether or not the Sole Survivor had the relevant conversation with Mama Murphy. He will then be named Dogmeat from that point on.
- During the quest "Getting a Clue", if Dogmeat is not with the Sole Survivor, Nick Valentine will call Dogmeat with a whistle. Nick will also say beforehand that he "knows a guy that can help" and remark that he's "worked with him quite a few times before" while talking about Dogmeat.
- During the quest "Reunions", dismissing Dogmeat after finding Fort Hagen will make him stay there until the end of the quest, regardless of the location the player asks him to go.
- Dogmeat is the only companion whose perk "Attack Dog" must be unlocked via the perk chart.
- When the player character is rebuilding a settlement, they can place a dog house for him to stay in. If he is dismissed to a settlement before that, he will go and live in or around one of the existing dog houses.
- Dogmeat can be healed during battle if a stimpak is used on him when he is down.
- Dogmeat is able to "fetch", detecting the surroundings for the choice of items, enemies, or containers. Upon finding something, Dogmeat will either stand in front of the item (if on the floor), bite the enemy (triggers enemy detection) or pull out the items from the container. If told to fetch an item near Custom House Tower, he will run to a pile of rubble near some existing mannequins in the display windows and pull out random hats. One of these hats can apparently be the Lieutenant's hat or Captain Ironsides' hat.
- When travelling with Dogmeat, he may occasionally detect enemies and containers on his own, without being asked to do so by the Sole Survivor, which prompts the player character with messages such as "Dogmeat found something" when he finds a container, or "Dogmeat found an enemy" when he detects enemy presence nearby.
- Upon detecting containers or enemies, no matter if told to or otherwise, Dogmeat will react accordingly: he growls if an enemy is detected and keeps doing so while he tracks them, or, when he finds a container, gives the player character a warning bark, runs towards it, and then happily stomps his front paws, while pointing his head to whatever he has found.
- If not able to reach a container he found, he will still point his head towards the direction of what he found, giving the player character a hint on chests, trunks, and other containers with valuable loot usually placed in the top of buildings.
- While Dogmeat is technically a companion, the benefits of Lone Wanderer still apply if the Sole Survivor adventures with Dogmeat.
- If sent to wait at the Red Rocket truck stop where he is first met, one of Dogmeat's idle animations is putting his front legs on certain objects, like the hole in the pillars. Other dogs encountered (such as the ones sold by Gene) will also do this.
- If Dogmeat is dismissed, sent back to a settlement, then asked to trade, the Sole Survivor will refer to him by his real name, regardless of whether they know it yet.
- Dogmeat does not count as a settler when in a settlement, and will not respond to the "Settler Rally" bell. He will stay wherever he is at the time, likely near the closest doghouse.
- If entering the "Command" menu while crouched, the Sole Survivor will whisper to Dogmeat. If entering after telling Dogmeat to stay and being a fair distance from him, they will shout and whistle.
- When not in combat, Dogmeat will occasionally pull out a teddy bear and will chew on it and throw it into the air, playing with it. The teddy bear will not be "consumed" and remain in his inventory for storage. This happens regardless of whether Dogmeat has a teddy bear in his inventory or not.
- If an ally of any faction is killed, Dogmeat will give a "mournful howl", as called by subtitles.
- During Arthur Maxson's first speech, Dogmeat will walk to the center of the room and will be unable to be interacted with for its duration. Once Maxson finishes it with his "Ad Victoriam" salute, Dogmeat will perform his "bunny trick".
- Dogmeat appears in Fallout Shelter as a legendary German Shepherd.
- When engaged in combat against humanoid enemies, Dogmeat can trigger a variety of melee moves during the fight, such as a limb bite move, which he uses to hold an enemy in place by biting their limbs, which works with humans, synths, super mutants, and feral ghouls, and a neck bite finishing move, which can eventually trigger when he engages a human enemy with health low enough to be instantly killed by his attacks, on which he jumps and knocks them down to finally kill them with a deadly neck bite.
- Dogmeat has the highest stealth of the companions.
- He is the only German Shepherd to appear in the game, making him unique among the canines that roam the Commonwealth.
Licensing[]
This article contains content derived from the "Dogmeat" article on Nukapedia, licensed under CC-BY-SA.
