| Dogmeat | |
|---|---|
 Loyal Wasteland Companion | |
| Vital statistics | |
| Title | Dogmeat |
| Origin | Fallout (1997) |
| Voice Actors | None. |
| Activities | Following the Vault Dweller. |
| Weapons and Powers | None. |
| “ | *Bark!*
— Dogmeat
|
” |
Dogmeat is a Follower in the games Fallout and Fallout 2 by Interplay. Dogmeat is, as his name implies, a mangy dog. He is ferocious in combat, and can hit multiple times in a single turn before moving on, and can often take down lesser enemies like Raiders and Gangsters on his own, something most human companions have difficulty doing. Dogmeat is unique as he can not be given armor, weapons or use items, though the player can give him stimpacks to keep his health up. Due to his size it is rare that a player has to worry about harming him with friendly fire, making him, without a doubt, the most useful follower in the Fallout series. He would later have a descendant, also named Dogmeat, who would help the Lone Wanderer in Fallout.
History
Fallout
A couple of months before the events of the first Fallout game, Dogmeat was owned by someone in Junktown. After his owner was murdered by a traveling group of gangsters, Dogmeat fell into a depression. He also mated with another dog at somepoint, and begin a legacy that would continue for many years, and would include another dog, also named Dogmeat, who would help the Lone Wanderer during the events of the war between the Enclave and the Brotherhood of Steel in the Capital Wasteland.
Dogmeat can be obtained in the quest "Solve Phil's Canine Conundrum" in Junktown. He is standing outside the house of Junktown resident Phil's "guarding" it, and the old man and his wife are too scared of the dog to make it go away. The Vault Dweller can recruit Dogmeat by giving him an Iguana-on-a-Stick or simply by wearing a leather jacket. Later in his memoirs, the Vault Dweller would claim that Dogmeat died during their attack on the Millitary Base. He ran afoul of an energy force field, presumabley burning to death in the beams. The Vault Dweller claimed to miss him dearly in the hero's journals.
Non-Canon History
Fallout 2
Years after the death of the Vault Dweller, Dogmeat traveled around the wasteland, eventually relocating to the Cafe of Broken Dreams in a random encounter. He can be recruited if the Chosen One removes whatever armor he happens to be wearing, showing him his Vault 13 Jumpsuit. Dogmeat is made even more overpowered than the original Dogmeat in this game, leading to further belief that his appearance in this game is non-canon. He is also alligned with the New California Republic, and if the Choosen One dismisses him from the party with a low enough approval rating with the NCR, he may attack the group, forcing them to kill the dog.
Notes
Dogmeat is inspired by two famous dogs- Blood, a telepathic dog from the 1981 story "A Boy and His Dog" and the dog from the Mad Max film series. The name Dogmeat is given to Blood once early in the book by Vic, the main character, as a joke and Mad Max gives us Dogmeat's physical appearance. Dogmeat was originally named Dogshit and would have been found in the Hub, already owned by someone else, but this was changed in development. Dogmeat was also confirmed to not play a part in the original Fallout 3, project Van Buren.
Appearances
- Fallout
- Fallout 2