Dogs are considered man's best friend. While cat-people out there would tell you otherwise, the Fallout series of games beg to differ. In their years publishing the franchise, Bethesda has always included a dog which may have changed, but always kept the same name: Dogmeat. Whether you're talking about Dogmeat from Fallout 1 and 2, or the homage character in Fallout 3 and Fallout 4, the dog is a fan favorite.

While this canine companion can seem like a forgettable character to some, his history and inspiration are actually quite informative of the genre as a whole. His inclusion in the Fallout🐲 games has changed over the years, as has his role in the series.

While his most recent iteration in Fallout 4 is understandably his most popular, he's been helping out the player character since Fallout 1. It's time to look back on those long years with Dogmeat and finally figure out why and how he stole our hearts. Here are 25 things only real Fallout fans will know about Dogmeat.

25 𒁃 The Creators Say He's The Best Companion

Hey, you might disagree wi🃏th this next fact, but it was confirmed! I guess fans all need a little break from wasteland horror.

In an interview, Fallout 2 and Fallout: New Vegas designer Chris Avellone mentioned that Dogmeat is unquestionably their most popular companion. He﷽ mentions a few reasons for that fact, namely that it's because Dogmeat doesn't talk so players can project a personality onto him, that he's effective in combat and (I'm not kiddin🌠g here) that people like dogs.

Who knew the "aww" factor would play such a bi🐟g role in determiꦜning fan favorites.

24 Dogmeat In Fallout 1 Wa💛s OP (In Fallout 4 He's Just A Pup)

The Dogmeat from Fallout 4 comes off as a friendly pup. He's cute but can be vicious. But the Fallout 1 and 2 ꧙Dogmeat was a✨ real savage. One can only speculate on his power level.

Players who managed to recruit him in Fallout 1 quickly learned that he had enough action points to commit 3 or 4 high damage attacks in a turn. While this would usually mean𒁃 that the character is frail, Dogmeat had as much health as a full-grown human! Not only was he fast, but he also had quite a bite apparently. This made him a very resilient companion if the player character chose to recruit him, and made it twice as hard to be rid of him if you changed your mind. Why you would ever get tired of him is another matte🎉r entirely.

23 ♔ Dogmeat Has A Cyborg Counterpart In 🎐Fallout New Vegas

What's better than a dog companion? How about a robot dog? While Dogmeat didn’t make it as a companion in Fallout: New Vegas, Obsidian did provide fans wit🧜h a nice little nod to the can🔜ine companion.

The King is an Elvis impersonator who runs a gang in Freeside in New Vegas. This guy has a nice pet at his side all the time named Rex. Rex is no normal dog too. He’s modified with cybernetics, which even forms the basis for a quest in New Vegas. Getting cozy to the Kings means helping their leader and his dog out, wh💯ich is a great way to remind players how lonely it is to travꦏel without one. Obsidian didn't include Dogmeat in their game, but they made sure we missed him. Thanks, Obsidian, we love you too.

22 The Real Dogmeat Is Named River ꧒

It is logical to assume Dogmeat in Fallout 4 would be modeled after a real dog. After 💧all, it's so realistic! Also, so cute!

But did you know that the model dog for Dogmeat is a female German Shepard named River? She is the dog of Michelle Burgess, the wife of Senior Designer at Bethesda Joel Burgess. While this did wonders to make Dogmeat a realistic inclusion into the Fallout 4 universe, it also made her parents very proud. Ms. Burge🌳ss would upon the game's releasꦡe that her dog was now the star of the game, an accurate statement.

21 Dogmeat Ca🎶n Gear You Up In Fallout 4

Have you ever started a new Fallout 4 game and wondered: "how ca💙n I get super strong, super quickly?" As it turns out, Dogmeat provides an answer🎀 to that problem.

The vault in which you begin in Fallout 4 features a locked glass case. In it lies the "Cryolator" a powerful weapon which can freeze enemies. Now usually you'd have to wait until level 18 to open the master level lock. But your dog can . As we've established, Dogmeat is a master Burglar, and this ability is referenced in Fallout 4. Once the player has recruited Dogmeat they can return to Vault 111 and order him to smash the glass which protects the Cryolator. Players initially thought that this was a bug, but it's rather a reference to his Fallout 3 prowess. That's one res♑ourceful dog if you ask me.

20 You Can Give Hi💧m Dope Bel🌱lyrubs (All Day Every Day)

There's nothing much to say to your dog in the Fallout unive💝rse. But then again, that's not why you have him as a companion.

In Fallout 3, it was possible to scold or praise . In Fallout 4, you can play with him and rub his belly. It doesn't add anything to the game in terms of story, but it does work to develop the bond between the player and his canine companion. Indeed, it could be argued to bring more to the overall lore than other scripted events. It's about what the player does with those interactions that matter. This is especially true because of how grim the universe in Fallout is. Just like the relationships which inspired him in Mad Max, Dogmeat is there to add a human element to an "inhumane" environ🌊ment.

19 🙈 He Can Survive Nuclear Blasts

I know it sounds silly, but his canine instincts apparently ke♏ep him alive through a nuclear blast.

By now, most people know about the storyline of Megaton in Fallout 3. The player character is given the choice to either detonate or disarm the nuclear weapon at the cities heart. Now you're thinking, what kind of person leaves their dog companion in Megaton if they know they're going to detonate the bomb? Turns out, some people are curious (or cruel) enough to try it out. If the player does decide to detonate the warhead and leave Dogmeat in the city, he outside the city gates. It's a hilarious inclusion which demonstrates that Bethesda has learned how much players grieved the pup post-Fallout 1.

18 Dogmeat Isn't Afraid Of Anything ဣ

We've established that Dogmeat has evolved from a loyal but mortal ally (Fallout 1) into a bullet-sponge (Fallout 4). This has made Dogmeat and it's various iterations a real warrior. N꧟othing in the wasteland scares it now.

A great experiment by Games Radars' tested out this fact. Playing through Fallout 4, Hurley sent Dogmeat back 🤡to Sanctuary all the way from the Minutemen's castle. He chose to follow the dog all the way home and see what kind of challenges (if any) Dogmeat would encounter. What he saw establishes Dogmeat as the best Fallout 4 companions, as well as the fiercest wasteland menace. Dogmeat walked all the way home and fought a ton of things. It just strolled through ghouls and raiders and would fight them off when attacked. Because Hurley couldn't stand to watch his loyal companion hurt, he also cheated a bit and helped out. Once again, this proves that Dogmeat does its own thing, and doesn't need our supervision.

It really is, the best doggo.

17 Dogmeat D🌟idn't Always Like Orders 🃏

Who says wasteland, says feral dogs. It's well known that the mutts out in the atomic waste shouldn't be the best trained. Dogmeat is n🔥o different.

While the was added in Fallout 3 and Fallout 4, it wasn't always a possibility. In Fallout 1, he cannot be given instructions and can only be disbanded from when he falls in battle. Once you rec𓆏ruit this loyal dog, that's the only way to ge💃t rid of him! This turned out to be quite a challenge for low-level players because Dogmeat doesn't go down easily! Maybe the only reason everyone loves Dogmeat is that he won't let us love anyone else? That's a question for another day.

16 His Breed Doesn't Matter 𒁃

Continuity is a big deal in RPGs. Fallout's universe, in particular, is one of꧅ the most fleshed out. So while it may seem like a small det♒ail, Dogmeat's breed is actually a big deal.

While his early breeds were difficult or unimportant to his characterization, change in hardware made it possible for Bethesda to demonstrate a specific breed for Dogmeat in Fallout 3. Indeed, our canine companion in Fallout 3 and 4 is similar in name only, belonging to two separate dog races. The Dogmeat of FO3 is an Australian cattle dog, and the FO4 one is a German Sheperd.  Since the fourth entry in the series happens 10 years aဣfter the third one, they could iꦺn theory otherwise be related