Dogmeat (Fallout)

Dogmeat is a dog that can be found in Junktown, a reference to the dog Mad Max has in the film Road Warrior. He can be found terrorizing Phil, an old man in Junktown, by 'guarding' the doorway to his house and keeping him out; the protagonist can distract him for the old man by acquiring his companionship. This can be achieved by feeding him iguana-on-a-stick (or the human-variant...) or wearing a black leather jacket, which will remind him of his previous owner - i.e. a reference to Mad Max - who also had such a jacket, leading the dog to believe it was he who returned. Unfortunately he hasn't, since he had been killed by thugs hired by Gizmo (most likely the Skulz) about a month ago. In the Vault Dweller's memoirs it is disclosed that Dogmeat died in the 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).

Follower Details
Using the iguana on a stick or leather jacket to distract Dogmeat also has the added side effect of him becoming a follower. He is incredibly effective in combat, perhaps even more effective than Ian, as he can do three medium - high damage attacks per turn, and has the same amount of health points as a full grown man. However, whilst he is incredibly effective, one should think carefuly before getting him to follow them as there is no way to stop him following you bar killing him - a difficult task, especialy for low level characters. This is simply because you are unable to talk to dogmeat and give him orders like you can with normal NPC followers and the Fallout 3 version of Dogmeat.

Appearances in games
Dogmeat appears in Fallout, Fallout demo and also as a part of an easter egg in Fallout 2 (he is found in the random encounter Cafe of Broken Dreams). He was not going to appear in Van Buren. He can also be found in the Scraprard in Fallout 3 and if you rescue him from the raiders he can become a companion.

Trivia

 * Scott Bennie was the designer who came up with the name "Dogmeat", which was initially applied to Jake's dog in the Hub (previously called Dogshit). Then Tim Cain or Jason Anderson applied it to the other pooch. It is also a reference to the movie A Boy and His Dog, in the opening scene of which, the title character refers to the title canine as "Dogmeat."
 * There is a character in Troika Games' Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura who bears strong resemblance to Dogmeat. He is a dog, simply named Dog. He will remain 100% loyal to the player regardless of his actions (whether good or evil.) Dog is a powerful melee fighter despite the fact that he cannot use weapons, items or armor. He also does not count against the player's max number of followers. It is likely that Dog and Dogmeat are the same character, as Troika Games consisted of former Interplay Entertainment staff - most notably Tim Cain.
 * As a result of heterochromia (a common trait among Blue Heelers), Dogmeat has one blue eye and one brown. These are the same eye colors possessed by Max's Blue Heeler in The Road Warrior.