Dog (Fallout 3)

Dogs are animals commonly found in the Capital Wasteland.

Background
Though 200 years have passed since the Great War, dogs have stayed generally unaltered by radiation, seemingly a miracle. Dogs are a favored pet for traveling merchants, as they provide both companionship and protection.

As a result of the radiation, most dogs have lost their fur, but some have retained their coat and appear normal.

Biology
Dogs are quadrupedal canines that can run at incredible speeds allowing them to chase down prey. While running, they use their long tails to keep their balance. They are carnivorous, with sharp teeth designed to rip into the flesh of an animal.

Dogs are very compassionate and familial. They groom their pack members and protect them at all costs, even if it means their death. When threatened, they growl and bare low, ready to attack. If the intruder doesn't heed the warning, they will leap on the trespasser and attempt to rip out their throat.

Gameplay attributes
Dogs are usually encountered in packs of four to six. To low level characters, this could mean trouble since they can easily overwhelm the player and surround them. To higher level characters, they are little more than a nuisance. They can be difficult to put down as a result of their erratic and quick running patterns. Vicious dogs (and their variants) are always hostile, unless the player possesses the Animal Friend perk.

Raider guard dog
Raider guard dogs do, what else, fight alongside their masters, the raiders. Since they're trained as guard dogs, they are very attentive and can spot you easier than most other creatures. The dog will then run at you, alerting the raiders of your presence. They are still affected by the Animal Friend perk.

Scavenger's dog
These dogs are found around scavenger's encampments, and will be friendly to you, as long as you don't do anything to their master, or them. Note that the nomadic scavengers don't usually keep their dog companions nearby, and if a scavenger is killed by something other than the player, the dog will pursue their masters' murderer, until the killer or the dog itself is dead. These dogs have slightly less health and attack damage than vicious dogs.

There is a Karma loss for killing the scavenger's dog, as well as the scavenger themselves and/or the scavenger's brahmin if they have one. Furthermore, scavenger dogs will attack if the player continues to pursue the scavenger even after a warning is given.

While the scavenger's dogs share a model with Dogmeat, with the same breed and the same type of heterochromia, scavenger's dogs are significantly weaker than Dogmeat.

Talon Company guard dog
Identical to vicious dogs, these animals will often accompany Talon Company mercenaries. Much like the raider guard dogs, they spot you faster than the mercs do and will alert the mercs to your presence. Furthermore, they are affected by the Animal Friend perk, much like their raider brethren.

Vicious dog
Ruthless survivors of the wastes, these irradiated dogs will always be hostile, unless you have acquired the Animal Friend perk. They often hunt in packs of 2-5, in open areas. Beware these dogs as they can sometimes spawn in semi-random areas. Vicious dogs seldom use flanking tactics. Once they spot you, they run single file and then encircle you, barring you from escaping.

Guard dog (Operation: Anchorage)
Used as guards by the Chinese soldiers in the Anchorage Reclamation simulation, they are unaffected by Animal Friend unlike raider, Talon company and vicious dogs. Guard dogs are worth only 1XP. They are identical to Dogmeat in appearance, even having the same eye color, one being blue and the other green.

Appearances
Dogs appear in Fallout 3.