Dogmeat (Fallout)

Dogmeat is a dog NPC that can be found in Junktown. 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 and, by doing this, recruit him as a companion. This can be achieved by feeding him Iguana-on-a-Stick or wearing a leather jacket, which will remind him of his previous owner. His previous owner had been killed by thugs hired by Gizmo (most likely the Skulz) about a month previous. 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, as he can do three medium to high damage attacks per turn, and has the same amount of health points as a full grown man. While he is incredibly effective, one should think carefully before getting him to follow them. The only way to get Dogmeat to stop following you is to kill him. This can be a difficult task for low level characters. This is because you are unable to talk to Dogmeat and give him orders like you can with normal NPC followers in the first Fallout. You can give orders to Dogmeat in Fallout 2 and Fallout 3.

Appearances in games
Dogmeat appears in Junktown in Fallout, the Fallout demo, and also in Fallout 2 in the random encounter Cafe of Broken Dreams. He is found in Fallout 3 in the Scrapyard. He can be obtained as a follower regardless of your Karma. He was not going to appear in Van Buren.

Trivia

 * He is a reference to the dog Mad Max has in the film Road Warrior, a Blue Heeler simply named "Dog." 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 Dog in the film.
 * Scott Bennie was the designer who came up with the name "Dogmeat." The name was initially applied to Jake's dog in the Hub (previously called Dogshit). The name was later applied it to the current NPC Dogmeat, either by Tim Cain or Jason Anderson.
 * 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.
 * Dogmeat might also be based from the 1975 movie A Boy and His Dog. The movie is about a "Solo" wandering a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The first thing Vic, the "solo wanderer" called the dog in this movie is "Dogmeat." Later in the film it is learned that his name is actually "Blood." In the movie the dog is very loyal regardless of Vic's actions, retrieves weapons, and helps in fights. However, Blood's breed is a Komondore.