Top 10 Video Game Dogs

This post is dedicated to Lucky the dog, who passed away this week. Lucky was a very cute, very smart, very lovable dachshund who lived with my friend Jason. Like most dachshunds, she was energetic and playful. She would greet all of us when we visited Jason at his house in Connecticut by tap dancing across the kitchen floor and wagging her tail so excitedly that it looked like she might take off. She was also a little stubborn, and a bit of a burrower. She loved hiding rawhide pieces underneath pillows and between couch cushions. And she also enjoyed video games, or at least enjoyed all the excitement that video games brought to the room. She would often climb up her miniature set of stairs onto the couch and bound across our laps trying to get a piece of the action during a particularly gripping game of Mario Kart or Smash Bros.

Dogs, and especially Lucky, have a peculiar way of creeping into our hearts and staying there long after they've gone. They are very much our best friends, as the idiom says. They are loyal, protective, and emotionally available. We have coexisted with them for tens of thousands of years, and the primordial relationship is stronger than ever. But it never gets any easier when one of them slips away from us.

I know Jason loved Lucky very much. I know his friends and family loved her also. And I know that all of us have a special place in our hearts reserved only for her.

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The top 10 video game dogs, in honor of Lucky.

10. Shadow (Dead to Rights)

Grant City is a dangerous place. I mean, if you come under fire from armed goons at a construction site, imagine what the seedier places in town are like. Keeping the streets safe are officer Jack Slate and his K-9 partner Shadow. Jack has an impressive arsenal at his disposal, but his greatest asset is Shadow, who can attack enemies on command, and will automatically destroy whichever bad guy he targets. Not only that, but he will return to Jack carrying items from the downed enemy. In some Dead to Rights levels, players take full control of Shadow in order to reach inaccessible areas, solve puzzles, and disarm bombs.

Shadow tackles a bad guy.

9. Lupus (Jet Force Gemini)

In Jet Force Gemini, players control three different characters in their quest to save the galaxy from the insect tyrant Mizar: Juno, his twin sister Vela, and their cybernetically enhanced mascot Lupus. Tough, unshakable, and completely loyal, Lupus is as important a member of Jet Force Gemini as Juno and Vela. In fact, players will need to use Lupus' hover ability to reach all areas of the game, find spaceship parts, and rescue every Tribal.

Vela, Lupus, and Juno

8. Interceptor (Final Fantasy III)

One of the most mysterious, misunderstood, and awesome characters in Final Fantasy III is the mercenary Shadow, who joins and leaves and rejoins the party suddenly and without warning. But Shadow wouldn't be as cool a character without his faithful canine sidekick, Interceptor. If Shadow is in the party, Interceptor can help out during battles. There is a chance he will parry physical attacks directed against Shadow, and a smaller chance he will counterattack with Wild Fang or Takedown, both of which deal magic damage to enemies.

Shadow and Interceptor

7. General Pepper (Star Fox series)

Commander in chief of the Cornerian Defense Forces, General Pepper is one remarkable dog. He has appeared in (or been mentioned in) every Star Fox game, and has played an important role feeding information to Fox McCloud and his Star Fox team. He is perhaps most important in Star Fox 64. Before each mission, the team would report to him, and he would brief them about the upcoming area and the dangers associated with it. General Pepper previously served in the army with Fox's father, James McCloud.

General Pepper

6. Wolf Link (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess)

Ok, so he's not exactly a dog, but I think we can make an exception in this case. Wolf Link is the alternate form of the hero Link, who transforms into a wolf when he enters an area covered in Twilight. In his wolf form, Link cannot use items but gains enhanced senses. He can learn scents and then use that knowledge to track missing people. He can also dig in the ground and communicate with other animals. Just like his human form, Wolf link is courageous, noble, and intelligent.

Wolf Link and Midna

5. K.K. Slider (Animal Crossing)

The first animal you meet in Animal Crossing is K.K. Slider, also known as Totakeke. K.K. Slider is a guitar-playing dog that introduces the game to the player. From then on, he appears in town every Saturday night, sitting on stool in front of the train station. He sings songs for the player and gives him or her a copy to take home afterward. There are a total of 55 songs in Animal Crossing, some of which K.K. will only play if you request them.

K.K. Slider

4. Laughing Dog (Duck Hunt)

I know that many out there are not the biggest fans of the dog in Duck Hunt, who mocks you without mercy when you fail to hit a flying duck. But he is such an important part of the game, and such a video game icon that he deserve this high spot. For those of you who don't know, the laughing dog in Duck Hunt appears at the beginning of each game, sniffing the ground, and finally jumping into and hiding in the grass. If you tag a duck with the Zapper, the dog will emerge with the duck(s) in his hands; if you miss all ducks, prepare for your self-esteem to hit an all-time low.

I like to think he's laughing with me.

3. Poppy (Samurai Shodown series)

One of the more interesting characters in Samurai Shodown is Galford, an American ninja who fights alongside his pet husky Poppy. She has two main powers: teleport, during which she teleports short distances above the opponent; and grapple, during which she throws, bites, or charges opponents on command. Galford adopted Poppy before he departed for Japan to train. Her puppies, all female, are Pahpa, Pippy, and Pippa.

Galford and Poppy

2. Amaterasu (Okami)

Ok, another wolf. But she's the mother of all creation, so maybe we can let it slide. Amaterasu (or Ammy, as she is called by her companion Issun) is the hero of Okami, a brilliant game that brings to mind The Legend of Zelda. Ammy appears to mortals as a common white wolf, but to those who can perceive her true brilliance she is covered in bright red markings, cloud-like fur above her shoulders, and a celestial weapon on her back. She is a beautiful, powerful, and compassionate goddess.

Amaterasu, goddess of the sun

1. Your Dog (Fable II)

The Fable series is very much about relationships, and none is quite as special as the one between the hero and his dog. The dog is found at the very beginning of Fable II and stays with the hero for the rest of the game. Mechanically, the dog serves to assist the hero in combat (he can attack and destroy downed enemies) and in finding treasure chests and dig spots. Emotionally, however, the dog serves a much more important purpose. The dog is your constant companion in Albion. You can heal your dog, teach him new tricks, and even play fetch. So strong is the bond that the dog's physical appearance changes to reflect the hero's moral alignment.

A hero's best friend