Walking Dead Finally Answers A Daryl Question From Season 9
The Walking Dead has finally answered a lingering question about Daryl from the season 9 time jump - where he got Dog. Currently, the AMC series is back with a batch of six episodes, offering smaller, more intimate stories about its characters. The latest of these Walking Dead season 10 bonus episodes puts the focus on Daryl, filling audiences in on what he did during the six year time jump.
In the wake of Rick being taken by the Civic Republic Military and presumed dead by those he left behind, Daryl takes to living alone in the woods. The move is his way of avoiding the "truth" that Michonne, Carol, and everyone else had come to accept - Rick is gone. Daryl, however, refusing to believe this, spends years searching the riverbanks for any sign of Rick. When the Whisperers arrive six years later, Daryl finally returns to Alexandria, but he brings with him a dog. The canine immediately became a popular addition, but just where he came from remained mystery. Now, The Walking Dead has revealed Dog's origin story, and it's tinged with tragedy just like everyone else's.
In The Walking Dead season 10 episode 18, "Find Me", Daryl first meets Dog when a puppy comes scampering into his camp. He follows the pup to a cabin and meets a woman, Leah - or rather, is held at gun point and tied up by Leah. This woman is Dog's owner and the one responsible for his extremely simplistic name. Though initially distrustful, repeated meetings across the years find Leah and Daryl warming up to each other, and one night she shares with him her and Dog's tragic past. Leah once had a son, not by blood, but a young boy who she raised as her son. One evening, they were attacked by walkers and her son was bitten. Dog's mom was always with Leah and was pregnant at the time, and on the night Leah's son died, Dog was born. Since it's only Leah and Dog whom Daryl meets, it's implied Dog's mom and any litter mates also didn't survive. Following these revelations, Daryl and Leah grow even closer, but while away on one of his searches for Rick, Leah mysteriously disappears and Dog is left behind. Not long after, Daryl returns to Alexandria and brings Dog with him.
In true Walking Dead fashion, the answer to where Daryl gets Dog is tied to a painful memory. Rather than being a random dog discovered in the woods, Dog is the pet of a woman Daryl came to love and whose disappearance still haunts him. However, instead of serving as a constant reminder of yet another loved one lost, Dog is clearly a comfort to Daryl. Such is the nature of pets and the bonds people form with them, and in grief especially, animal companionship can often help a person to heal. This was certainly true for Leah and Dog, and it's been the same of Daryl and Dog as well.
Since coming to Alexandria with Daryl, Dog has been a welcomed addition to the community. Not only does he assist on missions, helping Daryl to track, but he's fought alongside Daryl in the Whisperer War. He's also been a comforting presence to other residents, and especially children, like Judith. Not since Ezekiel's tiger, Shiva, has an animal had such impact on The Walking Dead. And as it's easier to book a dog for a television show than it is to create a digital tiger, we can only hope Dog will be a part of The Walking Dead for all of its remaining episodes.