Daryl Now Has A Dog On ‘The Walking Dead’ So … – forbes.com

The Walking Dead is about to take its largest, longest leap into the future yet, a fact previewed at the end of last weeks episode where we saw former toddler Judith Grimes turn into a 10-11 year old badass.

The new time jump is six years, following a 1.5 year time jump when the season started, and as such, some things are changing.

But I think one fact is getting me more excited than most. In early preview footage of the upcoming episodes of the show, we learn that Daryl has gotten a dog during this time.

You can see Daryls dog a few times in these trailers, where hes not mentioned specifically, but hes clearly there all the same. Here is one very dark screenshot I snagged of him, and its clear that he appears to be some sort of German Shepard, an appropriate post-apocalyptic dog in the vein of I Am Legend, though hopefully he meets a kinder fate. This matches up with earlier spy shots we saw on set with Daryl and a dog several months ago.

Daryl has always wanted to be something of a lone wolf, so him getting a new friend that isnt human seems like a logical development for his character. As everyone else is pairing off into couples in the future, it seems unlikely Daryl will do the same, as he has never had a love interest on the show other than a few brief flirtations with Carol many years back. Many have speculated about Daryls sexuality over the years, but if anything he seems more asexual than not. And so, his pairing is not a partner, but a dog.

Without getting into any spoilers at all, I have seen this weeks upcoming episode and while we do see Daryl, we do not see a dog. So what Im wondering is if we might get an episode where we find out how Daryl meets and adopts the dog, rather than the dog just showing up and we dont get to learn/see that story. I really would love for episode seven to be nothing but Daryl and a dog saving each other from walkers or something like that, but I sort of doubt well see that.

The Walking Dead has stayed away from animals most of the time throughout its run. The show famously had that terrible looking CGI deer in season 7, but for the most part, we just dont really see animals in this world other than a few brief hunting trips, or now livestock in the new world order. And I dont think weve ever seen a dog before, unless Im forgetting something.

Oh uh, I am forgetting the giant CGI tiger Ezekiel had, but that was so bizarre it feels like some kind of weird dream.

But Daryls dog will not be CGI, and hopefully will become a permanent cast member that is not killed off for shock value. I can forgive The Walking Dead a lot of things, but killing Daryls dog? Oh hell no.

Even if Daryls dog is trained to be an attack dog, he probably would not be very effective against walkers, considering you need headshot kills to take them out, and Im not sure a German can crush someones skull with a bite. But for other, human enemies which will inevitably appear again? Sure, hell be super useful then. Also, he can help hunt, sniff out people or food. In short, the dog may well turn into the MVP of the show soon enough.

So the real question, what would you name Daryls dog? Im going to go with just dog, knowing Daryl.

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Daryl Now Has A Dog On 'The Walking Dead' So ... - forbes.com