Does Dog die in The Walking Dead series?

Throughout the 11 seasons of The Walking Dead, many characters and animals have died. It is always a joke that AMC and TWD doesn’t like horses because so many have been killed, mainly at the hands and teeth of the undead. In season 9, another animal joined the cast, actor Norman Reedus got his wish when his character Daryl Dixon finally got a dog. This is something he begged showrunners about for years. Did Dog (Seven) survive the series end?

Introduced in season 9, after Rick Grimes’ (Andrew Lincoln) “death” and the six-year time jump, Daryl appears with a new pet he named Dog. Fans were excited about his new companion but were curious to know how and when the pair found one another.

After Rick “died,” Daryl set off on his own in search of the body. He lost the first person who ever made him feel like a part of a family. Daryl wasn’t accustomed to the emotions he felt in losing Rick and led a life of solitude for many years while he searched for the body. The only interaction with others that he had was occasion visits by his other close companion Carol (Melissa McBride) and a woman he met named Leah (Lynn Collins).

In the bonus season 10c, Dog got his origin story in episode 1018, “Find Me.” Viewers learn how Daryl was introduced to Dog, a puppy at the time, and Leah, a woman he would have a brief romantic relationship. When she leaves Daryl, Dog remains with Daryl.

It would later be revealed that Leah belonged to a group known as the Reapers, and she would eventually betray Daryl. He would kill Leah to save Maggie’s life in season 11.

The Walking Dead is Dog alive?

The story would unfold during the season 10c episode, and Daryl would take viewers on a journey of his life while searching for Rick, where he finds Dog, and what he thought was love with Leah.

Dog became his ever-faithful companion until the survivors left Alexandria to live in the Commonwealth. Fans saw Dog in the first apartment in the new community living with Daryl, Judith (Cailey Fleming), and RJ (Antony Azor), but after that, it would be a time before Dog was heard of again.

In season 11, episode 20, “What’s Been Lost,” Daryl tells Carol that, along with all of their other friends and family, Dog was also exiled from the Commonwealth. At that time, there were only two episodes remaining, and the question “Is Dog still alive?” was yet to be answered.

During TV Line’s weekly Q & A, one reader, Jeremy, posed a great question, and the response sheds light on the situation with Dog.

"Question of the day… WHERE IS DOG IN #TWD? As The Walking Dead inches ever closer to its series finale, “Dog is at an unspecified location. He’s been taken by some bad soldiers,” EP Angela Kang makes clear. “Maybe this is saying too much, but there were some COVID production reasons why it was harder to use Dog this year as much as we would have liked. There was a moment where Daryl said that the soldiers had taken Dog, which was just adding insult to injury, so he is somewhere amongst the [Commonwealth] soldiers. They were like, “Oh, let’s take him! He can be one of our canines!” But Dog is still out there.”"

During the series finale of The Walking Dead, “Rest in Peace,” Dog appeared in the one-year time jump, alive and well. When Daryl departs to look for Rick and Michonne, Judith promises him she will look out for Dog.

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