[Zombody]

A typical dog is considered man’s best friend, a lifelong companion with a world of loyalty for its owners. Most dogs will do anything possible within their capabilities to serve and protect their owners, even at their own peril. They’re not all wonderful, no different to humans in that sense, but I respect the bond between people and their dogs, regardless of my own lack of interest in animals as pets.

In the event of a zombie apocalypse, humans will take their dogs with them, wherever they go, for more than obvious reasons. That’s fine. The only thing that concerns me is that I wouldn’t trust a dog to keep the undead at a distance. Quite the opposite, I fear that dogs would make a habit of barking to no end, perhaps in an attempt to protect their owners, only to attract more and more zombies.

It’s not entirely different to having a loved one with some form of disability or a young child in your company, considering a lack of understanding they may (or may not) have about what they should or shouldn’t do in certain situations. The natural instinct can easily override logic, leaving dogs barking to deter zombies, and children screaming in fear that the zombies will hear them. That said, we’re all capable of doing the wrong things at the wrong time, even when we know the best decisions.

But on the subject of dogs, I can only wonder whether they’d fill our loneliness by their own presence or by repeatedly finding us new friends in the undead.

[Zombie362]

Total liability since they can bark at any time and reveal your position. I've often said the only reason I have 4 very large dogs is because if there is ever a catastrophic event I have a few hundred pounds of meat very readily available.

[CLFilms]

It's kind of funny you mention the topic of dogs because I cover them in a case study I did on FM 999-3, which is this video right here. I talk about Dogs in Iraq and how they're actually a liability...

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=5aCMA1rUXFc

[massacre07]

I consider animals a liability in general in the ZPAW, including farm animals and domesticated pets. If I remain in a populated area with the constant threat of zombies I will heavily consider not keeping any live animals. However if I encounter any formerly domesticated animal while on patrol(etc etc) and needed meat I would do what I have to do.

[rowdyrugby]

Dogs need to be fed. Many breeds need healthcare available. Liability.

[Vorpal]

They're both*. Friend and liability aren't polar opposites.

They're hardly different than a difficult child. One main difference is that a person that abandons a human child is more likely (in comparison to abandoning an animal) to be perceived as some sort of monster.





*On average. A well-trained dog may not be a liability at all.

[rharmelink]

Here's a zombie book with the dog as the main character:

Bones: The Complete Apocalypse Saga
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005HRSUS0

But it's got some weird freakin' zombies...

[Zombody]

I believe that abandoning a dog is as good as it is bad in a post-apocalyptic environment. If not wiped out, many dogs would return to a wild mentality, forming potentially dangerous packs. It’s bad enough that we’d have the undead to deal with, let alone the likes of dangerous animals and survivors. I hate to admit that dogs would probably have to be eliminated without any second thoughts, knowing that a wild dog is as much of a liability as a dog kept as a pet.

[mattifikation]

If anyone shoots my dog, their mother better hope they didn't do it with their last bullet.

[Zombody]

mattifikation, on 02 May 2012 - 01:06 AM, said:

If anyone shoots my dog, their mother better hope they didn't do it with their last bullet.

Fair enough. But out of curiosity, I'm interested to know what you would do if, hypothetically, your location is surrounded by the undead, and your dog begins to bark. The noise could be loud enough to attract large hordes of enemies, creating danger for you, anybody with you, and your dog.

[UNDEAD FRED]

Zombody, on 05 May 2012 - 06:43 PM, said:

mattifikation, on 02 May 2012 - 01:06 AM, said:

If anyone shoots my dog, their mother better hope they didn't do it with their last bullet.

Fair enough. But out of curiosity, I'm interested to know what you would do if, hypothetically, your location is surrounded by the undead, and your dog begins to bark. The noise could be loud enough to attract large hordes of enemies, creating danger for you, anybody with you, and your dog.

on the flip side of the coin, you have to sleep sometime, and the living sneaking up on you to take what you have, and or to kill you it would be nice to have a early warning system. I would back Mattifikation's play if someone wanted to hurt his dog. If your location was surrounded by the undead then they know that your there anyways, not much you can do about it, and a dog barking might draw them to point A, as you make your escape out of point B.

[Zombody]

UNDEAD FRED, on 06 May 2012 - 12:56 PM, said:

on the flip side of the coin, you have to sleep sometime, and the living sneaking up on you to take what you have, and or to kill you it would be nice to have a early warning system. I would back Mattifikation's play if someone wanted to hurt his dog. If your location was surrounded by the undead then they know that your there anyways, not much you can do about it, and a dog barking might draw them to point A, as you make your escape out of point B.

You make a good point about dogs acting as early warnings or alarms, which could be beneficial in a variety of different scenarios.

[massacre07]

Zombody, on 06 May 2012 - 03:16 PM, said:

UNDEAD FRED, on 06 May 2012 - 12:56 PM, said:

on the flip side of the coin, you have to sleep sometime, and the living sneaking up on you to take what you have, and or to kill you it would be nice to have a early warning system. I would back Mattifikation's play if someone wanted to hurt his dog. If your location was surrounded by the undead then they know that your there anyways, not much you can do about it, and a dog barking might draw them to point A, as you make your escape out of point B.

You make a good point about dogs acting as early warnings or alarms, which could be beneficial in a variety of different scenarios.

When you're dug in and you've got supplies and people to protect I could see how a dog would come in handy to protect people but when you're out gathering supplies and on patrol a poorly training dog could get you killed. I know few people who train their dogs to the standards of military or police guard dogs and would doubt the resolve of many domesticated breeds in a fight or flight moment when confronted with a zombie. And how useful would an attack dog be against the undead anyway? Even a well trained military dog. Their training has them attacking limbs to incapacitate their targets, this tactic would be useless against a zombie unless the animal were able to remove the limb entirely (a possibility depending on the state of decay). However the only sure way to kill a zombie is to destroy the brain, not an accomplishment most dogs can easily achieve. Also since a dog's primary weapon are it's teeth I would think that the ingestion of zombie flesh or bodily fluids (sweat & blood) are highly likely and could cause infection if inter species infection is a possibility.

If a zombies craving for fresh flesh does extend beyond the taste for human flesh then I would suggest the use of animals as distractions to lure zombies into a trap or killzone.

[MorganaLeFaye]

what if a dog gets the infection by biting/eating a zombie ?

[mattifikation]

If animals can become zombies, I don't think that's a survivable situation. It's like saying what if flies, mosquitos, ants, and bees get infected?

[Vorpal]

mattifikation, on 07 May 2012 - 11:46 AM, said:

If animals can become zombies, I don't think that's a survivable situation. It's like saying what if flies, mosquitos, ants, and bees get infected?

That tunnel scene in 28 Days Later would've looked a whole lot worse.

[Zombody]

mattifikation, on 07 May 2012 - 11:46 AM, said:

If animals can become zombies, I don't think that's a survivable situation. It's like saying what if flies, mosquitos, ants, and bees get infected?

Flies would be a serious problem in a zombie apocalypse, and I would put money on them spreading the disease even without being zombified. If animals and other creatures could become infected, we'd be better off forming lines to jump off the nearest cliff than trying to fight that battle. I was bitten by some sort of insect recently while sleeping. So, that's me dead (or undead).

[UNDEAD FRED]

FRIEND or LIABILITY

[SWAT Zombie]

^ Nom

[Zombody]

Friend or liability? Or maybe just a creature in need of death by scorching fire. Lots and lots of fire.