‘House of the Dragon’s Latest Episode Featured a Return of the Show’s Goodest Boy

Loyalty is not a common trait among the families of Westeros. Aemond Targaryen recently barbecued his own brother with a dragon, after all. And yet one creature in House of the Dragon perfectly exemplifies loyalty in its truest form. I speak of course of the Ratcatcher’s Dog.

This adorable and sadly unnamed creature (played by a talented rescue dog named Bobby) first came to our attention in the episode “A Son For a Son.” He was the companion of Cheese the Ratcatcher, one of two men who committed the heinous murder of little Jaehaerys Targaryen, King Aegon’s heir. The dog was, as you can imagine, totally innocent of this crime, as all he did was follow the two assassins through the castle and get kicked for his troubles. (Fans were arguably more appalled by the kick than they were about the child murder.)

In the next episode of the show, Aegon stupidly hung every single ratcatcher in King’s Landing, having got out of the assassin Blood that his accomplice was a ratcatcher. This was a terrible event because it killed multiple innocent people—and it also hurt a dog. The poor, mistreated pup was seen at his master’s feet as he dangled from the wall, mourning his loss despite that horrible kick.

And then in episode 2×05 “Regent” it got even worse. It turned out that the poor dog had stayed by Cheese’s dead body even as it rotted. Aemond finally got around to having the corpses of the ratcatchers cut down and who was there but the dog. It had been a good few weeks since Cheese was hung, surely, but the poor thing remained. House of the Dragon fans were devastated by its devotion.

The dog has become quite the social media star and even George R. R. Martin has sung his praises. The author wrote on his blog after episode 2×02 aired:

I was prepared to hate Cheese, but I hated him even more when he kicked that dog. And later, when the dog say at his feet, gazing up… that damn near broke my heart. Such a little thing… such a little dog… but his presence, the few short moments he was on screen, gave the ratcatcher so much humanity. Human beings are such complex creatures. The silent presence of that dog reminded us that even the worst of men, the vile and the venal, can love and be loved.

Let us give all the pets and treats to the goodest boy in Westeros.