The Mad Max Wiki
Advertisement

"Dog" was Max Rockatansky's faithful blue heeler in Mad Max 2.

History[]

Mad & Dog

Max and "Dog."

At some point after Max left civilization following the loss of his family he encountered an Australian Cattle Dog, he took it into his care and it became a faithful companion of his.

"Dog" was eventually killed by a crossbow dart from one of Lord Humungus' Marauders.

At least Max was able to avenge "Dog" death by blowing up the Interceptor, killing The Toadie and the Marauder who killed "Dog" .



Casting and On-Screen Performance[]

Miller originally thought that "Dog" would be a be three legged blue heeler called "Trike."[1][2] Unfortunately, finding a three legged dog posed a lot of problems. Blue heelers, cattle dogs, are a working breed and owners generally don't have working dogs with missing legs. Also, advertising for a three legged canine would most likely result in people mutilating dogs only to sell them for the film. Therefore a decision had been made to include a four legged dog, but with exceptional character.

1981 MM2 TRW - DOG 3

The film-makers then turned to Dale Aspin - a stunt woman and animal trainer to find it. She went to "Sydney Shelter" - the largest animal shelter in New South Wales located in Yagoona and auditioned over one hundred dogs. There she found a two-year-old blue heeler named "Dog" scheduled to be put down. He was put in the pound for being a "tire chaser." Blue heelers are very territorial and sometimes try to bite the tires of moving vehicles thinking they're biting at the heels of live animals which can even cause car accidents. However, "Dog's" proclivity to chase after things drew Dale's attention after she threw a rock. The dog fetched the rock and brought it back to her feet, inviting her to a game. It was enough for Dale Aspin to realize the dog could be trained.

The R.S.P.C.A. rule stated, however, that the dog be de-sexed upon leaving the pound. Miller tried explaining that such a procedure would not be existing in his post-apocalyptic vision of Mad Max 2 and it was decided in a questionable compromise that the dog undergoes vasectomy. After three months of training, the dog was ready for his first acting role, but immediately a problem occurred as he became very scared while filming. One of the crew-members discovered that loud engine noises are what caused the dog to literally soil itself. "Dog" hated cars -- the irony -- and wanted to stay away from them as much as possible. Sometimes filming a scene inside of a car required Max Aspin (Dale's husband, also a stuntman) to hold the dog so he wouldn't escape. However, "Dog" reacted very well to food and moving objects, so it was easy to make him move in a certain direction by throwing a pebble or make him focus by showing him food off-screen.

1981 MM2 TRW - DOG 2

The dog was very fond of actor Bruce Spence, who played the Gyro Captain. It caused minor issues with the dog being virtually unable to bark at and be aggressive towards the actor. Miller solved this problem by clever editing techniques that give the impression of hostility between the two. For example, in a scene of the Gyro Captain fighting with "Dog" over a snake, it's visible that "Dog" was actually playing with the actor, but with help of over-dubbed barking and slight editing it gave the impression that he was attacking the Gyro Captain.[3]

After filming, everyone wanted to adopt the dog because he was so affectionate. After a big argument[4], it was finally decided that the dog was going to be adopted by stunt co-ordinator Max Aspin and his wife Dale and moved to their farm in Gosford, north of Sydney. The dog, being a blue heeler continued doing what he did best - rounding-up animals around the farm and also eating the chickens. Max and Dale couldn't keep an eye on him because they were constantly working movies, so after five months they decided to hand him to the care of another Mad Max 2 stuntman -- Gary Gauslaa -- with whom he lived out the rest of his days.[5]

Trivia[]

  • The fan film Mad Max: Renegade tells "Dog's" origin story.
  • "Dogmeat" from the Fallout series of games is almost completely inspired by "Dog."
  • At one point, later in the original Walking Dead series, Daryl Dixon adopted a dog that he simply called "Dog" as Max did.

References[]

Video[]

For a full history of "Dog," one of the most beloved characters in the Mad Max Saga, check out the video below:

Advertisement