'House of the Dragon' Viewers Are Worried About the Dog — Here's What Happens to Him
“Let’s just chill about the dog! We were best pals. No canines were launched in anger. Rats, however…” Cheese's actor said.
Jun. 23 2024, Published 10:02 p.m. ET
This article contains spoilers for Episodes 1 and 2 of Season 2 of House of the Dragon.
The dog is an integral part of the assassination plan, as he’s Cheese’s assistant in navigating the sewers and paths under and into the Red Keep. As Blood and Cheese climb through the underground tunnels and into the palace above, Cheese tells Blood to bring the dog with them up the ladder.
It’s clear that despite his lack of personal resources, Cheese is very fond of his pooch — but that doesn’t mean his life has been free from abuse. As Daemon points out during their first encounter, Cheese is fond of betting on dog fights. Though it’s not obvious if his companion is a fighter in these rings (where he owes a lot of money from some bad calls), it’s likely this is where Cheese found the dog. But what happens to the dog in Season 2 of House of the Dragon?
Blood kicked the dog in Episode 1, making the internet angry.
As House of the Dragon is set in the same universe as Game of Thrones, it’s unfortunately not surprising that the dog doesn’t make it through the whole first episode without being harmed. Once the murderous duo has made it into the Red Keep, Blood asks Cheese how to get to the royals’ quarters so they can carry out their murder of Prince Aemond.
Though Cheese manages to get the both of them into the castle, he falters when asked to go upstairs, as he says that area is off limits except for certain rat catchers. After being threatened by Blood, Cheese concedes and takes the burly man upstairs, but not before the dog is kicked by the angry man.
As is typical, the internet was outraged at this, sharing their readiness to fight the actor and the show's creators for showing the animal being unnecessarily kicked in the scene.
What happens to the dog in 'House of the Dragon'? Don't worry, he's perfectly fine.
Not long after Episode 1 premiered, Mark Stobbart, the actor who played Cheese in the show, reassured viewers that the dog was not actually harmed in the making of the show.
“Let’s just chill about the dog!" he said in a post on Instagram, posing with the pooch. "We were best pals. No canines were launched in anger. Rats, however…”
Unfortunately, in the show, things are a bit different for the loyal hound. While the pup managed to evade capture in the castle (and was not harmed on-screen again) following the killing of Prince Jaehaerys, Blood did not. The half of the assassination team ratted out Cheese to the crown, resulting in the dog's owner being hanged, along with the other rat catchers of the city.
In a scene that’s already pretty heartbreaking, given the sheer number of poor citizens who openly weep over the bodies of their loved ones publicly executed outside the castle, the dog approaches Cheese’s body. He audibly wines, recognizing his caretaker and noticing that he is now gone.
What happens next to the pooch has nothing to do with the Dance of the Dragons, leaving it excluded from the story viewers see unfold this season.
Whether or not the dog returns in a later episode remains to be seen. Watch new episodes of House of the Dragon every Sunday night at 9 p.m. EST on HBO and Max.