The Resident Evil 4 remake is a fairly faithful recreation of the original Resident Evil 4 game, yet at the same time, it also makes some key changes that deviates from the source material, including how it handles Leon's dog friend. Early in the original Resident Evil 4, Leon comes across a dog whose ankle is stuck in a bear trap. Players have the option of freeing the dog from the bear trap or leaving it stuck, with this choice having consequences later on.
If Resident Evil 4 players decide to save the dog at the beginning of the game, he shows back up later on to help Leon with the fight against El Gigante, a Las Plagas-infected giant. If Leon decides to leave the dog trapped, nothing crucial in the story changes, but the dog doesn't show back up for the El Gigante fight.
When players reach the point where they would normally find the dog in the Resident Evil 4 remake, they may be shocked to see that the dog is dead. This has been known since well before launch, as Capcom released footage showing the dead dog. However, there is still a way to save a dog in the Resident Evil 4 remake - it just happens a little bit later on in the game.
How to Save the Dog in the Resident Evil 4 Remake
The dead dog that players first come across in the Resident Evil 4 remake is a fake-out. Players still have a chance to save a dog in a bear trap, but it doesn't happen until the start of Chapter 3. Chapter 3 starts with Leon in the Chief's Manor, the home belonging to "The Big Cheese," aka Bitores Mendez. The point of visiting this house is to get the Insignia Key that can then open the gate that leads to the church where the President's daughter Ashley is reportedly being held hostage.
When Resident Evil 4 hero Leon exits the house, players should be able to hear the pained howls of the dog. As it so happens, the dog is located right around the corner of the house, opposite of the gate that players have to go through to continue the story. Like before, Resident Evil 4 remake players have the choice to either save the dog or ignore it and continue the game.
If players save the dog, everything plays out pretty much like they do in the original game. Saving the dog means having some extra help during the El Gigante boss fight, so it's definitely something Resident Evil 4 remake players should do.
Resident Evil 4 is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, and Xbox Series X.
