Published , by TJ Denzer
Published , by TJ Denzer
Fairly recently, we had a pretty bittersweet story regarding the passing of River, the German Shepherd that Fallout 4’s Dogmeat companion was based on. While it was sad, it was also awe-inspiring how the real-life doggo inspired the behaviors and reactions of Dogmeat in the game, making the bond between the player and the dog in the game feel that much more real. Well, Xbox and Bethesda recently came together to better honor River. They’ve made a $10,000 donation to an animal care organization and encourage others to donate as well.
It was recently that Xbox revealed its combined donation to the Montgomerey County Humane Society in honor of River, as further confirmed by MoCo Human Society itself. River was a German Shepherd that played a huge part in the development of Fallout 4, often an attendee at the studio where the staff’s interaction with her helped shape the development and behavior of Dogmeat. It was in late June that River passed away, as shared by her person, former Fallout 4 developer, and studio director at CAPY, Joel Burgess.
It’s a very cool thing on Xbox and Bethesda’s part to say the least, and perhaps more importantly is not just that they made the donation themselves, but also encourage others to donate as well. They even provided directions on where to go to help out if one feels so inclined. For its part, Montgomery County Humane Society is a good, 100 percent privately-owned organization dedicated to eliminating animal homelessness, providing care, adopting pets out to people, and providing education and further resources to aid in pet care and rescue.
With the donation, River is further cemented and immortalized through more than just Fallout 4 and the donation in her name should go on to aid in other animals hopefully finding a forever home. We’ll still always remember her fondly every time we give Dogmeat the good pets for aiding us in taking out a Feral Ghoul or Super Mutant, though.