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Chinese Year of the Dog: A spotlight on Rollo and Buton for Outlander

ByAlexandria Ingham|
Photo credit: Outlander/Starz Image acquired via Starz Media Room
Photo credit: Outlander/Starz Image acquired via Starz Media Room

Chinese New Year is upon us and it’s the Year of the Dog. It’s only fitting that we look at Outlander’s loveable pups, Buton and Rollo.

Dogs aren’t that common in the Outlander universe, so when they do show up they tend to be loved instantly. After all, who couldn’t love the four-legged friends Buton and Rollo. With it being Chinese New Year today, and more importantly going into the Year of the Dog, it’s the perfect time to appreciate the two loveable pups from the Outlander books and TV series.

The illness-sniffing French pup

In “Dragonfly in Amber,” Claire almost lost her life. After giving birth to a stillborn daughter, Faith, she succumbed to childbed fever. Mother Hildegarde knew that death was close thanks to her trusty pup, Buton.

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Buton wasn’t in much of Outlander Season 2, but when he was there he was essential. Despite his age, he had an excellent sense of smell and could tell when there was an infection or illness. While he couldn’t tell Mother Hildegarde exactly what was wrong, he was able to initially alert her to a problem. It was a shame that we never got to say goodbye to this loveable and well-developed pup.

Rollo the wolf-dog hybrid

Outlander Season 4 will see a new pup join the clan. Well, Rollo isn’t actually going to be a pup, although two pups were originally cast for the role. The showrunners needed to make sure the two dogs playing Rollo had time to get used to the cast and the filming.

Rollo is a wolf-dog hybrid, the product of an Irish wolfhound in heat mating with a wolf. He quickly attaches himself to Young Ian, while everyone is in the Colonies. Claire isn’t too happy about the idea of a dog at first, but Jamie is much warmer to the idea of the pet. Of course, Rollo isn’t quite a pet, considering his wolf tendencies, but he is highly protective and a much-loved member of the Fraser clan.

Once you see Rollo, expect to fall in love with him instantly. He’ll be around for the foreseeable, as he’s in the novels from “Drums of Autumn” to “Written in My Own Hearts Blood.” No spoilers for the things to come for this important pup.

Next: Outlander Season 4 filming at the halfway point: What does that mean for the premiere?

While there may not be many animals that get a lot of attention in Outlander, these two pups certainly have. Is there another animal that caught your attention? Which of these two dogs did you love the most while reading the novels? What are you looking forward to when Rollo appears? Share in the comments below.

Outlander Season 4 premieres in fall 2018. Like Claire and Jamie on Facebook for more updates as soon as we have them.

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