Overview
Pets in Outbound are optional animal companions that travel alongside the player as they explore the world and build out their camper van. At launch the system centers on a single confirmed pet, the dog companion, which can be adopted from Paws & Whiskers Lodge. No other pet species (cats, birds, small mammals, or tamed wildlife) have been confirmed by Square Glade Games as of the April 23, 2026 release, so this article focuses on the dog system and how it fits into the wider game.
The pet system was not part of the original design. It was added during the Kickstarter campaign as a community stretch goal after backers repeatedly asked for a furry friend to bring along on the road. The studio has said on Steam community forums that the companion is entirely optional, and players who prefer to travel alone can skip adoption and still complete the full game.
Adoption at Paws & Whiskers Lodge
Paws & Whiskers Lodge is the in-world adoption point for pets. The Steam store page describes it simply: "Adopt a new friend at the Paws & Whiskers Lodge who you can feed, pet, and train to help you." Visiting the lodge lets the player pick out a dog, choose its appearance, and take it back to the van as a permanent travelling companion.
Adoption is a one-off step rather than an ongoing mechanic. Once a dog has been adopted it stays with the player from that point on, riding along in the van and following the character across biomes. Players who decide to pass on the lodge can always return to it later, and players who want to change their mind about owning a pet can also treat the visit as a pure side activity.
Dog Skins and Appearance
The dog companion ships with five skin options. Three are standard and available to every player, while two are exclusive cosmetic add-ons from the Kickstarter campaign and are not part of the base game purchase. The exclusive skins were offered as backer add-ons during the crowdfunding drive and give the dog a stylised look with a rainbow tail, while the standard skins follow realistic fur colours.
Skin | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
Black | Standard | Solid black fur, available to all players from the base game. |
Brown | Standard | Warm brown fur, available to all players from the base game. |
Gray | Standard | Gray fur, available to all players from the base game. |
Cotton Candy | Kickstarter exclusive | Bright cotton candy pink fur with a rainbow tail, offered as a backer add-on during the Kickstarter campaign. |
Marshmallow | Kickstarter exclusive | Marshmallow blue fur with a rainbow tail, offered as a backer add-on during the Kickstarter campaign. |
Skin choice is cosmetic and does not affect the dog's stats, behaviour, or abilities. A cotton candy pink dog and a plain brown dog both fetch, carry, and bond the same way. Visual options for the player character itself are handled separately in the character editor.
How Pets Help
The dog is designed to be useful rather than decorative. It responds to direct commands from the player, which lets it act as a second pair of hands during exploration runs and farming trips. The core activities a dog can perform are summarised in the table below.
Ability | What It Does |
|---|---|
Fetch items | The dog can be sent to pick up an item in the world so the player does not have to walk over to it. |
Positional commands | The player can direct the dog to move to a specific spot, which is useful for setting it out of the way during crafting or combat. |
Carry supplies | The dog wears its own pouch and can store items, adding extra carrying capacity on top of the player's own bag. |
Dog express | The dog can be sent back to the van to drop off items while the player keeps foraging in the field, saving a round trip on foot. |
Travel companion | The dog follows the player through the world, providing company during long exploration and resource gathering sessions. |
The pouch and dog express features tie directly into storage and inventory management. On heavy gathering runs the dog effectively works as a mobile deposit box: load it up with scrap, wood, or plant material, send it home, and continue scouting. For players doing long loops through the outdoors or the coast, this can turn what would have been a single-trip harvest into a continuous loop.
Care and Bonding
Dogs are not fire-and-forget followers. The Steam description highlights three care actions that the player performs on their pet, and these shape the relationship between the player and the dog over time.
Feed: Give the dog food from the player's supplies, which keeps it happy and fed during long road trips.
Pet: Physically pet the dog during downtime. This adds to the cosy tone of the game and strengthening the bond.
Train: Practice commands with the dog so it reliably responds when asked to fetch, carry, or run dog express deliveries.
Feeding the dog pulls food out of the same supply the player is using for their own character, which lines up with the wider survival mechanics and cooking loop. Treats and snacks produced in the van's kitchen can be used as dedicated rewards. Care and training are what turn a freshly adopted dog into a reliable working companion, so players planning to lean on dog express for resource runs will want to invest time in the relationship early.
Pets in Multiplayer
Outbound supports drop-in multiplayer and co-op play, and the pet system is built with shared sessions in mind. Each player can adopt their own dog from Paws & Whiskers Lodge, so a full party can travel with a small pack of companions. Individual dogs stay bound to the player who adopted them, which means each member of the group controls their own commands, pouch, and dog express routes.
In practice this turns pets into a strong co-op resource multiplier. One player can keep scouting ahead while another player's dog carries loot back to the shared van, and two or three dogs running deliveries in parallel cut travel time on big gathering runs. Players who prefer a quieter game can still skip adoption in multiplayer and let their friends bring the pets.
Pets Versus Wildlife
The pet system is distinct from the world's wild fauna. Outbound features animals and wildlife scattered across its biomes, but those creatures are not pets. They cannot be adopted, named, commanded, or brought home to the van. Wild animals belong to the ambient world and the exploration layer of the game, while pets are a separate, owned relationship that begins at the lodge.
Square Glade Games has not announced any tameable wildlife or additional pet species beyond the dog companion. Any future additions would most likely arrive as post-launch content updates, which means at the point of release the word "pet" in Outbound refers specifically to an adopted dog.
Tips for New Pet Owners
Adopt early: The sooner a dog is brought home, the sooner its pouch and dog express become available, which snowballs the benefit of every resource run.
Keep treats in the van: Dedicate a small shelf in the camper van storage to dog food and treats so feeding never competes with the player's own meal plan.
Use the pouch as overflow: Drop heavy or bulky materials into the dog's pouch first, and reserve the player's own inventory for tools and fragile items.
Send deliveries before combat zones: Dispatch the dog home via dog express before entering risky areas so it does not end up in the middle of a fight.
Pet often: Short petting sessions during camp breaks help maintain the bond without eating into active exploration time.
Coordinate in multiplayer: In a co-op group, split dog express duties across players so one dog is always running loot home while the others are gathering.
Skip it if it's not for you: The developer has confirmed dogs are optional, so players who prefer a solo travel fantasy lose nothing by leaving the lodge alone.
Related Articles
Dog Companion: Full breakdown of commands, pouch mechanics, and training for the dog.
Paws & Whiskers Lodge: The in-world adoption location where players meet their future companion.
Animals and Wildlife: Wild fauna that populates the world but cannot be adopted.
Multiplayer and Co-op: How shared sessions work, including pet ownership per player.
Beginners Guide: Starting tips for new players, including when to head for the lodge.