Dogs are canine creatures that could be domesticated.
According to the Newsline column on the front page of the October 22, 2015 issue of USA Today[1], a talented Border Collie called Maddy, who was a music video star and could ride a hoverboard, had her own one hour television special on Canine Sports Network that same evening.
Automatic dog-walkers were invented between 1985 and 2015 to take the mundane task of walking the dog out of the owner's hand and entrusted to an autonomous hovercraft, while suspended animation kennels were developed during the same period with the intent to keep dogs and other pets in general occupied when their owners were away.
Emmett Brown owned two dogs over his lifetime, Copernicus and Einstein. At some point, he made an automatic dog feeder for Einstein.
Doc's sniper rifle in 1885 apparently enabled him to "shoot the fleas off a dog's back at 500 yards", with the aid of the large telescope mounted onto it as a sight. Fortunately, much to the relief of any dogs that happened to be around Hill Valley at the time, Doc did not put this to the test.
Edna Strickland had a great deal of contempt for dogs, and even had them banned in the 1986B timeline on the grounds of them carrying disease and stealing shoes. Extending to Edna's dislike of dogs in the 1986B timeline, the Hill Valley Courthouse had two dog statues.
After several more revisions to the timeline, she had taken a liking to dogs and even walked Einstein on a regular basis.
Prior to the dog ban, George McFly and Lorraine considered getting Marty a dog to teach him some responsibility. Biff had a lot of dogs which kept the neighbors up at night, attacked the elderly and ate the squirrels at the park. It's apparently because of his dogs, that Edna went ahead with the ban, but Lorraine believed it to be an excuse.
Leech himself was allergic to dogs, and would often use his allergies as an indicator of one being nearby. Whether he's allergic to dogs in the original 1986 or not is unknown.
Behind the scenes
In the trilogy, dogs were heard more often then they were seen. The sound of barking dogs can be heard in the background of Back to the Future in various scenes:
- As Marty is walking into his home in 1985, listening to Biff tell his father, "I can't believe you loaned me your car without telling me it had a blind spot!"
- On the Twin Pines Ranch, home of the Peabody family, in 1955 after Marty crashes into the barn, as the lights are coming on in the house. Also, a sign reading BEWARE OF DOG is attached to the first post of the chain-link fence at the entrance to the dirt access road leading to the ranch.
- After Marty has been hit by Sam Baines's car, while George is running away.
- While Marty is inside George's house in 1955, dressed as Darth Vader.
Also, in Back to the Future Part II, a pack of dogs are seen roaming Lyon Estates in 1985A.
Trivia
- In the Back to the Future Part II first draft screenplay, Doc had a dog in 1967 named Newton.
Appearances
- Back to the Future trilogy
- Back to the Future novelizations
- Back to the Future: The Ride
- Back to the Future: The Pinball
- The Earth Day Special (Mentioned only)(Non-canonical appearance)
- Back to the Future: The Animated Series
- Back to the Future comic series
- Back to the Future: The Game