DD

DD  or D-Dog (Diamond Dog) was the pet canid of the private military company Diamond Dogs during the 1980s. Like his owner, Venom Snake, the dog wore an eyepatch over his missing right eye.

Biography
As a puppy, DD lost the use of his right eye and was presumably an orphan. The puppy was found alone by Venom Snake during a mission in 1984. DD was later taken by Fulton Recovery to Diamond Dogs' Mother Base, his new home.

The puppy was present with Ocelot upon Snake's return to Mother Base, licking the latter's face as he picked him up. Ocelot explained that the puppy had been a troublemaker after it had arrived, and that he was unsure of its specific breed. Believing that the pup may be useful in the future, Ocelot intended to train him, comparing him to a diamond in the rough that required some polishing. Snake agreed, noting the irony of an ocelot raising hounds.

After DD had fully grown and been trained for a combat support role, Big Boss had the dog accompany him on his missions, at the suggestion of Ocelot.

DD was present on Mother Base when Metal Gear Sahelanthropus was taken there by Diamond Dogs and when Miller announced that the world no longer had nuclear weapons.

Behind the scenes
DD is a character that appears in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. DD will accompany Snake on missions via the buddy system, and like Quiet, meeting him is entirely optional. When DD is first recruited, the iDroid notification refers to him as Wild Puppy.

The concept of a dog accompanying Big Boss in a new Metal Gear game was first hinted at on the GDC 2012 website Development Without Borders, which included "secret" concept art depicting Big Boss with a dog. This artwork was later updated to better reflect the game's development. DD's exact breed is unknown, being described as either a wolf or a dog in various sources, and in some cases, even a wolf dog hybrid.

DD made his public debut in the September 19-20 showing of the TGS 2014 demo. During the demo, Venom Snake throws an Active Decoy that piques the pup's curiosity. In the Japanese version, the decoy balloon that popped up was of Lisa, the ghost from the P.T. demo of the cancelled Silent Hills. The English version had a variant of Venom Snake's standard one.

In the TGS 2014 demo, the puppy is found in Central Africa, whimpering near a dead wolf, its presumed parent, with Sean Eyestone implying that it had been killed by a sniper round heard earlier in the demo. However, in the final version, the puppy is found in Afghanistan, and its parent is neither seen nor mentioned. The demo also featured Quiet acting as Snake's buddy, although the final version makes DD recruitable well before Quiet's first appearance.

On May 27, 2015, Hideo Kojima tweeted two photos of a prototype DD figure by Play Arts KAI wearing a Sneaking Suit while holding a knife in his mouth.

On the June 17 demo for The Phantom Pain at E3 2015, some elements of DD's role as a buddy combatant was shown. DD's gender was confirmed to be male in the main menu featured in the demonstration, with the presenter repeatedly referring to him by masculine pronouns, and supported by DD. Lifting his leg up to urinate at the start of the mission (female canids squat when urinating).

Recruitment
Once Mission 02 has been cleared, DD can be recruited as a Buddy, and is found near the deployment points of Mission 03, 04 and 05. The main points he appears in during free roam are near Shago Village, the Eastern Communications Post, and Wakh Sind Barracks. If Mission 01 is replayed, he can be found on a hill before the first guard outpost. The puppy can be recovered via Fulton when he is found (tranquilizing him is not necessary).

If the player misses DD in the mission he is recruited at, the player may go back to the location he is found at during free roam or a mission to recruit him at any time. While accompanying Snake, DD will sniff out guards and plants, and bark to warn of any enemies, objectives, animals, weapons, and hostages nearby. DD will occasionally urinate and mark territory.

Here is a video showing how to get DD.

Overview
DD can be commanded to distract nearby soldiers by barking, as well as attack or stun enemies depending on the equipment allocated to him by the player. DD can also be outfitted with Fulton balloons and can extract prisoners and enemies when ordered to, providing the subject is accessible and able to be recovered safely. DD is also capable of detecting nearby medicinal herbs, enemy, and prisoners. A good partner to have at the beginning of the game when the player has a low level intel unit and especially during the Quiet battle and even more useful during the Quiet extreme battle. DD's ability to spot enemies is only used when he's around. If the player dismisses him, any enemies DD has detected but the player has not mark, will simply disappear.

When DD's relationship has been maxed out, the player has the option to customize DD's eye and coat color.

D-Dog has 12,000 health and 6,000 stamina.

Bond level
Like Quiet, D-Dog has various variations on increasing a bond level with Snake, which unlocks new skills.

Scouting distances
D-Dog's scouting distances vary depending on bond levels with Venom Snake.

Easter eggs
Several Easter eggs animations can be done with DD.

Missing Master
If Snake has been gone from Mother Base for a long period of time, and his Bond with DD is sufficient, upon returning to Mother Base, DD will pounce on Snake and affectionately lick his face. Ocelot will tell Snake to return frequently, since it sets a bad example for him to be gone, and DD gets lonely.

Smelly Snake
If the player has not showered in a long time, and has DD with them, upon returning to Mother Base, DD will jump out of the helicopter and run behind Ocelot, and will shake his head due to the smell.

Interaction
As a pup, DD will always greet the player when they return to Mother Base, and proceed to follow them and excitedly bark. If he is the selected buddy, he will accompany the player to Mother Base, and follow them around. However, he will only stay on the platform the player lands on, meaning if the player wants to take DD around the base with them, they will have to travel by helicopter.