In the starting town (Houton), find the little black-and-white dog sitting by the path and talk to it. Choose to be "nice" to it and it will join you permanently. The dog acts like a combat "Summon" (similar to the basic Rat), but with the following bonuses: (a) He does not use up a "Summon" slot to use, as he's always "active", (b) He doesn't use up any Mana, and (c) he never dies. If the Dog takes enough damage to be "killed", he simply gets stunned for a short while, then wakes up, good as new. Note that the Dog will not engage in combat when you first get him.Once you have the Dog, you will be able to select a new Talent called "Dog Training" the next time you have the option do do so upon leveling up. If you learn this Talent, the Dog will switch from simply following you around and digging up the occasional bone to Fighting like any other melee Summon. He is aggressive and fast, and is good at keeping enemies still (by engaging them) so you can snipe them with your bow from long range. He also gets a little spiked collar at the same time.