“HHouse of the Dragon”? Hardly. It’s a hopeless world now.

The hit HBO series (Sundays, 9 EDT/PDT and streaming on Max) has been hijacked by a cute terrier mix, played by star dog Bobby, who wasn’t even mentioned in George RR Martin’s original “Fire & Blood.”

“This show could and should be called ‘House of the Dog,'” says Tom Glynn-Carney, who plays the mad king Aegon in the series. The dog lover and actor fell in love with Bobby during the dog’s memorable “dragon” appearance.

“I cuddled him for a while,” says Glynn-Carney. “He really is the star of the show.”

Bobby’s notable performance as “Dragon” began in the season two premiere, where he played the loyal canine companion of the mad Pied Piper Cheese (Mark Stobbart). To ensure that television audiences immediately loathed Cheese, who later gruesomely murdered Aegon’s young child, the writers of “Dragon” showed the Pied Piper kicking his dog out of frustration.

The outrage over the kick on social media was so great that Stobbart resorted to damage control, pointing out that the scene, which was monitored by the American Humane Society, Acting. Bobby was not injured in any way.

“Let’s just let the dog thing go! We were best friends,” Stobbart wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of himself smiling in a Pied Piper costume and holding the cute dog. “No dogs were let loose in anger.”

Director Clare Kilner was so touched by the dog’s performance that she insisted on bringing the furry actor back for Episode 2, when Cheese and all the other Pied Pipers are hanged in the town square on the orders of the vengeful and grieving King Aegon.

The only living being that mourns Cheese is his forgiving furry friend who watches over his once cruel master.

“I thought, ‘Oh my God, we have to have him at Cheese’s feet.’ Because dogs are so loyal,” Kilner says. “He’s kind of a metaphor for how hard life can be. Plus, this dog is so damn sweet.”

Even Martin was impressed by the dog addition in “Dragon,” writing on his blog that he doesn’t usually appreciate changes to his source material.

“But that dog was brilliant. I was prepared to hate Cheese, but I hated him even more when he kicked that dog. And later, when the dog sat at his feet and looked up… it almost broke my heart,” Martin wrote. “The silent presence of that dog reminded us that even the worst of people, the mean and the corrupt, can love and be loved.”

“I wish I had thought of that dog,” Martin added. “I didn’t, but someone else did. I’m glad about that.”

What is the backstory of the dog from House of the Dragon?

Bobby even has a Hollywood rags-to-riches story. The stray dog ​​was found on the streets of Cyprus and adopted before being cast as Buddy in Disney’s 2021 live-action film Cruella alongside Emma Stone (who declared him a “superstar”).

On the set of “Dragon,” the dog gets star-like treatment: “He’s treated like a prince and is so well-behaved,” says Kilner.

Dog returns for episode 5 and proves that dogs can rule

Bobby makes another star appearance in Sunday’s fifth episode. When Cheese’s decomposing body is finally taken down from the rope and taken away on a cart, his steadfast dog follows his master’s remains.

Bobby’s performance was fueled in part by the food strategically placed in the puppet’s shoe in the shopping cart. But it’s once again a heartbreaking performance.

“He’s such a loyal dog who was just waiting for his master,” says Kilner. “He was watching over him the whole time.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ‘House of the Dragon’ dog returns with love after being kicked