After 13 years of waiting, dogs have officially arrived in Old School RuneScape—and it all starts with the new A Ruff Situation quest. This short member-only quest is designed to be beginner-friendly, requiring just 15 Crafting and a small combat encounter.
Once completed, you’ll unlock the ability to adopt your own puppy, giving your OSRS adventures a brand-new companion. Build up your OSRS gold and buy RS gold, level faster, and stay ahead of the competition. Here’s everything you need to know before starting.
What Do You Need for A Ruff Situation?
Before heading out, make sure you have:
Members status
15 Crafting
Basic combat gear
Food for the wolf fight
A Brass Key — strongly recommended to avoid backtracking
The requirements are light, so even newer members should be able to get started quickly.
A Ruff Situation Walkthrough: Step by Step
Step 1: Start the Quest at the Dog Shelter
Travel to the new dog shelter near Ice Mountain and speak with Talia and Chase.
Talk through their dialogue to officially begin A Ruff Situation. Your objective is to investigate the disappearance of several puppies.
Start here before heading to Varrock, as this conversation sets up the rest of the quest.
Step 2: Visit Gertrude in Varrock
Make your way to Gertrude’s house in Varrock and speak with Gertrude.
She provides information related to the missing dogs and points you toward your next destination.
Once you’ve finished the conversation, leave Varrock and head toward the west entrance.
Step 3: Find the Stray Dog
At the west entrance of Varrock, look for the Stray Dog.
Interact with it and follow the dialogue. The dog will eventually lead you toward its home.
Follow the Stray Dog rather than wandering around looking for the missing puppies—this is the key progression step.
Step 4: Investigate the Dog’s Home
Once you reach the dog’s home, investigate the area and follow the available clues.
You’ll discover that three puppies are missing. Continue following the trail to locate them one by one.
The quest gradually leads you toward the final location where the missing puppy is being held.
Step 5: Use the Brass Key and Fight the Wolves
For the final section, you’ll need to access a locked area.
This is where bringing a Brass Key ahead of time saves you a return trip.
After entering, you’ll encounter three wolves. Defeat all three using your preferred combat setup.
Bring food and basic combat equipment, especially if your account is relatively low level.
Once the wolves are defeated, rescue the missing puppy and prepare to return to the shelter.
Step 6: Return to the Shelter
Head back to the dog shelter near Ice Mountain.
Speak with Talia and Chase again and report what happened. Complete the final dialogue to finish A Ruff Situation.
You’ll receive 1 Quest Point and 1,000 Crafting XP, while also unlocking access to the new dog adoption system.
Choose Your New Best Friend
After completing the quest, you can spend 200 coins to adopt a puppy from the shelter.
There are 12 breeds available, including Chihuahua, Collie, Corgi, Greyhound, Husky, Labrador, Pug, Samoyed, Spaniel, Bernese Mountain Dog, Shiba Inu, and Yorkshire Terrier.
Your puppy can eventually grow into an adult dog through regular feeding. Adult dogs also have a useful Treasure Trails perk: they can dig up clue steps for you, meaning you won’t always need to carry a spade.
Prefer the puppy look? Simply don’t feed it. Unlike cats, dogs won’t run away just because you leave them unfed.
Important Dog Rules to Know
There are a few things every new dog owner should remember.
If you die to another player in the Wilderness while your dog is with you, the dog will run away and disappear. So think twice before bringing your favorite companion into dangerous PvP areas.
You can also store your collection in the Menagerie of your Player-Owned House, with space for up to 12 different dogs.
A Ruff Situation at a Glance
Requirements: Members + 15 Crafting
Recommended supplies: Food, combat gear, Brass Key
Combat: Defeat three wolves
Rewards: 1 Quest Point + 1,000 Crafting XP
Dog adoption: 200 coins
Breeds: 12
Adult dog perk: Helps with Treasure Trail digging
POH Menagerie: Store up to 12 dogs
A Ruff Situation is short, accessible, and surprisingly rewarding. If you’ve been waiting for dogs to finally become part of OSRS, this is the quest that officially starts the adventure.
