How do you get a dog in Skyrim?

Answer 1

There are about 3 dogs you can get on Skyrim:

1) Meeko the dog can be found on the road near Solitude, he will bark at you a few times then run Into the Woods, follow him and he'll lead you to his little home called Meeko's shack, talk to Meeko and he will follow and fight for you like a normal companion.

2) Just outside Markarth there is stables somewhere around is a man, you can buy a dog from him for 500 gold, his name is Vigilance.

3) Barbas the immortal tanking dog, when you go to enter the town on Falkreath, a guard will ask you if you've seen a dog, and the guard will say some guys paying to find the dog, he'll give you a quest to talk to some dude called Lod who can be found in a house inside Falkreath, he will blather on about the dog and will give you a quest too find the dog, just walk outside the city on the main road and Barbas the dog will walk up to you can talk to you. then he will ask for your help apparently his owner and him had a falling out and now you have to follow him to his owner. after you get to his owner he gives you a quest called a drael lord's best friend (or somthing like that), Barbas will be be with you for this quest, fight for you and all the other stuff he is a quest item so he cant be destroyed or die for that matter, but if you finish the quest you will lose Barbas. keep the quest in in your quest thing and keep Barbas as long as you want.

When you get any of the dogs be sure to have a healing spell at the ready, you don't want to have to bury any of them.