How to pet dogs and cats in Assassin's Creed Shadows

In Assassin's Creed Shadows, you can pet a variety of animals, including dogs and cats, and even adopt them to keep in your Hideout. While pets can’t help you in combat or quests, they make your Hideout feel more alive. They’ll roam around and interact with the environment, with you being able to pet them whenever you visit the Hideout.

To pet your dog or cat, just approach them and you will be prompted to pet them. This guide will walk you through how to find, unlock, and keep pets in your Hideout.

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How to get pets in Assassin's Creed Shadows

There are four main ways to unlock pets in Assassin's Creed Shadows.

You can find cats and dogs randomly in-game (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Ubisoft)

1) Petting animals in the open world

You will find cats and dogs moving about in the towns and along the roads while traversing the map in Assassin's Creed Shadows. If you walk up to the animal, you can pet it once prompted. Approaching Akitas or golden kittens will add the pet to your collection automatically. After you pet the animals, they will show up in your codex, which means you can place them in your hideout later.

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2) Completing Sumi-e paintings

While traveling, you may find objectives related to completing Sumi-e paintings. These are hybrid moments where you stalk an animal and turn them into a painting. You will be able to collect the aforementioned animals as a pet if you successfully capture them in your paintings. After you create these paintings, they get uploaded to your codex and you can move them to your hideout.

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3) Unlocking pets through quests

You can unlock pets through quests (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Ubisoft)

Some pets are rewards from specific quests. An early example of this is the "Thrown to the Dogs" quest, where you meet Tsuki-maru, a stray dog that becomes your loyal companion after its owner passes away.

Once unlocked, Tsuki-maru will be added to your Codex, and you can place him in your Hideout. Unlike regular pets, special pets like Tsuki-maru can only be placed once.

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4) Buying pets from merchants

Certain vendors, like Ornament Merchants, sell pets under the Hideout category. These pets can be expensive, sometimes costing up to 560 coins or more. If you’re low on funds, you might want to save up before investing in one of these furry friends.

Purchased pets work like any other pet — once bought, they’ll appear in your Codex and can be added to your Hideout.

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How to place pets in your hideout

Improve your Hideout to add pets (Image via Sportskeeda Gaming || Ubisoft)

To add a pet to your Hideout, head to your Hideout and select the "Improve Hideout" option or go to the miniature village model located in the Hiroma. Once you are in the Build menu, go to the pet section, which is marked with a dog head icon. Here, you’ll find a list of all the pets you have collected.

Choose the pet you wish to place and you will be able to position it anywhere in the Hideout provided no objects or buildings are obstructing the space. Most pets can be placed multiple times, but some special pets like Tsuki-maru are unique and can only be placed once. Once you place them, they will freely wander in your Hideout, adding life and character to your village.

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Turning your Hideout into a lively area filled with dogs, cats, and other animals is one of the most satisfying parts of Assassin's Creed Shadows. Whether you’re adding a loyal dog from a quest or a rare animal from a Sumi-e Painting, these little companions will make your Hideout feel like home.

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Check out our other Assassin's Creed Shadows guides:

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• All Samurai Skills for Yasuke in Assassin's Creed Shadows, and how to unlock them
• Assassin's Creed Shadows vs Ghost of Tsushima: Similarities and differences explored
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