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"I've got a lot of fond memories of that dog."
Indiana Jones[src]

Indiana was the family dog of the Joneses. An Alaskan Malamute that grew up alongside Henry Jones, Jr., the dog was considered by Henry to be his best friend.


"I had a dog when I was a kid and I never got over it when he died. He was my best friend."
Indiana Jones[src]

Indiana as a puppy.

The puppy Indiana was given to young Henry Jones, Jr. by his parents Anna and Henry Sr. while still in the crib at their home in Princeton, New Jersey.[1]

Jones had such affection for the Alaskan Malamute that he considered his best friend,[1][3] he adopted the name as his own growing up, calling himself "Indiana" by 1905.[2]

Together the pair performed scientific experiments, seeing if they could break the land speed record, or how to get to the moon. When the family departed for a two year world lecture tour between 1908 and 1910, Indiana stayed in the United States.[1]

After the death of Anna, Henry Jr. and his father took Indiana with them to Utah in 1912, and the dog was present when the younger Henry returned to their home with the Cross of Coronado.[4] At some point, Indiana saved Henry's life from a rattlesnake.[5] Indiana later died of old age in April 1916 while his namesake had left for Europe to enlist in World War I.[2]

Behind the scenesEdit

"So I named the character after my dog and ultimately, we put that in the movie."
George Lucas[src]

George Lucas and Indiana.

Indiana was the name of George Lucas's own dog, and was the original source for the forename of the Indiana Jones character. Chewbacca from Star Wars also took inspiration from Indiana.

The Lost Journal of Indiana Jones and My First Adventure both have young Indiana Jones refer to Indiana as male. However, in Travels with Father, he refers to the dog as female. George Lucas' dog was female, however.

Young Indiana Jones and the Secret City, set in 1914, states that Indiana died saving Jones' life from a rattlesnake. A passage in Indiana Jones Jr et l'Ampoule Radioactive has Henry Jones Sr. mentioning that his son named himself Indiana "in honor of his poor dead dog who saved his life". This concurs with the events mentioned in Secret City though this story takes place before it.



Notes and referencesEdit