Just in Case You Were Worried About Rollo's Fate, Here's Outlander Book Spoiler

Animals don't often play a prominent role in adult fiction, serving simply as plot devices to get the story going at some points, but hardly ever presented as fleshed-out characters in their own right. However, that is not the case with Diana Gabaldon's book series Outlander and the Starz hit show based on it.

Young Ian's faithful four-legged companion, the dog Rollo, has become a beloved character for many viewers, and while fans were happy to see Rollo alongside his owner in Season 7, many are still worried about the dog's future. Will Rollo be killed in the current season, and if so, will the creators make him die off-screen?

Given that Claire and Jamie's story spans nearly half a century, we are sorry to disappoint you, but like any animal with a similar lifespan, Rollo will die sooner or later. It is inevitable, given that Ian's half-wolf was passed on to him as a mature dog.

But that doesn't mean that Rollo dies or is killed somewhere in the background, which would completely devalue such a warm story of friendship between a man and a dog. Author Diana Gabaldon is clearly an animal lover, and she loves Rollo as a character as well, giving him a touching, yet very bittersweet life story.

Since Season 7 is based on the novel An Echo in the Bone, whose 18th-century timeline runs between 1776 and 1778, Rollo will take on a much larger role, not only at Ian's side, but at some point with Rachel and Denzell Murray, and even Ian's cousin, William Ransom. That means we'll definitely be seeing our favorite dog played by Northern Inuit Dui throughout this season, and even next one.

But alas, in the eighth book of Gabaldon's series, Written in My Own Heart's Blood, Rollo will die after all. But don't feel too bad, because the author gave him a fitting demise, allowing the dog to die a quiet, natural death by his beloved master and his wife Rachel, just a few months after their wedding (Lord John Grey even called him Ian's best man).

The dog had lived a long and eventful life, seeing and traveling more than most humans. Finally, convinced that his master was safe and even expecting a child, Rollo was ready to leave this world.

But in the Starz adaptation, Rollo's life is far from over yet, as we have yet to see many events that befall Ian and his dog. The next episode of Season 7 will be released on July 14.