Deathhounds Pet Animations Restored - Cut Content Restoration

⭐ ⭐ (592 endorsements) 📥 54,889 downloads 📌 v1.1 📅 10/1/2021
⚪ Last updated 2021

By Exalderan · Bug Fixes

⬇ Download Mod Source: Nexus Mods ↗ 📅 Updated: 10/3/2021 📅 Created: 10/1/2021
⚠️ Install Order · 5 steps
1🛠️ SKSE64 — Skyrim Script Extender 64 Download ↗
2🔧 USSEP — Unofficial Skyrim Special Edition Patch Download ↗
3🖥️ SkyUI — SkyUI (MCM framework) Download ↗
4🧩 Address Library — Address Library for SKSE Plugins Download ↗
5🔧 SSE Engine Fixes — SSE Engine Fixes Download ↗

Install in this order, then this mod last — most mods fail to load without their framework and dependencies in place.

🔍 Analysis

  • 👍 1.1% endorsement rate — high engagement, a strong quality signal
  • 🏆 #90 of 92 Bug Fixes mods in this game by downloads

📋 About This Mod



Details

This is partly Cut Content with a bit of added flavour in the form of a color swap for the deathhounds CuSith and Garmr you encounter in Castle Volkihar. I restored the typical dog animations for both of them, like laying down sitting and barking and stuff, all with their own bark sounds (This is in line with the bone wolf Creation from the Creation Club too). Both deathhounds have their shader effect only played in battle now. It's quite distracting in peaceful environments and doesn't look that great when inspecting it up close. I also swapped the body color palette for CuSith to a more reddish look more resembling a deathhoung pet in Elder Scrolls Online. For Garmr I changed his eye color emittance to a blueish color like the draugr in Skyrim or the one of Molag Bal in Elder Scrolls Online. Now you can have the obnoxious dog barking for your favorite deathhound followers too!

Features

  • []Dog animations with their own Deathhound barking

    []Adoptable

    []Deathhound abilities: 33% Frost Resist and 1dmg Frost Cloak

  • []Optional (not cut content): Appearance changed like in screenshots.

    How is this Cut Content?

    The only indicators of this cut content I found was that they have their own race

    even though there are normal deathhounds in the game(and they are almost identical)

    plus they have their own barking sounds (which doesn't make sense without pet behavior)

    and a nif file called vampiredogpet.nif which had way more

    bones with things like double the earbones and bones for eyes, eyelids,

    brows, tongue and lips (which sadly is too complex for me to restore and build on).

    This would have a allowed for way more detailed and elaborate pet animations.

    But they stopped work on it propably due to time constraints.

    For the normal deathhounds they decided to recycle

    the wolf rig instead of making a new one since they support killmoves

    and it saves work. So when they looked at the pet deathhounds they

    stopped working on again they figured to just put the wolf rig on them

    too. The wolf rig however doesnt support the pet behavior, a thought

    that propably didnt cross their mind when it seems so minor on the grand

    scale of things that got cut. They couldve however used the dog rig

    which I changed them too. This would propably have happened to Bran and Sceolang

    too if there were husky enemies in the game, but they were created from

    the start just to be pets so they were saved.

    But isn't this in vanilla already?

    Doesn't some othe

🤖 AI-enhanced — based on mod data

Restores cut dog animations (sit, lay down) for the deathhounds CuSith and Garmr in Castle Volkihar, plus a color swap for added flavor. A small, focused bug fix mod with 592 endorsements and 54,889 downloads, last updated in October 2021.

✨ Key Features

Restores typical dog animations (laying down, sitting) for CuSith and Garmr in Castle Volkihar.
Adds a color swap for both deathhounds as a bonus flavor change.
Part of a cut content restoration, bringing back unused animations from the game files.

📊 Pros & Cons

✅ Pros

  • Community-approved with 592 endorsements and over 54k downloads, so it's a trusted fix.
  • Fills a small but noticeable gap—deathhounds acting like normal dogs adds immersion.
  • Lightweight and focused, does exactly what it says without bloat.

⚠️ Cons

  • Last updated in 2021, so it may not be tested with the latest Skyrim versions or mods.
  • Only affects two specific creatures, so impact is limited to Castle Volkihar encounters.
  • Potential conflicts with other mods that alter deathhound appearances or animations.
🎯 Is This For You?
For Skyrim players who appreciate cut content restoration and want more lifelike animal behavior in Castle Volkihar. Also for vampire-themed playthroughs where small details matter. Skip if you're not bothered by deathhounds acting like generic creatures.
📦 Install:Easy· Under 1 minute

💡 Beginner Tips

  • Since it's a simple mod, just drop the files into your Data folder or use a mod manager—no special setup needed.
  • If you use other mods that change deathhound models or animations, place this mod after them in your load order to ensure it takes effect.
  • Check the mod page for any compatibility notes, but for a small fix like this, it's usually safe to install mid-playthrough.

📊 Mod Details

Game
Skyrim Mods
Author
Exalderan
Version
1.1
Downloads
54,889
Endorsements
592
Category
Bug Fixes
Created
10/1/2021
Updated
10/3/2021

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