‘Stranger Things’: David Harbour Speaks on What Happened to the Byers’ Family Dog
Stranger Things fans, huddle up. Everyone is waiting on good news about the new season, but in the meantime, it’s OK to digest anecdotes and behind-the-scenes scoop from the cast. David Harbour has plenty to discuss about Black Widow, but he didn’t need any special juice or truth serum to open up about ultra-secretive Stranger Things. He let the audience know how he really felt about a long gone character: the Byers’ family dog.
David Harbour talks fate of ‘Stranger Things’ pet dog
As one of the latest guests on Hot Ones, David Harbour was game to loosen up for an unconventional interview. Hot sauce did the trick, and he answered a question about one of Stranger Things’ least famous cast members. Host Chris Evans wanted to know why he called Chester, the Byers’ dog, his worst co-star.
“Oh my god, I hated that f-cking dog. I hated that f-cking dog so bad,” said Harbour, laughing. “Take after take, it would wander off or do something. And then I remember the trainer on the sidelines going, ‘Come on, we’ve got to make our money!’ We got to make our money!’ Yeah, I walked up to them, and I was like, ‘You know, the Byers should probably have that dog put to sleep next season.’”
Harbour added that they never spoke about the dog on the show ever again. He then joked that they should find it in the Upside Down in a future season. Aw, poor Chester, he truly turned into a phantom.
Noah Schnapp talked about Chester too
Chester has been out of the picture since season 1, and it seems like no one in Hawkins asked about him. Was it a Demogorgon? A car? Dustin’s deadly pollywog, Dart? Not even Noah Schnapp had a firm answer, but he speculated on his whereabouts. During an appearance at Stranger Con in 2018, he was asked why the dog didn’t show up in season 2, and he leaked a little season 3 spoiler.
“I think he died,” he said. “In this season, you could tell. There’s a grave for him that you see. Oh, I don’t think I was supposed to say that.”
Where can ‘Stranger Things’ fans find Chester?
Think back to Stranger Things season 1 where Joyce, Jonathan, and Will interacted with their dog. One notable scene with Harbour’s Sheriff Hopper involved Chester barking at the Byers’ shed as the sheriff searched for Will.
Really, his job was to bark and alert folks of danger. Chester barked early in the season when a monster stalked Will to his front door, and later in the season when the Christmas lights started blinking. He also enjoyed some Christmas grub. In a sad moment, Chester mourned Will when people thought he was dead.
Somewhere, at some point, there was an unceremonious funeral for the dog — but it all happened on paper. May the cute doggie rest in peace. Stream season 1 to remember Chester and scan seasons 2 and 3 to look for memorials for the pooch. And remember no pets are safe from death in Hawkins.
