Bat Family Pets

Em Eades, Staff Writer

A lot of people don’t know that there are a lot of members of the Bat family including many pets, mostly owned by the current Robin, Damian Wayne. As the resident Batfreak of the Paw Print, I felt it was time to bless you with the Bat family pets from the comics.

Goliath the Dragon

Goliath is a “Dragon Bat,” a species of supernatural beings which protects the ancient ruins of Bialya where an ancient sceptre is kept. When Goliath is an infant, Damian Wayne enters the ruins as a rite of passage to retrieve the sceptre for his mother Talia. Talia proceeds to massacre the entire species with Damian, sparing Goliath due to the young one licking Damian’s nose. Damian then takes the infant home to Talia where he swears to raise it to be a great beast, naming it Goliath. When Damian is left under the care of Batman, Goliath is left with the League of Assassins. Years later, while trying to atone for his history of cruel deeds, Damian returns to Goliath for assistance.

Ace the Bathound (AKA Titus)

Ace is a German Shepherd dog originally owned by a man named John Wilker. He is found by Batman and Robin after his master is kidnapped. Disoriented but determined to rescue his master, the brave canine dives into the river in search of Wilker. While on patrol that night, Robin spots the dog struggling in the water and joins Batman in plucking the dazed animal from the river. The dog soon recovers its energy and Bruce Wayne puts an ad in the newspaper, believing that someone would recognize the brown German shepherd with the distinctive diamond patch of fur on his forehead.

After realizing that Ace can help find John, Batman and Robin decide to take Ace with them, but afraid that people might make the connection between Bruce Wayne and Batman, they put a Batman mask on him, effectively making him a member of the team until they reconnect him with John Wilker.

Titus is the New 52 Rebirth of Ace. He is Damien Wayne’s Great Dane, which Bruce gives to him to teach him responsibility. The pair are at odds at first, but eventually become best friends, and Damian calls him Ace as a nickname.

Alfred the Cat

Alfred the Cat, also called Pennyworth, is a kitten given to Damian by Alfred, the Waynes’ butler and caretaker. Not much is known about Alfred the Cat, but Bat Family fans look forward to seeing more of the precious feline.

Batcow

The animal which would come to be known as, “Bat-Cow” is one of several cows involved in an evil scheme set in motion by Professor Pyg. The cows are embedded with synthetic hormones which are used by Pyg to brainwash victims into becoming his Dollotrons.

When Damian Wayne traverses through a slaughter-house on a mission, he comes upon the cow that has a bat-shaped pattern on her face. Disgusted by the meat-industry, Damian decides to become a vegetarian and adopt the bovine as, “Bat-Cow.”

Following this, she lives at the farm on Wayne Manor’s property (which in Golden Age comics was used to conceal the Batcave).

There are more pets on the Batfamily side (don’t even get me started on Bitewing), but these are the most well-known and the best of the best.