A Ruff Situation OSRS: Quest Guide & All 12 Dogs

Two new quests landed on 8 September 2026 — and one of them gives you a dog that digs your clue steps for you.

A Ruff Situation is a Novice, members-only quest at the new Dog Shelter near Ice Mountain. Requirement: just 15 Crafting. Reward: your own puppy, raised into one of 12 breeds, that helps with Treasure Trails by digging steps so you can leave the spade at home.

Crab Quest, from the same update, needs 40 Sailing and 30 Fishing. Drink from a mysterious bottle on Dognose Island and talk to crabs. Small XP, big memories.

Here is what to do first, and whether the dogs are worth it.

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A Ruff Situation: Quick Walkthrough

• Requirement: 15 Crafting, members
• Start: Talk to Talia and Chase at the Dog Shelter near Ice Mountain
• Length: Short Novice quest, day-one completable
• Unlock: Adopt a puppy after the quest, collect more breeds as you explore

Your puppy grows into a dog as you care for it. Unlike kittens, dogs will not run away if you forget to feed them — stop feeding to keep a puppy permanently. They will run away if you die to another player in the Wilderness with them out, so leave them home for Wildy trips.

All 12 Breeds

Chihuahua, Collie, Corgi, Greyhound, Husky, Labrador, Pug, Samoyed, Spaniel, Bernese, Shiba, Yorkie.

That number is not a coincidence: your POH Menagerie holds up to 12 dogs, so collectors can house the full set.

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Are Dogs Worth It? The Clue-Digging Perk

Yes for clue hunters. A fully grown dog digs Treasure Trail steps for you, saving a spade slot on every clue run.

That matters because:

• Spade is a dead inventory slot on most clue steps
• Stacked with STASH units, dogs cut bank trips on long clue grinds
• The perk is passive — no upkeep once grown

If you live in clues, do this quest first. Use our Treasure Trails hub to plan routes and our anagram solver and puzzle box guide alongside your new digging partner.

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Crab Quest: Requirements & Reward

• Requirements: 40 Sailing, 30 Fishing
• Start: Drink from the mysterious bottle on Dognose Island
• Reward: Small XP in Sailing/Fishing-adjacent skills, plus crustacean conversation

No big unlocks here — it is a Game Jam flavour quest. Do it between boat-fishing runs: the Dognose trip pairs well with the at-sea fishing spots from the 5 August update. See our boat fishing guide for every 5x5 spot, and check rates in the Fishing Calculator and Sailing Calculator.

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What Else Landed 8 September

• Elemental Amulets left as-is: Jagex confirmed the new Slayer-crafted magic amulets stay at +10 Magic Accuracy / +2 max hit for now, despite being strong for their unlock level. Full breakdown in our Elemental Amulets guide.
• Pete Kayer PvP Challenges (7 Oct): Prayer switching, gear switching, combo eating tutorials at Ferox Enclave, with an Imbued Zaros God cape cosmetic poll. Preview in our Pete Kayer guide.
• MES 2.0 fixes: Client 240.7 fixed PvP Walk-Here priority, chatbox click-through, Telegrab piles and orb taps. No action needed unless you customised menus.

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Should You Rush These?

• Clue hunters / collectors: Yes to A Ruff Situation today. The digging dog is permanent utility.
• Sailing/Fishing trainers: Grab Crab Quest when passing Dognose Island. No rates change.
• Everyone else: 15 Crafting takes minutes. Do it for the dog.

Plan your next levels with the Crafting Calculator and keep an eye on the shelter — Jagex ran a charity naming stream on 11 September with Alveus Sanctuary, so expect the 12 shelter puppies to get community names soon.