Growlithe

**Growlithe** (Japanese:**ガーディ** *Gardie*) is a Fire-type Pokémon.

It evolves into Arcanine when exposed to a Fire Stone.

## Biology

Growlithe is a quadruped, canine Pokémon. It has orange fur with black stripes along its back and legs. The fur on its muzzle, chest, belly, and tail is cream-colored, as well as an additional tuft of fur on top of its head. Growlithe's coat is noticeably longer on its chest and tail. It has gray eyes, a black nose, and large, round ears. Its forepaws have two visible claws, while its hind paws have three toes each. Each paw has a brown pad.

Growlithe is a friendly and loyal Pokémon that will fearlessly defend its Trainer and territory from harm, even against larger, stronger enemies. It will fiercely bark at, bite, and chase away any perceived threat, including those who suddenly approach its Trainer. Otherwise, this obedient Pokémon will wait motionlessly until given an order. Growlithe also has a powerful olfactory sense. If it detects an unknown smell in its territory, it roars to flush out the intruder. It is able to smell the emotions of others, and never forgets a scent. However, strong, unpleasant smells can disable its sense of smell for short periods, as seen in the anime. Growlithe can be commonly found in grassy plains and near human settlements.

## In the anime

### Major appearances

#### Growlie

James had a pet Growlithe nicknamed Growlie that he owned as a child. However, he left it behind when he ran away from home.

#### Officer Jenny's Growlithe

Growlithe and its evolved form have been used as police dogs by Officer Jenny.

#### Romeo's Growlithe

Romeo's Growlithe is loyal and protective of Romeo when Macao isn't around. He gets worried and can sniff out danger as possible.

#### Other

In *The Flame Pokémon-athon!*, a Growlithe appeared when Ash tried to catch a Taurosfrom a ranch.

Morrison introduced his Growlithe to Ash and his friends in *Saved by the Beldum*.

In *On Cloud Arcanine*, Drew and May discovered that the Arcanine they were trying to catch had a litter of Growlithe to take care of. Due to this, they decided to leave the Arcanine alone.

A Growlithe appeared in *Cilan and the Case of the Purrloin Witness!* under the ownership of Tedesco.

### Minor appearances

Growlithe was first seen in a Pokémon Center in *Sparks Fly for Magnemite*.

A Growlithe appeared in *Mewtwo Strikes Back*.

Multiple Growlithe were seen at Professor Oak's Laboratory in *Showdown at the Po-ké Corral*.

A Growlithe was among the Pokémon controlled by Cassidy and Butch in *Pikachu Re-Volts*.

Nurse Joy's expedition crew had two Growlithe to help look for Kabuto Fossils in *Shell Shock!*.

Multiple Growlithe appeared in *The Power of One*.

The security guards in *Snubbull Snobbery* owned a Growlithe.

A Growlithe participated in a Pokémon breeding competition in *Beauty and the Breeder*.

A Growlithe, along with an Arcanine, acted as security guards for a penthouse in*Training Daze*.

Multiple Growlithe appeared in the opening of *Destiny Deoxys*.

A Growlithe appeared in *Camping It Up!*.

A Trainer's Growlithe appeared in *Curtain Up, Unova League!* and *Lost at the League!*.

A Growlithe appeared in *Secrets From Out of the Fog!*.

A Growlithe appeared in *Go, Go Gogoat!.*

A Growlithe appeared in SS027.

### In Pokémon Origins

A Growlithe appeared in *File 2: Cubone* at a Pokémon House in Lavender Town.

## In the manga

### In the Magical Pokémon Journey manga

In Magical Pokémon Journey, Kiaraway, a Trainer who specializes in collecting Fire-type Pokémon, owns a Growlithe. It is seen once in*Vulpix and Cyndaquil*.

### In the Pokémon Adventures manga

In *Paras Sight*, Blaine is seen to have a Growlithe, which he used to track the scent given off by the cloth fragments Miles took from a frozen form of Red at Mt. Moon.

In *The Last Battle XIII* a Growlithe was one of the Pokémon sent to help the fight in Ilex Forest.

### In the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure! manga

Koya's Growlithe first appeared in *Hearts and Spirits Collide*.

## Trivia

* The beta Pokémon names in Red and Blue listed Growlithe as *Flamie*.
* Growlithe can be seen as a parallel to Vulpix. Both are Generation I Pokémon that evolve once via a Fire Stone. Growlithe is exclusive to Pokémon Red, Blue (Japan),Gold, FireRed, and HeartGold while Vulpix is to Green, Blue, Silver, LeafGreen, and SoulSilver. Growlithe has a 75% chance of being male while Vulpix has a 75% of being female, they are both in the Field Egg Group, can have the Ability Flash Fire, and are yellow when Shiny from Generation III on. Furthermore, both are based on canines as well as animals of Japanese folklore: Growlithe from the dog and *shisa*, Vulpix from the fox and *kitsune*.
* Growlithe shares its species name with Lillipup. They are both known as the Puppy Pokémon.

### Origin

Growlithe is most likely based on Japanese dog statues called 獅子 *shisa*. They may also originate from Chinese 獅 *shī* or Japanese 狛犬 *komainu*, which are guardian statues that resemble lions, with traits of tigers and dogs. They are incorrectly called "Foo dogs" in the West. Both *shisa* and *shī* statues alike are often found in pairs, believed to invite good luck, and used as guardians, which may have inspired Growlithe's protective nature.

#### Name origin

Growlithe may be a combination of *growl* and *lithe*.

Gardie may refer to its abilities as a guard dog, as a corruption of *guard* or *guardian*.

## Related articles

* Growlie
* Officer Jenny's Growlithe
* Romeo's Growlithe