In the BBC series Sherlock, Sherlock Holmes gives his childhood dog the name Redbeard.
Redbeard is mentioned in “The Abominable Bride” and becomes important in series 3 and series 4 as part of Sherlock’s memories and emotional history. Sherlock’s recollections initially suggest a beloved childhood dog, but the series later reveals that Redbeard was connected to a much more painful event involving Sherlock’s brother Mycroft and their childhood friend Victor Trevor.
The name is also a deliberate connection to Arthur Conan Doyle’s Holmes canon. In “The Adventure of the Sussex Vampire,” Holmes refers to a dog named Red Beard, although the BBC series transforms the reference into part of Sherlock’s personal backstory. This is one example of the programme combining small details from the original stories with new mythology.
Redbeard is often confused with the Hound of the Baskervilles, the monstrous animal at the center of the series 2 episode “The Hounds of Baskerville.” Redbeard is not Sherlock’s adult pet and does not refer to a criminal alias or a case name.