The Last of Us Dog Names

Even still, Buckley isn't reflective of this dynamic at all, and certainly doesn't match Joel's fiery personality. If anything, he is more like what Tommy wants to be: cool, calm, collected, and above all, capable. This is the main cause of the rift between Tommy and Joel. On one hand, Tommy and Joel were fine up until the Outbreak occurred and the world ended. A virus, a fungus really, spread to the human race, and soon, people were running around mutated, killing others. In order to survive, both Joel and Tommy stuck together, and did many things they weren't proud of, like stealing from good people. 

However, Joel has a darker personality, and certainly a perspective to match. As the older, brooding brother, he felt it was his duty to get his hands the dirtiest of all, and spare Tommy. However, seeing him consistently become more and more inhuman drove Tommy away, and made him join the Fireflies, a revolutionary militia group that hopes to restore the US government.

Ever since then, Tommy has been laying low, starting a family, taking care of his own and protecting fellow Fireflies. Getting Buckley was his attempt at leading as much of a normal life as possible. He wants to keep on being optimistic and hold onto his humanity. So, really, Buckley is a means to an end to him in many ways, although he is surely loved regardless.

What is nice though, is that despite his short appearance in the game, Buckley has a deeper meaning than just Tommy's means to an end: Buckley was the name of Troy Baker's (the voice of Joel) dog who died three years prior to the game's release.

That explains why Joel gets the option to pet the dog upon seeing it in the game. And obviously, the dog's breed is a major indication of some research: Border Collies are bred for herding sheep and cattle on farms to help shepherds. They're friendly and gentle, which means they're not ideal guard dogs.