Diamond Dogs

The Diamond Dogs are three supporting antagonists who appear in the episode A Dog and Pony Show. After they see Rarity using her gem-finding spell, they kidnap her and force her to find gems for them. They aren't particularly smart and Rarity tricks them easily.

Development
Lauren Faust stated that the names the Diamond Dog leaders were given in the script are Fido, Rover, and Spot. However, she didn't recall which ones have which name. Jayson Thiessen, the show's supervising director, later confirmed their names. Rover, the medium-sized dog, is the leader of the trio, while Fido is the large-sized one and Spot is the small, bulldog-like one. Rover is voiced by Scott McNeil, Fido is voiced by Garry Chalk and Spot is voiced by Lee Tockar. The name, Diamond Dogs, is a reference to David Bowie's 1974 album of the same name.

Depiction in the series
The Diamond Dogs secretly watch Rarity and Spike as they collect gems, initially thinking Spike is the gem finder, before realizing that Rarity is using her magic to find them. They then make themselves known and tell Rarity they hunt for gems, and will hunt for her since she can find the gems. They have a tussle with Rarity and Spike but manage to abduct Rarity into their extensive system of underground mines.

They attempt to force Rarity to find gems for them, but Rarity puts on a complaining and whining act, tricking them into doing all the work while she relaxes. When Rover gets wise to this, he forces Rarity to pull the gem cart, calling her a mule. In response, Rarity acts hurt, crying loudly about being compared to an "old, ugly mule." By the time Rarity's friends arrive to save her, the Diamond Dogs are begging for Rarity to leave, even letting her take all their gems with her.

The three main Diamond Dogs wear jackets and diamond-studded collars, while the rest of the Diamond Dogs wear metal armor and carry lances. They alternate between walking on their hind legs and all fours, their elongated forelegs giving them a gorilla-like appearance. They also have short and stubby spiked tails.

Their voices and some of their mannerisms appear to be based off the Lord of the Rings character Gollum.

Depiction in comics
While the Diamond Dogs have not made a direct appearance, the mines that the ponies travel through in the second issue appear to be constructed by their ancestors as there are statues in their likeness in the background. The mines have several odd artifacts (such as a skull that Pinkie Pie affectionately names "Mr. Bones"), and have seemingly been abandoned and are now inhabited by a clan of spider-like creatures. In addition, the map included with the issue notes that poachers known as the Diamond Dogs live in the Appaloosan Mountains. This is likely a reference to the David Bowie song, which includes the line "The diamond dogs are poachers and they hide behind trees".

One of the statues in the mine bears heavy resemblance to Ziggy Stardust, a fictional rock star persona adopted by David Bowie in the early 1970s. Two statues are labeled "Ziggy Stardust", and another says "red gems only: red like jungle burning bright", a reference to the David Bowie song Cat People. The final statue seen says "never look back, walk tall, act fine", a reference to another Bowie song, Golden Years. One sign says "sashay on the boardwalk, scurry to the ditch", another line from the song Diamond Dogs.