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Ein is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi brought aboard the Bebop by Spike after a failed attempt to capture a bounty. His name is most likely derived from "Einstein", after Albert Einstein, because of the extraordinary intelligence he possesses. Another possibility is that the name is the German translation of "one" in the meaning of him being considered a he or an it. It can also be interpreted that in Japanese, the way dogs bark is "wan" (ワン?, pronounced the same as "one") hence the name, "Ein". Ein is referred to as a "data dog" by the scientists that created him and he often shows heightened awareness of events going on around him. Over the course of the series, Ein answers the telephone, steers a car, uses the SSW, plays shogi, and generally performs tasks that an average canine should not be able to accomplish. The extent of Ein's intelligence is hinted at in Session 23: "Brain Scratch" when the "Brain Dream" gaming device is placed on Ein's head; Ein quickly navigates the system and hacks into its operating system. While the televised series only briefly hints on the fact that Ein's brain was somehow enhanced, the manga shows Ed accessing data stored in Ein's brain via a virtual reality-type interface with which she has a conversation with a human proprietor. Following the credits in Session 18 "Speak Like A Child", Ein tells Spike "Next Episode: Wild Horses". He is able to "speak" to other species, as demonstrated in Session 17, "Mushroom Samba" (he spoke to a cow with a subtitled bark of "Thanks", to which the cow has a subtitled moo back of "Oh, it's no problem"). It is likely that Ed is the only crew member with any idea of Ein's capabilities as the other crew members are quick to dismiss Ein, and never seem to acknowledge him as more than a pet. Ein initially takes a shine to Jet, but when Ed joins the crew, he comes around to her as well. Frequently the two trade roles, with Ein expressing very human sentiments via facial expression and Ed regressing to a feral state. He followed Ed after she left the crew, probably because of his attachment to her. Ein does occasionally answer "yes or no" questions, barking once for "yes" and twice for "no."