Writer Jeffrey Bell's pitch for this episode was "Scary dogs in the city". He was inspired by seeing a pack of wild dogs roaming near a Los Angeles freeway. He wrote the episode in just three weeks.
The character name of Karin Berquist, the kennel owner, is a nod to singer/songwriter Karin Bergquist of Over the Rhine, and an oblique reference to that band's 1996 album 'Good Dog Bad Dog'.
Fox promoted the episode with the tagline "Sit. Stay. Kill."
Not only was the character of Karin Berquist named after Over the Rhine lead singer Karin Bergquist, the character of Ian Detweiler shares the name of her husband, bandmate Lin Detweiler.
The character name of Jeffrey Cahn, the San Pedro U.S. Fish and Wildlife officer, is a nod to longtime X-Files assistant film editor Jeff Cahn.