If you've been unable to take your Minecraft wolves out on expeditions for fear of exploding creepers or marauding looters, then we have good news for you.

Today, Mojang announced on Twitter that wolves are getting an important update in Minecraft, including new variants and wolf armor. These changes are still a work in progress, but you can try them out by enabling a snapshot of Minecraft: Java Edition or by trying them out in the Minecraft: Bedrock Edition preview/beta:

I'm overjoyed. Not only will I finally be able to identify an army of wolves without the need for dozens of name tags and magnifying glasses, but I will finally be able to give my pets the protection they deserve.

This is a belated update, considering that at the time of its release in 2012, there were 11 varieties of cats and 2,700 varieties of tropical fish. While you can find and tame the original wolves (now called pale wolves) in the taiga biome, you can also find rusty, spotted, black, striped, snow, gray, forest, and chestnut wolves to add to your pack. Some wolves are harder to find than others, but if you keep your eyes peeled, you will soon be able to collect them.

The new wolf armor absorbs all enemy damage until broken and "protects the wolf's heart from nasty creeper blasts," according to a Minecraft blog post. The armadillo's armor can also be used to repair armor on the go. When fully grown, the wolf's heart will also have 40 (previously it only had 20). This means your beloved pet will be safer than ever.

My wolves have been the victims of random creeper blasts and stray skeleton arrows many times. It was so bad that I gradually stopped taking them on adventures for fear of losing any more. One fateful day, I returned home to find my pet sitting under a tower of trees high in the sky. The next thing I knew, one of my friends had dropped an anvil on my wolf's head from a makeshift death tower, killing it instantly. I don't know if dog armor or health would have saved him, but at least my pet would now be a little safer.