dogs

Scarterran dogs are fairly similar to real world Earth dogs. Much like Earth dogs, Scarterran dogs were descended from wolves.   Legends differ on whether the transformation from wolf to woof was precipitated by Mera, Korus, Zarthus, or a bold mortal acting independently though it is clear that dogs were fairly common in the Second Age and even more common in the Third Age.     Many dogs are selectively bred and the most common dog breeds fall into the four broad categories of guard dogs, hunting dogs, house dogs, and lap dogs. Less commonly there are show dogs, herding dogs, and fighting dogs. Scarterran dogs come in the same variety of shapes and sizes of real world dogs, but Scarterran dogs come in even more colors.   Like horses, dogs can manifest ethnic traits from elemental forces.   Earthy dogs tend to be large and strong if a bit slow in both senses of the word. They tend to have brown, dusty, roan, or black fur.   Fiery dogs are very spirited and aggressive and have great endurance. They tend to have reddish orangish fur. As they get older, their fur is streaked with dark greys.   Watery dogs are intelligent and inquisitive and are naturally strong swimmers. They tend to have light blue or vaguely greenish fur.   Airy dogs are very fast but they are geared for sprinting not long term endurance. They are a bit flighty and have low attention spans. They tend to have white, golden, or silvery coats.     Most house dogs and lap dots are watery/airy hybrids. Most hunting dogs are earth/air or earth/water hybrids. Most guard dogs are fiery/airy or fiery/watery hybrids. Of course any combination is possible and dog breeders have tried everything.   Fur style varies considerably. The shortest hair dogs are fire/water (including a rare few totally hairless breeds) hybrids and the shaggiest dogs tend to be air/earth hybrids (including a rare few that can be sheared for wool like sheep).     One niche that Scarterran dogs have that real world dogs do not is there are more watch dog variety. Selective breeding can create watch dogs that are sensitive to magic spells in their presence or that can sense undead and Void minions at great distances. Dogs with all four elemental traits in roughly equal proportions are said to be more attuned to the supernatural than other dogs. Presumably because a dog with all four elements is grounded so firmly in nature that they can sense imbalances.       On average, Scarterran dogs are a bit larger and stronger than real world dogs, and they tend to live a bit longer often routinely living 15-20 years. Purebred or near purebred dogs with only one dominant elemental trait tend to have somewhat shorter lifespans than mixed breeds.