Winged Dog

There are few mythological creatures that are as popular in Arbressian cultures as the winged dogs. Often described as a large dog with fluffy golden fur and the wings of an angel, different tales of this being exist all across the Prime Material plane.

Summary

Winged dogs exist in a variety of literature as well as a large number of tales passed down through spoken word. What the stories all have in common is the concept of falling. There is always someone falling, sometimes from an incredibly great height or even just a fall from a chair.
In the cases of stories for children, the main character falling from a chair or other furniture is the most popular iteration. They tell of a child standing on a chair, bed, table, or whatever the one telling it decides is the most appropriate. When the child falls and winces against the pain they know is about to come, a golden light fills their vision and when they open their eyes wide there is a dog with wings who is gently lowering them to the floor by holding some part of their clothes in its mouth. The child is saved the pain of falling. Sometimes this is when the dog disappears but in other version the dog speaks beforehand, chiding the child for standing on furniture and being so careless.
For adults the stories are often darker and involves a person falling from a great height. In few cases the winged dog saves the person's life, but in most versions of the story the winged dog simply keeps them company on the way down like a real dog comforts a dying master.

Spread

Variations of this myth is spread across the world. The reason why myths of winged dogs exist in so many different cultures without direct contact is debated but largely appointed to the fact that so many people love dogs, and there are already winged cats and horse-like creatures with wings so why not dogs.

In Literature

I had been walking up the mountain path for hours and I was growing increasingly tired. I did not watch carefully where I stepped and suddenly I had slipped and I was falling. As I watched the sharp jagged rocks below I knew for sure that I was about to die. Then I was bathed in golden light and I looked up and saw a large dog with golden fur, flapping huge white wings. It looked upon me with friendly eyes and I have never before known such comfort. The next thing I knew, I was on the ground below the cliff with nary a scratch on me. That winged dog saved my life.

- A written account of a purported real sighting of a winged dog, the author is unkown

There are many accounts of winged dogs in books. Most of them are fairy tales but some are accounts of alleged real events.