Canitaurs

During the oppressive reign of elves during the Age of Broken Twigs, Humans cried out to their many-faced gods for protection and salvation from their enemies.
The gods responded to the collective prayers by bestowing holy might unto the humans longest ally, the hound.
Thus the first canitaur was made, gifted wisdom and prowess in battle by the gods themselves. They became known throughout Centras for their physical might, loyalty, and tactical acumen.
The Age of Broken Twigs would still go on for several centuries, but the alliance between Canitaur and Man has been kept strong through the millennium.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Canitaur morphology resembles a generally humanoid torso rising from the four-legged body of a common canine. They have a complex inner physiology and have two sets of lungs, hearts, and stomachs.
Their spines are flexible enough to allow them to bend down to run on all six limbs, and their middle set of feet can be folded up into their fur to give them the appearance of a 'normal' dog, though typically a canitaur will only rarely move about in this fashion.

Genetics and Reproduction

An unusual result of the symbiotic relationship between canitaurs and humans is that the rate of Canitaur breeding habits tend to very closely mirror that of any bonded humans. For example, if a human married couple bonded with two canitaur has three children, then that canitaur will almost always have a litter size of three pups once one of those children reach adolescence, with very little statistical variance. Each one of these pups will usually bond to one of the previously mentioned children.
In the case of unbonded canitaurs or those bonded to uncoupled humans, canitaurs will typically seek out a mate in similar circumstances to themselves. They are monogamous creatures who reject the concept of multiple mates.
It's not uncommon for human-canitaur bonds to have lasted for dozens of generations, with each subsequent heir to be expected to continue the bond.
Some canitaurs will spontaneously generate at holy sites of great power or battlefields after they are visited by a worthy human.

Growth Rate & Stages

Canitaur pups grow to full size in six months. Their life span usually lasts around 20 years.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Canitaurs are omnivores with a preference towards meat. They can digest raw meat just fine but prefer cooked food.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Like dogs, canitaurs have an excellent sense of hearing and smell, though they have poor eyesight in comparison to humans. They also claim to have an innate divine sense about justice, though this claim has never been proven and is more likely to be supported by anecdotes than recorded historical events.

Origin/Ancestry

Canitaurs awoke from all kinds of different dog breeds, and are just as varied today.