Weeping Wild Dog

(by Artherra)

Basic Information

Anatomy

Weeping Wild Dogs are mid-sized canids closer in size to a cockatrice than their famous relative, the Needlecoat Wolf, which dwarfs them entirely. They tend to be just over two feet tall at the shoulder, with around four and a half feet in length from the snout to the tip of their tail and weighing around 55-65 pounds (26-29 kilograms). They possess a slender build with a noticeably elongated and thin snout, long tufted ears, large, long-clawed paws with fused bones perfect for moving large distances across all kinds of terrain including that of challenging mountain-ranges, and a bushy upturned tail, serving as the last reminder of what they once were.
The bite force of a Weeping Wild Dog is weaker than a wolf’s both due to their ancestors and their lifestyle and adaptation; their sabertooth canines however aid both in hunting and in picking apart meat and tearing sizeable chunks off quickly and being able to hold onto them for long periods of time, even while running. Once a Wild Dog bites into something, it will not let go.
Their fur is smooth, thick and patterned, and as such prized as pelts. The main “winter” coloration of Weeping Wild Dogs is of a noticeably silverbacked appearance with a brown to white underside, white snout, and a teartrack-like pattern of white fur flowing from their eyes to their throat. In summer, the silvery appearance of their back dissipates to a more uniform gray or black. Their tail remains black-tipped all year round. Every Weeping Wild Dog sports a white sock-like pattern on all of its four feet with dark brown pads.
The subspecies, the Arctic Wild Dog, is slightly larger (two and a half feet tall with a few extra inches in length) with a shortened but thicker snout, small round ears, thicker and larger paws and a bushier all-white coat with a black tip of the tail. They have a far more severe bite and a larger nasal cavity, making them able to pick up and track the scent of a potential meal from up to 10 miles away.

Genetics and Reproduction

Weeping Wild Dogs live in loose groups of monogamous pairs claiming very large areas, with constant movement within them; they may occasionally assemble into a pack during large prey migrations and in the case of large carcasses or other special opportunities, but otherwise live rather independently. Pairs mate for life and stick with one another, their pups ready to leave once they become around two years old, though they tend to linger in their parents’ and the larger congregations’ territory for a few more years before abandoning it altogether. The size of a litter is three to six pups, typically born in the spring. Dens are a dug-out affair but exploiting natural caves and even parts of settlements is common.
The Arctic Dogs are far more solitary, aggressive and territorial, keeping to well-defined and marked areas.
The Weeping Wild Dogs and Arctic Wild Dogs can interbreed in the subarctic zone, though it is exceedingly rare. The offspring of such pairs appear as a white-stained hybrid form.

Ecology and Habitats

Wild Dogs, in both their forms, have managed to spread themselves all over the world, though they are most frequent between the subtropical and subarctic zone, with the Arctic subspecies populating even the deep north. They seem to have an affinity for mountainous areas but are otherwise commonly found across both wooded landscapes and grasslands.
As intelligent and versatile opportunists, they will hunt and eat nearly anything that is available, from invertebrates and fish to small deer to humanoids and even berries and fruits, actively controlling especially the populations of small mammals, lizards, snakes and many birds. The split of their meals tends to be a 60 : 30 between predation and scavenging, but this can vary depending on the season, what is immediately available and which other predators live in the area.
Curiously, Wild Dogs are known for actively seeking out and approaching dragons to steal bites off of their downed prey or pick through the leftovers, and some have been seen attempting to do the same with Needlecoat Wolves, though it is far less frequent as they risk becoming the predator’s meal. Similarly, they will typically avoid younger dragons as those pose a far higher risk to the wild dogs than old, enormous dragons who do not care about a few bites being stolen. Because of this, Wild Dogs learn which dragons live in their area and tend to follow their movements as a community; being at the scene of a downed prey in barely any time at all.
Though naturally skittish towards people, they have often been found scavenging in rural and suburban areas, even entering poorly secured homes, and may enter cities in leaner times.

Behaviour

Weeping Wild Dogs are known for their curiosity and inventiveness induced by a lifestyle of constantly seeking opportunities to exploit. For example, though they prefer to flee from danger such as people or larger animals, they tend to linger just on its edge to see whether they may manage to get a piece of whatever they are seeking anyway, and are attracted if cautious when it comes to unfamiliar technology or architecture, constantly scouting and exploring around their area.
Wild Dogs conduct their primary hunting and scouting activities during the night or dusk, spending most of the day resting while hidden among rocks or trees.
Communities tend to develop microterritories between the individual pairs, especially during breeding season or exceedingly lean times, or when there is an unequal distribution of resources across the large space; this can lead to temporary pack behavior and equally fights, but Wild Dogs otherwise prefer to avoid one another or faintly cooperate, leaving scent marks on their evershifting territories and being especially hostile if another pair enters the close vicinity of a den.
The hunting behavior of wild dogs sees them chasing their prey until they manage to grab ahold of it with their jaws, typically going either for the legs and loins for bucks or antelope and the throat or head for smaller animals; at which point they hold on and begin violently thrashing from side to side, attempting to inflict a grave enough wound to incapacitate if not outright kill the animal without letting go.
Wild Dogs vocalize frequently, be it through long, waning howls, yelping, whining, or growling, and are known to bark furiously when cornered or when defending their den or territory. Curiously, they are able to ward off wolf packs from their immediate vicinity, although they are smaller in size and number, using barking, posturing, superior speed and their allies. Such attacks only occur if wolves stray too close to whatever place the Wild Dog considers its home, most often a den.

Additional Information

Domestication

The numerous attempts at re-domesticating the Weeping Wild Dog have shown little success and arrive at many different points of contention, as Wild Dogs have revealed themselves to be destructive and stubborn animals used to scouting and living in large territories, and as such they demand a lot of attention, patience and space. These problems are even worse with Arctic Wild Dogs.
Though very playful, they are difficult to train and seem to have no interest in being trained or in performing tasks when they are forced to. If raised from pups, they develop fierce loyalty to only one owner— this does not, however, translate into obedience or trainability, and the creatures still retain and demand a large amount of independence. More success has been seen with the very loose relations in rural areas where Wild Dogs may be fed occasionally in return for protection against wolves, as Wild Dogs typically do not attack livestock unless they are forced to by starvation, and in zoos, where when provided the adequate space and enrichment and their exhibits being appropriately secured, they can thrive without issue.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Domestic Dog

Origin/Ancestry

Natural- domestic dog descendant

Lifespan

10-15 years

Conservation Status

Least Concern

Average Height

2-2.5 feet at the shoulder

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Main species is mainly brown with a white coloration on its feet and snout and a significant silver-to-black hue of the longer fur on its head, ears and back and multiple stripes on its face, the most noticeable being a white teartrack-like pattern flowing from the eye to the throat. The tail is black-tipped with a darker coloration towards the edge. The Arctic subspecies is all-white excluding the tip of its tail, which is again black.

Geographic Distribution

• Asia
• Australia
• Europe
• North America
• South America