breeds of wilou

After many years of selective breeding and working with preserved genetic material, BETA has created its own custom breed groupings which divide up the ranks and determine a dog's role in the Canine Forces. Each breed has their own specialties and expectations put on them by High Command. Characters may be assigned a real-life breed (or breed mix) but must also be grouped among one of six breed groups. Art and suggestions for each breed group is just for examples, get as creative as you wish!

Bravhund

Bold and Versatile

Bravhund are the heart and soul of BETA, they are the most versatile and most common breed group that is found in the walled city, from patrolling the streets to training in the Complex, they are not a rare sight.

BETA's most versatile worker, the Bravhund breed has the most variety and the greatest number of dogs. During the collapse, the dogs that were most common were military K9s and they became the basis of the breed that has come to be known as the Bravhund. A product of selective human breeding, they are workers by nature with a lot of heart. They're built for agility, endurance, and all-around workability. The culture among bravhunds is competitive due to the nature of their work and the number of dogs--fights over rankings are common, and few of those fights end with both competitors still alive.

The Bravhund was developed from medium to large working breeds. They primarily range from medium to large sizes but can come in any shape, size, or type! Mixes of the other breed groups are often classified as Bravhund. Need some examples? Try versatile herders in FCI group 1, Pinscher and Schnauzer type dogs in FCI group 2, and FCI group 3.

Farlande Lurcher

Quick and Surefooted

Developed from primarily sighthounds for their speed, and terriers for their tenacity, Farlande Lurchers are a common breed type that serve BETA primarily as messengers, runners, and scouts. They work alone and in packs, traveling light and fast across the city of Salus.

Farlande Lurchers are perhaps the only living creatures that are allowed to leave the great walled city–a dangerous feat–in the search for any other settlements or signs of life. Farlande Lurchers are an incredibly diverse breed group, they have one thing in common: they’re built for speed. So much so that it's not common for a Farlande to be racing during their downtime-it's become quite a sport, often betting meals and even rankings on the outcomes of races held at an abandoned airstrip near the Compound--dubbed by the dogs of BETA as the "Rat Race." Need breed ideas? Look in FCI group 10! Although it's not uncommon for Farlandes to have hints of other types of dog breeds in their ancestry.

LOUVEN BULLHOUND

Dangerously Powerful

The Louven Bullhound is a breed developed with one thing in mind: their strength. Developed from large mastiff-type dogs and guardian breeds, a Bullhound makes for a formidable foe. Their ranks are highly competitive, and a successful Bullhound's career is forged in blood. The fear of a bullhound is to be seen as weak, for strength is everything.

A Bullhound's primary job among the ranks is to patrol the outer sectors of Salus, facing the weepers and other threats alike. It's a dangerous job, and a thankless one at that. Many bullhounds don't come out of it alive. Between the competition between bullhounds and their job, the death toll is high.

Only the toughest dogs survive, lest they fall into the obscurity of the unregimented. Or worse.

Some real-life breeds that could count as Louven Bullhounds are the Molossoid type dogs in FCI group 2!

SALKA SHEPHERD

Witty and Sly

Developed from medium and small herding, primitive, and companion dog breeds, Salkas are one of the most diverse breed groups at BETA, but they have one thing in common: they're highly intelligent and renowned for their problem-solving. Salkas are often groomed to be in leadership roles, and they know it. So do the other regiments--Salkas are often mistrusted, if not downright hated by other dogs in the rankings, for the favoritism they're perceived to have.

While Salkas may not be as likely to spill one another's blood, they can be just as dangerous in other ways. It's not unheard of for a Salka to take out its competitors in...less conventional ways.

Dogs of BETA warn against ever trusting a Salka.

Unsure of what makes up a Salka? Try looking among the smaller or less versatile breeds of FCI group 1, FCI group 5, and FCI group 9!

Lannsea Dovehound

Keen Hunters

Developed primarily from gundogs and scenthounds, the job of a Lannsea Dovehound is to be a hunter and tracker--trailing fugitives and weepers alike, keeping tabs on the comings and goings within the city of Salus. Dovehounds run in packs, relying on one another during the hunt. Their bays can be heard echoing through Salus when they're on the hunt, reverberating through that dead place like a battle cry.

Lannseas run in packs, and because of this, are apt to form close family bonds. A very large family of Dovehounds has held the regiment Echo in its command for many years, controlling its comings and goings fiercely. Nothing can go in among Dovehounds without their knowledge...or so they think.

Will you dare challenge their reign?

Need some examples? Look in FCI group 6, FCI group 7, and FCI group 8!

ALPEN CARtHOUND

Dependable and Surefooted

Developed primarily from draught dogs and freight-type mushing dogs, the Alpen Carthound is a breed primarily used for cargo transport. They are the quiet backbone of life at the Compound, as their job is critical to the function of the regiments. Many dogs in this breed grouping overlap with the Louven Bullhound breed group, and it’s very possible that an Alpen with the right temperament could just as easily be classed as a Louven Bullhound, or vice versa. Their weight-pulling ability is also why most Medics are from this breed group.

Louven bullhounds especially look down on this breed group, as a “watered-down” version of themselves, and it is often a young Louven’s greatest fear to be assigned among the Alpens who work as carriers for not showing enough promise or battle prowess.

Alpens overlap quite a bit with the Louven Bullhound, however they often have Nordic sledge breeds in their gene pool!