I wanted to make a counterpart to the Deathcat spirit I did. This beast, as any loyal doggy would, will protect your life from the looming spirit of Death. Alas, it cannot protect you from your body fading with time as we all do as mortal creatures.
I originally designed it to look like an Akita, but I then came across the Dogo Argentino. I decided to then make it into something different. Akitas are awesome dogs, but I feel like it's much more of a predictable breed to use in cool dog creature designs.
This beast is just one of many dog guardians though. They could come in the form of any dog.