Artyom

Name
; Artyom


Age
; 4 Years, 7 months


Orientation; Heterosexual, Heteroromantic


Sex; Male


Gender; Male


Breed
; Shiloh Shepherd


Appearance; Artyom is a solidly built shepherd dog with mostly black and tan fur. A few, barely noticeable specs of grey have also begun to appear beneath his chin, and between his paws. Arty almost always carries himself with a sense of confidence and duty, as he has done all of his life. His appearance is almost always somewhere between looking fairly neat looking and well groomed, to slightly messy at times. Rarely does he care too much for his appearance. His face, muzzle, neck and body all have their share of markings from the past, though most are obscured by his coat. 

Personality;  
Determination, selflessness, and undying loyalty are three traits that best define the set of values that Artyom lives by. Traits which he feels are antiquated, yet he persists with them. He believes that all life has meaning, and has set himself on a path to defend it, as well as those who may be too weak or unable to defend themselves. The shepherd has adopted a role of guardian quite well, and always has put the needs of others above anything he might want for himself. But despite this role, he also believes in appropriate judgement and punishment for wrong doing. He is not an advocate of random or unnecessary violence, but does realize that it is required at times.


Despite the occasional pains from past injuries, Arty can hold his own in a conflict, and does not shy away from any fight he deems necessary. The shepherd is a strong, tough dog, these qualities emboldened by the fact that he does not fear pain, injury, or even death. It could even be possible that he subconsciously wishes for someone to someday put an end to him, although he is not openly morbid. Going along with loyalty, this dog will do anything to defend friends, comrades, and perhaps even a future mate. When anyone severely attacks someone he may care about, he would likely take it upon himself to hunt them down. When fighting, he usually takes on a selfless - yet perhaps slightly stupid nature, as he will immerse himself in a conflict without thought of his own safety, at least when someone other than himself is at risk. He is not one to be easily goaded into conflict when only his own personal safety is at risk.

He has a tendency to appear cold and distant, although this has faded slightly over time, Arty has great trouble expressing emotion or speaking about it. When in serious situations, he tends to speak only when he needs to and only says enough to get by. Arty also suffers from social anxiety issues, and feels quite insecure about himself when talking 'just to talk'. He desires to some day perhaps lead a more normal life, find a home and perhaps have a family. But for the time he remains largely homeless.


History; Born from a long line of shepherds bred specifically for use by the law enforcement, Artyom was brought in at a young age to be trained. He has very little recollection of either his parents, and experienced little love or compassion, which is the root of his at times, distant attitude. The shepherd excelled in his training as he was bred to do, learning combat, as well as other things specific to his career. It was suddenly cut short due to an unexpected accident in training though, which left him critically injured, only to be saved by a certain officer who refused to let him die. With this man Arty then learned the values of compassion and loyalty. His road to recovery was a long one, but worth it. Misfortune struck once more however, when only two weeks after being reinstated into the force, Artyom witnessed several deaths in what was perhaps the worst catastrophe in his career, including that of his human. Burdened by a new sense of guilt in being unable to help anyone and feeling as though he failed his job, the shepherd finally decided to just strike out on his own afterwords. His sense of duty remained though, and so he carried on, adopting his unofficial role as the enforcer of justice.