Dog does not remember his name, and has precious few memories at all from before his capture. He remembers the smell of the sea and playing on the sand; a man showing him how to hold a fishing rod; a woman brushing the tangles out of his hair. But then the boats came, and there was fear, fire, the crack of the whip, pain, and darkness.

The slavers sent the boy to the fighting pits, where over the years he was trained, abused, hardened and provoked into a weapon, scarcely more than an animal. They called him a Dog, and treated him worse than one. He grew up in hell, and became a demon, learning to kill animals, then cripples and old men, then warriors with just his hands, his teeth and his hate. He became a ferociously proficient killer, a favourite amongst the bloodthirsty patrons of the fighting pits for his savagery and strength. Eventually, the sultan of the city decided to send a gift to the new young queen of a land across the sea; a warrior, a bodyguard... a pet. Dog was savage, but he had been trained to fear and obey the one designated his master or mistress, and would serve them loyally.

Dog is powerful and dangerous, that much is clear from looking at him. His skin is scorched brown by the sun, and covered with scars all over; they lacerate his scalp, arms, knuckles, chest, back and legs, the marks of whips and weapons. He stands 6'2" tall and is all lean muscle, his hands large and strong and calloused. He moves with an easy grace that speaks of reserved energy rather than elegance. Without the numerous scars and broken nose poorly set, his face might almost be handsome, but even so there is a raw masculinity about him, and animal magnetism.