#arche-hound

The brown stripes represent the coat of an archetypical hound-dog. Rather unassuming, but flashiness is not needed when devotion to one’s “purpose” (be it a person or occupation) is the priority.

The gold stripes represent dog-like faithfulness and dedication. Pure devotion, in a sense.

The light, silvery, off-white stripe represents binding objects such as the silver metal of an identification tag or collar. Symbolizing the way the hound’s loyalty leaves them (whether voluntarily or not) bound to their people/person.

I’m not a dog, nor a canine. I’m a hound and a hound alone. I don’t bark. I don’t have any canine urges or noemata. I’m a hound in a more archetypical sense, hence it being an archetropal identity.

It feels like less of a type, and more of a name to put to how I experience emotions and attachment.

Since I was young, I’ve always felt really connected to the idea of being a working dog of some sort, particularly a herding or hunting dog. Even being a service dog felt right.

It wasn’t the canine-hood itself that drew me to feel that way, it was the trust and devotion those dogs might archetypically feel towards their purpose and their person/people.

The best way to describe it can be found in these three tropes:

Canine Loyalty

Because You Were Nice to Me

Undying Loyalty

This identity definitely stems from me being neurodivergent and how I experience friendship and attachment.

It takes very little kindness to earn strong devotion from me, and that’s reflected in my arche-hound identity.

Obviously, there are negative aspects to this level of loyalty at so little prompting, as I’m well aware.

Despite the negatives, this is still a part of me. And acknowledging it helps me to better understand myself, as well as deal with it more constructively. It also helps to be able to put a name to these hound-feelings and vague connection to sight/scenthounds that I’ve had for so much of my life.