samuraiprosecutor (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
samuraiprosecutor) wrote2008-11-21 11:46 pm
samuraiprosecutor) wrote2008-11-21 11:46 pm
[OOC: Man's Best Friend]
So this was intended to go in this post where I asked for info on DDD's pet population, but it ended up being a freaking novel so I thought I'd just put it here instead. ^_^;;;
Edgeworth's dog is sort of a compilation of fanon, pseudo-canon, and my own headcanon. In this article on GayGamer.net, there's an interview with the games' director, Shu Takumi, that was taken from one of the Gyakuten Saiban fanbooks. In it, Takumi jokes about Edgeworth having a large dog named Pesu; a dog he'd apparently dress up in a white jabot, and talk to because he can't talk to people. XD I couldn't resist giving Edgeworth that outlet.
Fandom's embraced the idea as well, and Pesu's shown up in a lot of fanfics (usually as a large, white Akita), but when I went looking for a breed I thought Edgeworth would go for I wanted something different. I knew we were placing them in Los Angeles instead of Japan, and that Edgeworth would have spent much of his life in Europe, and I was going to give him a European breed, maybe some sort of hound or spaniel or something, like you'd see in old paintings of gentlemen out hunting; something intelligent, a classic breed with an old world aesthetic.
Instead, I found the Belgian Tervuren, which isn't exactly any of those. Well, except for the intelligent part. I thought the Tervuren just fit for Edgeworth. It's a herding dog, a sheepdog in particular, so it's highly intelligent, extremely trainable, and totally devoted to its owner. It's also handsome and 'masculine,' with a very unique look, and I thought the relative obscurity of the breed would have appealed to Edgeworth's elitist nature.
Of course, Belgian Tervurens are also very strong-willed, ridiculously active, and are just generally bad for first-time dog owners because an inexperienced owner can find them very hard to control, but try telling Edgeworth he can't handle something.
Sieghard (when Edgeworth wants to be high-falootin' about it) is a German name derived from elements meaning 'victory' and 'brave' or 'hardy.' Sigi has a show name (those nonsensical strings of names like 'Ted Danson's Tiny Dancer'), but I haven't actually picked it out for him yet. XD;;
Like most Belgian Tervuren, Sigi is intelligent, courageous, and utterly devoted to his master. He loves Edgeworth dearly, and throws himself into everything he asks of him, including his dog shows, which he always performs well in. As with most Tervuren, he's very territorial and protective of his home. While he was fully socialized as a puppy, and is curious and non-aggressive when he's around people and other dogs in public, when he's in Edgeworth's apartment he's extremely wary about intruders, with his own inherent territoriality enhanced by the fact that Edgeworth literally never had visitors to his apartment until he joined DDD a year ago. He's more relaxed with people he's seen in Edgeworth's company, but strangers may earn a warning growl. Phoenix is a special case. Sigiwants to eat Phoenix's soul is increasingly jealous of Phoenix, so the man gets cold, unnerving stares whenever they're in close proximity, regardless of (or maybe because of) how often he sees Phoenix in his master's friendly company.
When Edgeworth decided he wanted to try dog ownership, he researched breeds, read all the correct information about choosing one to fit his lifestyle, and ended up picking a breed that really was the least likely to fit. He knew he could make it work easily enough, though, through the employment of a very skilled handler and trainer, and frequent (i.e. multiple times a day, whenever he was working late) visits from an experienced dog walker. So he found the best breeder in the area, took a list of things to look for when picking a puppy...and fell in love with Sigi at first sight, 'rules for picking a dog' be damned.
...Not that he'll ever admit to that.
For most of the past five years, Sigi's served as his only really close companion. He took up dog shows as a way to give him a reason for dog ownership, or at least to legitimize the practice in Manfred von Karma's eyes. When he ran away to Europe after Lana's trial, he left Sigi with his handler, noting that if Edgeworth didn't return or give him word within a certain amount of time, Sigi was his. Their reunion a year later wasn't as subdued on his part as Edgeworth would have preferred (and wasn't subdued at all on Sigi's part).
Late last year Edgeworth was able to begin attending the dog shows again, and his latest project (prompted by Kaito Kid's theft of Sigi, and his resulting paranoia) will be enrolling Sigi in Schutzhund training. Belgian Tervurens embody a lot of the same skills commonly looked for in Schutzhund and in police dog work. Sigi's also the sort of dog who'd fight (and possibly die) to protect his master if he sensed he was in danger.
Edgeworth's dog is sort of a compilation of fanon, pseudo-canon, and my own headcanon. In this article on GayGamer.net, there's an interview with the games' director, Shu Takumi, that was taken from one of the Gyakuten Saiban fanbooks. In it, Takumi jokes about Edgeworth having a large dog named Pesu; a dog he'd apparently dress up in a white jabot, and talk to because he can't talk to people. XD I couldn't resist giving Edgeworth that outlet.
Fandom's embraced the idea as well, and Pesu's shown up in a lot of fanfics (usually as a large, white Akita), but when I went looking for a breed I thought Edgeworth would go for I wanted something different. I knew we were placing them in Los Angeles instead of Japan, and that Edgeworth would have spent much of his life in Europe, and I was going to give him a European breed, maybe some sort of hound or spaniel or something, like you'd see in old paintings of gentlemen out hunting; something intelligent, a classic breed with an old world aesthetic.
Instead, I found the Belgian Tervuren, which isn't exactly any of those. Well, except for the intelligent part. I thought the Tervuren just fit for Edgeworth. It's a herding dog, a sheepdog in particular, so it's highly intelligent, extremely trainable, and totally devoted to its owner. It's also handsome and 'masculine,' with a very unique look, and I thought the relative obscurity of the breed would have appealed to Edgeworth's elitist nature.
Of course, Belgian Tervurens are also very strong-willed, ridiculously active, and are just generally bad for first-time dog owners because an inexperienced owner can find them very hard to control, but try telling Edgeworth he can't handle something.
Sieghard (when Edgeworth wants to be high-falootin' about it) is a German name derived from elements meaning 'victory' and 'brave' or 'hardy.' Sigi has a show name (those nonsensical strings of names like 'Ted Danson's Tiny Dancer'), but I haven't actually picked it out for him yet. XD;;
Like most Belgian Tervuren, Sigi is intelligent, courageous, and utterly devoted to his master. He loves Edgeworth dearly, and throws himself into everything he asks of him, including his dog shows, which he always performs well in. As with most Tervuren, he's very territorial and protective of his home. While he was fully socialized as a puppy, and is curious and non-aggressive when he's around people and other dogs in public, when he's in Edgeworth's apartment he's extremely wary about intruders, with his own inherent territoriality enhanced by the fact that Edgeworth literally never had visitors to his apartment until he joined DDD a year ago. He's more relaxed with people he's seen in Edgeworth's company, but strangers may earn a warning growl. Phoenix is a special case. Sigi
When Edgeworth decided he wanted to try dog ownership, he researched breeds, read all the correct information about choosing one to fit his lifestyle, and ended up picking a breed that really was the least likely to fit. He knew he could make it work easily enough, though, through the employment of a very skilled handler and trainer, and frequent (i.e. multiple times a day, whenever he was working late) visits from an experienced dog walker. So he found the best breeder in the area, took a list of things to look for when picking a puppy...and fell in love with Sigi at first sight, 'rules for picking a dog' be damned.
...Not that he'll ever admit to that.
For most of the past five years, Sigi's served as his only really close companion. He took up dog shows as a way to give him a reason for dog ownership, or at least to legitimize the practice in Manfred von Karma's eyes. When he ran away to Europe after Lana's trial, he left Sigi with his handler, noting that if Edgeworth didn't return or give him word within a certain amount of time, Sigi was his. Their reunion a year later wasn't as subdued on his part as Edgeworth would have preferred (and wasn't subdued at all on Sigi's part).
Late last year Edgeworth was able to begin attending the dog shows again, and his latest project (prompted by Kaito Kid's theft of Sigi, and his resulting paranoia) will be enrolling Sigi in Schutzhund training. Belgian Tervurens embody a lot of the same skills commonly looked for in Schutzhund and in police dog work. Sigi's also the sort of dog who'd fight (and possibly die) to protect his master if he sensed he was in danger.