"I've only the one," Childermass replies, "Although the Warden keeps a small pack of skeletal ones, strange as that may sound."

And infinitely more intimidating to run into randomly than his own will ever be, even with the size difference between Baker and those three. As for his own, well, it won't be too long until they reach the cabin at the very end of the lane, sat up on the top of a snowy hill and away from everything save some pine trees.

"Baker, though... Well, you can see for yourself. He technically isn't a dog at all, I suppose. He's from one of the worlds we visited, one where the population lived side by side with, hmm. Elemental beings seem the best way to explain them. Most do look like animals, but not all."