Dogcatcher is an informal title for archons that have made a habit of taking on werewolves and who possess a far greater knowledge of werewolf abilities, habits, and societies than other vampires.
Overview[]
To be called a "dogcatcher" isn't a simple matter of surviving battle with the werewolves, or even emerging victorious. Dogcatchers (also called the K-9 unit by modern Kindred) make a habit of such practices, deliberately seeking out those Lupines that infringe on Kindred territory and either "convincing" them to leave or slaying them outright. Archons who fit this description - and they are, for obvious reasons, very few and far between - know far more about werewolf behavior, culture, belief, and powers than most, if not all, other Kindred.
The dogcatchers often operate as a single coterie, even though they formally serve separate justicars. Despite their unofficial status, word of the dogcatchers' skills has spread far enough that many princes ask for them specifically when requesting assistance in dealing with "wildlife" incursions. The justicars and the Inner Circle are very near to declaring these werewolf specialists a formal and recognized division of archons (though they will presumably establish a more dignified title for the position) .
Rumor insists that the dogcatchers hold at least one Lupine prisoner in a hidden haven of some sort. This is supposedly the source of the dogcatchers' detailed knowledge of and familiarity with the Lupines. How the archons managed such a feat, and what methods they could possibly use to keep such a vicious prisoner in check, are details that said whispers conveniently neglect, and few Kindred with a modicum of common sense believe such things.
Then again, those Kindred with substantially more than a modicum of common sense know better than to dismiss anything out of hand...
References[]
- Archons & Templars, p. 18, 20