In Neil Gaiman's Good Omens, Adam Young, the child who is actually the Antichrist in the making, is sent a hellhound for his 11th birthday by the denizens of Hell who watch over him. Not only does the beast exist to protect him from harm and keep him safe for the apocalyptic events to come, but great significance is ascribed to Adam's naming and mastery of the beast. It is a distorted blasphemy of the biblical Adam's naming of the beasts in the garden, and it serves as something of a rite of passage for the Antichrist. Against the expectations of the Infernal Powers, Adam insists that he desires a "Proper Mongrel" and chooses to simply name the beast "Dog." Bound to serve its master completely, the hulking beast transforms into a diminutive small dog with a puppy-like disposition.
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