Dog

Dogs are our oldest companions, and in dreams they usually carry something about loyalty — yours, or another’s, or the dog’s to you. Hindu tradition gives us Yama’s hounds, the four-eyed dogs who guide the dead. Greek myth offers Cerberus at the gates of Hades. Both traditions frame the dog as psychopomp — a guide across thresholds. A dream dog who leads you somewhere is worth following. A dream dog who bites is usually an aspect of loyalty turned sour — a friend you feel betrayed by, or your own reliability fraying. Notice the dog’s color, size, and whose dog it is; small details locate the symbol quickly in waking life.