He was raised by a couple whose late biological son was one of the first known casualties to a non-human bite during the Rising - the dog next door. Phillip was the poster child for national legislation against mammals over forty pounds in residential areas. It's even referred to as Mason's Law.

Shaun isn't used to large animals. They scare him. He was mildly horrified at the idea of Sweeney teaching me horseback riding. This will be considerably worse.