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The Disreputable Dog is the physical form of Kibeth, or what's left of her, in a "hand-me-down sort of way."[1] She is discovered by Lirael in the Clayr's Library in the form of a soapstone statue of a friendly-looking black-and-tan mongrel. Lirael accidentally releases her when trying to create a dog sending. She becomes Lirael's companion and closest friend throughout Lirael and Abhorsen. Her bark has similar effects to the bell Kibeth, and she can modify her form to fly, hold a book, cling to slippery surfaces, make herself more formidable, etc, as well as bodily crossing into Death to accompany Lirael (humans project themselves spiritually into Death).

When she is in the presence of Astarael, where the Charter is absent, her collar disappears. She is slightly larger, and she has a body of pure darkness outlined with silver fire.

The Disreputable Dog is made partly from Free Magic and partly from Charter magic. She saves Lirael's life at the second Binding of Orannis by biting off her sword-hand and taking the full destructive power of Orannis into herself instead. While Kibeth, being a part of the Charter and with her force imbued in the bells and panpipes, would seem unable to truly die, her current dog form does perish, and she and reverts back into a soapstone statue.

Dogstone

The Disreputable Dog as a soapstone statuette, by wandering_soles.

In Goldenhand, there are hints throughout that the Disreputable Dog might not be fully gone from Life: Lirael finding her Charter-skin folded when none of the sendings had done so, discovering the soapstone figurine with its nose against a window instead of in its usual pouch, and so on. It's not until the very end that the Disreputable Dog appears "in the flesh" again, first to Nick, instructing him on how to best maintain the Charter-bubble, and then to Lirael in Death, encouraging her to rush back to Life and running alongside her the whole way. She disappears once the two of them are safe, but promises to dance at their (presumably, very future) wedding.

Perhaps unsurprisingly given their physical forms, the Disreputable Dog and Mogget do not get along.


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