Crup

A Crup is a wizard-bred dog that strongly resembles a Jack Russell terrier, except that a Crup has a forked tail. They are clearly wizard-bred dogs since they are extremely loyal to wizards, and ferocious toward Muggles. They will eat almost anything.

Crup owners are required by law to remove the forked tail of the animal when it is six to eight weeks old, using a painless Severing Charm, in case they are noticed by Muggles. A licence from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures must also be obtained, and the owner must pass a test to show that they are able to control the animal in Muggle-inhabited areas.

History
Thornton Harkaway, President of the Magical Congress of the United States of America in 1760, was a breeder of Crups until his pack savaged several local No-Majs in Williamsburg, Virginia which left them only able to bark for a period of 48 hours. This lead both to Harkaway leaving office in disgrace and the relocation of the Magical Congress of the United States of America headquarters to Baltimore, Maryland.

Rubeus Hagrid's fifth year Care of Magical Creatures class studied this creature in 1996. They were amongst those creatures that most often came up on Ordinary Wizarding Level examination and thus part of the Ministry of Magic approved curriculum for Care of Magical Creatures students at that level.

The popular singer Celestina Warbeck is a known breeder of rough-coated Crups.

Behind the scenes

 * According to W.O.M.B.A.T., it may be possible for Crups to interbreed with dogs.
 * President Harkaway's breeding of Crups could be considered anachronistic, as the Jack Russell terrier itself was not first bred until the mid-1800s. However, it is possible that the Crup predates the Jack Russell, and the similarities between the two were only noted in more recent times.

Notes and references
Crup Croup Шишуга Psidwak