The T'ien Kou was a Chinese freighter that Ian Detweiler shipped a capture wanshang dhole upon. Upon its arrival in the United States, it was discovered that the creature escaped and killed a pair of crewmen.
The ship's name translates into English as "heavenly dog", and refers to a malevolent demon from Chinese mythology, which enters Earth via a meteorite as an omen of oncoming war. (TXF: "Alpha")