Oh. Komainu or 狛犬. 狛 is a historical term referring to Korea and 犬 is dog. These are the statues that guard the gate of a shrine in Japanese Shinto. They are not the same thing as the Chinese guardian lions, though they are related historically.

October 17th, 2012. Author's note:
"Q: What's the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?
A: Turn on the TV."