I mean, seems like in EVERY conflict you would invoke this trait... Is this how it's meant to be used?

Yes, it gets used a lot.

That doesn't mean it's insignificant though.  It often represents a mini-escalation.  It's the point at which the character has chosen to "pull rank."  They've stopped treating the opposition like an equal and started to throw around the weight of their authority.

In many ways it's like the trait, "I'm a cop."  How often in a cop show do the characters throw around their weight AS a cop.  Pretty damn often, I'd say.  And how many times does doing that give the audience a slight uneasy pause?  Every time.

Jesse

Good post, JB. I'll add that I'd call BS on invoking "I'm a Dog" Trait against someone with no particular interest in The Faith:
* Mountain Folks
* Territorial Authority
* False Priest(esse)s
* Easterners

...basically, anyone not Faithful. To give a parallel, there's this guy with a tall, pointy white hat in Rome who could say, "I'm the POPE!" to me and get nothing more than a "meh." (Or, maybe, I'd ask to get his autograph to eBay it.)

These are good responses! Thanks! Makes more sense now. :)

Actually, you can use that whenever it's a believable reaction to what someone does (" … but, but … I'm a dog!" might fit for a naive dog that runs into TA folks), or if its the right way to co-erce a reaction (which mostly works against faithful only as stated above).

I've seen it mostly used against other dogs, though.