SEPARATE BUT EQUAL
Silkworm Ink
January 10, 2014
Frieda took her dog, Dogma, to the dog park for the first time on Sunday. She’d seen it often and didn’t know much about it but one Saturday she stopped, opened the gate and looked around. She went up to a woman with a white well-groomed Standard Poodle to ask her about the park.
"It’s a weekend dog play group," she said, "and there are not too many rules. You must clean up after your dog makes a poop, and you can’t let him fight with other dogs.
"That sounds reasonable," Frieda said.
"What kind of dog do you have?" The woman asked.
"He’s a Heinz 57. I rescued her from the pound," she told her new friend proudly, who then turned her attention to the white poodle sitting obediently next to the park bench. Getting up she said, "Come, Norquist, let’s see if any of your friends are here today."
Turning back, she said, "By the way, while it’s not a rule, the pure breeds usually hang out separately from the mixed breeds. We alternate days so you should learn the schedule. Your dog would be a Sunday if you come on the weekend. Believe me, you’ll both be much the happier for it."