Dog Eat Dog

Samual L. Huntington wrote his famous and controversial “Clash of Civilizations” essay back in 1993, holding that the next big war will fought on an east-west religious basis. Maybe that’s coming true, but I think he forgot to add in that dogs and their owners will also be central to the next war.

On Sunday I rode out to Cherry Beach at around 6pm. Lots of people having meaty smelling BBQs and people laying on the beach and guys with really awful trance playing out of the back of their Honda’s. Except for the trance, it was nice, and Toronto had finally come alive in earnest this past weekend.

At the western end of the beach, where people take their dogs to run leash free, and where those Promise people have those (unfortunately) trance-heavy dance parties, was a square of concrete cordoned off with orange plastic fencing. One sign taped neatly on it accused “morons” of defacing the concert, as it was for a memorial bench for either a fallen dog or human, it’s hard to tell. There was, in fact, “Dogs Rule,” and an illegible name, written in the concrete.

Next to that sign was another neatly taped and laminated sign that first quoting “They paved paradise” and that “Signs” song by some Canadian band that was later covered by Tesla in the 80s. They thought “morons” was too strong (“very harsh” was their words), and the cement was ruining the area, and then, also, that “Dogs Rule.”

When the dog owners start going after each other, we’re either in trouble, or the problem will take care of itself soon enough.
Images courtesey of my crappy phone camera.