Photo by Bill Stokes
By Bill Stokes
Kickass, the doorstop dog, reports that the keeper, through a long history of sharing his life with dogs, had never experienced the responsibility of walking a leashed dog and picking up its bodily waste as if it were a treasure, however a temporary one. Always before there were fenced yards or wide-open spaces for the keeper’s dogs to do whatever they had to do without close human participation.
But now as he and Phyllis dog-sit Boo while granddaughter Sarah and Jessy vacation, the keeper finds himself in the legion of those who accept that the evolution of the wolf-human compact has obviously taken an awkward turn, and it is necessary for the keeper to periodically carry on his person a small plastic bag of dog poop, albeit temporarily.
Holding that attitude in all activities is important, the keeper delves into the current world of political conspiracy and phoniness to imagine that Boo is a predatory wolf-like politician—obviously a Repub, and the unpleasant contents of the little plastic bag represents what is the keeper’s share of how democracy now functions.
That would help to explain the relief the keeper experiences in finally disposing of the Boo-generated plastic-bag burdens, and it puts into perspective the desperate need for systemic advancement—maybe teaching the likes of Boo how to use flush toilets, and the politicians how to be honest and decent.
The keeper’s approach is admittedly convoluted; and is flawed in imagining Boo—a gentle old miniature schnauzer, as a predatory Repub, which would not be fair to any dog, especially one as dear as Boo.Â
