Etiquette

toby used to pee on cars.

i stopped him, of course, after i realized that the first time or two wasn't an accident. but every chance he got, he'd march right up and lift a leg on the nearest hubcap. astounding.

riley likes to pee on the corner of the pedestrian bridge that we cross every morning on our walk. every morning he tries to lift a leg there, and every morning doug hollers at him. hey!

doug has strong feelings about this. he thinks that dogs should only pee on natural objects. nothing man-made. riley and boscoe disagree. they have staked out all kinds of things that they believe they need to mark--not just once or twice, but every time they walk past.

our neighbor's planter. a small pile of rocks in the corner of another neighbor's yard. various trees; sometimes, every single tree. the trash bin near the drinking fountain. the drinking fountain. fire hydrants (despite realizing that's such a cliche).

so here's a little test for you. scan the following pictures. which are appropriate for peeing on? and which are inappropriate?

it's not a hard test. boscoe and riley would assure you that there are no incorrect answers. but doug would maintain that there are.