Canine Hotline is back!
Dog Parades/Important Dog Sighting/Taking photos of dogs in London
Hello newsletter! There are some new people here—hooray! Thank you for subscribing, and welcome to Canine Hotline. Apologies for the long hold (and Happy December!).
I’ve been busy because…I started a new non-profit. (Surprise!) It’s called New York Dog Parade. Our mission is all about bringing people together through dogs. & we have a parade and dog-friendly Holiday BALL coming up THIS FRIDAY!
Parade Details:
🗓️ Date: Friday, December 6
📍 Location: AKC Museum of the Dog, NYC
⏰ Time: 6–9 p.m.
If you’d like to come to the ball & parade, send me a message at any time, and I’ll tell you more about it. Here is a photo of me and a pup named Enzo at our last dog parade, where I interviewed dogs for The Dodo:
Anyway, back to the newsletter! I’m excited to be writing again after some time off. Canine Hotline is my newsletter about, well, dogs! It includes a dog advice column, naturally. I also get to spend a lot of time traveling the world (and my backyard, which is Central Park), observing and meeting all types of dogs and dog experts. This is where I document my most personal and IMPORTANT canine encounters and discoveries, like the one I’m about to share:
IMPORTANT DOG SIGHTING 📍Hyde Park, London
Time: 8:55 a.m.
Dog: Magical-Looking Grey Dog
Breed: Unknown
Age: Unknown
Name: Unknown
Notes: Off-leash, elegant demeanor, possibly lives at Hogwarts?
It was my fifth morning in London, and I grabbed an americano and strolled into Hyde Park to observe how the four-legged locals start their days (which I highly recommend doing if you find yourself in London). I always thought the dogs in Central Park in the morning were the best dogs in the world, but from my observations, the dogs in Hyde Park were also the best in the world. I literally met dogs named Christopher, Humphrey, Rupert, and Mrs. Winnipeg—and yes, according to my official research…ALL THE BEST DOGS! (How is this scientifically possible???)
Anyway, there I was, observing this magical-looking grey dog—like, this dog was so magical. He was basically the kind of creature you’d find in a land that could only be entered through a wardrobe or something. The dog was about twenty feet away, off-leash, and I just HAD to pull out my phone. Then I noticed the owner—a woman—about ten feet behind the dog. I was just about to compliment her on her seriously beautiful dog when she glared at me. She did NOT look happy.
“You didn’t just take a photo of him…did you?”
Um— (…do I tell her it was a video?)
“Oh, you mustn’t take photos of people’s dogs!” she scolded. “You really mustn’t!” She then gave me a giant finger wag and stormed away.
I stood there, shocked.
I…mustn’t? I worried, lowering my phone and feeling HORRIBLY embarrassed. I didn’t want to do anything I “mustn’t,” especially as a tourist in the park.
I started walking away, feeling bad, when Max came up behind me.
“What did she just say to you?” he asked.
“Oh my god! A mustn’t! I got a mustn’t! I actually got two mustn’ts!” I told Max.
“You got a mustn’t?? For what?”
“For taking a photo of her dog!”
Max burst out laughing.
“She literally told me I mustn’t take photos of dogs!”
“Don’t let that get to you,” he assured me. “You got a mustn’t! That’s exciting! It actually sounds like a pastry: ‘I’ll have three mustn’ts, please—extra toasted.’”
“I think once you get a mustn’t, you can officially say you’ve seen England, right?” he promised.
We carried on, laughing, but I still felt guilty.
I don’t like being (what’s that thing that other people are that I obviously never am that no one ever wants to be? Oh right…) wrong. I do not like being “wrong.” I couldn’t help but wonder—was I…wrong? Should I have not taken a photo (AND IT WAS A VIDEO SORRY) of her dog? I do usually ask, and I love talking to owners, but the dog was far away, and I wasn’t taking a photo of the human. I wasn’t petting or interacting with her dog in any way. (As the owner of an anxious rescue dog, I do not even acknowledge other people’s dogs without asking.) But taking a photo from…far away? Is that really a mustn’t? Illegal or…something?
I’ve never thought about this before!
Anyway, here I am, exploring this question from a plane on my way home from London. The internet is strong enough to look up whether it’s “legal to take photos of other people’s dogs in parks without asking” (but not strong enough to order new flatware from Williams Sonoma—in case you were wondering).
According to the internet, dogs in public spaces are considered part of the public domain, so taking photos of them doesn’t pose any “legal” issues. Of course, the internet generally agrees it’s always polite to ask to ensure a smooth interaction. Anyway, what do you think, newsletter?
Personally, I’ve been trying to think of why this woman got upset about me taking a photo of her dog. At first, I wanted to be annoyed at her. I mean, relax!! I do not think your dog was offended! But as I walked away and let the embarrassment settle, I couldn’t help but wonder what thoughts might have been going through her mind in that moment.
As I tried to think about what she was feeling, the only thing I could really come up with was, well, love. (Not towards me, of course. lol) But maybe she just REALLY, REALLY loves her dog. Maybe he's hers in a way that feels deeply personal. She feels protective over him. She doesn't want to share him. She wants to enjoy her walk with her dog without me butting in and taking a photo (/VIDEO!!) of him like he's some rare zoo animal. Which is totally fair! Maybe love sometimes makes us act in ways that do not always look like love. Also, maybe our personal boundaries sometimes extend to our dogs. Maybe our dogs are also a really nice opportunity to practice boundary-setting (both the giving and receiving of clear boundaries) with others. Anyway, I do still want to show you a picture of the dog, though—but maybe I shouldn't. Okay, fine. Here he is:
Have you ever had a “mustn’t” moment with someone’s dog? How did you recover?
Xo,
Fernie
To learn more about Canine Hotline, click here. And if you need EXPERT dog advice, email info@fernwatt.com!
To see some seriously cutting-edge dog interviews, click here.
To learn more about my new non-profit, New York Dog Parade, check out our website!