Signs and Symbols

I've been thinking a lot about how we communicate with Elka, and how she communicates with us. Some of it is from working on the dog training book, some of it is just from those thoughts that surface when you interact with a dog as much as I do.

Dogs work off of body language, and scents, and sounds. Humans work off of body language, sounds, and words, both spoken and written. In fact, we humans take it a step further (if not more) and have symbols that aren't words, but still expected to mean things. Obviously, these things don't mean much, if anything, to dogs. But sometimes they catch their attention.

Last June, I wrote a post called The Things You Notice, where I talked about a red riding hood statue that was in a yard Elka and I frequently passed (now no longer there, sadly). Due to construction, we have a slightly different walk route lately, and today Elka noticed a Buddha statue in somebody's yard.

There are a lot of interesting things around town that I wouldn't have noticed without Elka. In fact, I've never been on that particular street but for walking my Doberman. I saw the following symbol on the sidewalk next to a fire hydrant. There are/were words there as well, but they're super worn away, so I'm not sure what it ever said. Is this fire hydrant kosher? 

And what's up with shoes on power lines? When I was little, and asked my dad about it, he said that they used to tie their shoes together and throw them on power lines on the last day of school, and walk home barefoot. I guess the intent was to spend the summer like that? Having spent summers (mostly) barefoot, it certainly made sense at the time. And this power line is near the local high school. However, I can't imagine my grandparents being happy with their children throwing shoes away once a year. And I've also heard somebody say that shoes on power lines mean drugs are sold in the area, which makes my woodlands idyll a little less idyllic. But, that might not be true either. Aren't urban legends fun? Folklore is completely fascinating to me, but I digress.

This picture is funny because it advertises a place in New Jersey near where I'm from. I never heard of them, but maybe next time I'm visiting I'll have to go there. According to their web site, they evidently have the biggest burritos on the Jersey Shore.

Elka and I went to slightly different place to walk, and the trail we took was marked with red.

This sign is very clear to people, but Elka is always very confused and perhaps a little concerned that I pick up her poop. What could I possibly be doing? With all of these other ways that humans communicate with one another, is it any wonder that dogs frequently end up dreadfully confused about our motivations.

And, not a sign or symbol, but so that this isn't an Elka-less post: