Seen In San Francisco: Dogs are Strange, When You're a Stranger

Joe Eskenazi

Bow-what?

​When someone places a sign reading "Beware of Dog" on his or her gate, the intention is evident: Stay away. Yet when a sign like the above is exhibited, the opposite occurs. People begin milling about -- and snapping pictures, even.

Your humble narrator noticed the resident of the home smoking a cigarette on his front porch a moment after spotting this sign. I asked permission to take the above photo; it was granted. I asked what manner of dog the man had. "It's a husky," he replied.

Somehow, intangibly, it became clear that this was the only question about the dog he was willing to answer. I departed, not knowing what the hell made this husky so strange. We will all have to accept the mystery.