Thursday, April 10, 2003

Dog and Pony (No) Show
I can't believe that this is true. I just got four copies of the same spam email, which describes Dog Island. Dog Island? More than 2,500 dogs are running free on a series of small islands, seemingly off the coast of Florida. They released 10,000 rabbits on the island two years ago to provide prey, and the Web site is just a kick! You can listen to .wav files of dogs barking. There's a cheekily written FAQ that includes such gems as

  • There is one island reserved for the miniatures like Chihuahas and tiny poodles.
  • But what do the rabbits eat? A crew of 15 vegetation restoration engineers are constantly planting large patches of wild carrot.
  • My dog is very very fat. Will it make it on the island?
  • If I visit the Island, how can I be sure to see my dog? You can't be sure.

    And the island is only open to visitors three days a year. I'm busting a gut! There are typos in the organizers' phone number online, and the writing is all slightly askew, so who knows if this real. Regardless, it's a charming idea, and I quite like the concept of an island almost entirely populated by dogs, continual carrot plantings, and dogs forming subsocieties and packs. But questions abound.

    Where does their funding come from? Do the dogs go feral? Why do they want so many dogs in one place at one time? Will the dogs rise up in revolt? Why segregate the dogs by size?

    Wow. I love Dog Island.
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