I don’t think this works, but I see one way it’s supposed to make sense:
The puppy is supposed to be getting exercise, but is on the other dog’s back. The other dog isn’t happy about that. The human is oblivious because he’s on his phone.
Among the problems with that explanation is that the dog could bark or buck.
Little dog has died. Owner has placed him on big dog to carry back home, rather than dragging the body through the street. He is looking up local animal control to find out how to dispose of the animal as he lives in an apartment and doesn’t have a garden in which to bury it. The guy is emotionless as the little dog is one his wife owned before they got married and he’s never really cared for it. He brought the big dog to the marriage.Big dog looks angry because he is in Stage 2 of grief.
So, as you see, this a CIU for me, but I don’t think it’s funny.
Same as this:
Is one of your life goals to take a thematic apperception test and get the psychologist to quit his profession? Can I watch?
Arthur, should we become friends I will allow you to watch me do many things.
“He is looking up local animal control to find out how to dispose of the animal as he lives in an apartment and doesn’t have a garden in which to bury it.”
One word: cremation.
“Among the problems with that explanation is that the dog could bark or buck.”
You can complain about the things a puppy does, but it isn’t likely to be taken seriously by either the puppy or by any humans in the puppy’s “awwww!” radius.
And his apartment building doesn’t permit a grill on the balcony.
Sadly, he lacks not only a garden for burying the beast, but he also has no crematorium in his home.
In a case of life-inspiring art, I had to arrange for the disposal of the remains of my father’s cat a number of years ago. Calling animal control was indeed the correct answer. They picked up and disposed of the carcass. I don’t recall if there was a fee. If so, it was minimal.
I could NEVER just throw away a pet that has been a part of my life like that; mine are cremated and their urns are in a Starfish cabinet with their collars and a photo. Oh, and my Mother’s ashes, too, albeit with only a photo.
Why a Starfish cabinet? Because of Rescue . . .
The Starfish
Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.
One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer.
He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn’t dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up some-thing and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
The Starfish
Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.
One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer.
He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn’t dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up some-thing and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
The Starfish
Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.
One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer.
He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn’t dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up some-thing and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
The Starfish
Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.
One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer.
He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn’t dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up some-thing and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
As he got closer he called out, “Good morning! What are you doing?”
The young man paused, looked up and replied, “Throwing starfish in the ocean.”
“I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?”
“The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don’t throw them in they’ll die.”
“But, young man, don’t you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can’t possibly make a difference!”
The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said,
“It made a difference for that one.”
A good setup is worth repeating.
When I saw “Captain Marvel”, I was in the theater for the special opening-day fan screening. Well despite being AMC, the screen was dark and the sound was low. So I walked out of that theater to go to the 3D showing right before it began. It was lucky because the opening half-hour of “Captain Marvel” is challenging to follow as it jumps around in time and location.
Andréa said,
I could NEVER just throw away a pet that has been a part of my life like that;
I could, and have. I love my cats dearly, but when they are dead, the part that I loved is gone. I lay the body on the floor so all the cats can know what happened to him, then I wrap him and put him in the trash. I’m not sentimental about the meat, and I believe in letting his molecules be returned to active duty.
SingaporeBill has it right. The one missing detail is his wife got the dog with her ex-boyfriend. The guy isn’t calling anyone, he is taking a video of the dead dog which he will send anonymously to the ex. It gets deeper and deeper.
The starfish story reminded me of another…
It was a dark and stormy night.
The ship was sinking.
The captain turned to me and said,
“tell me a story, my son”
And so I began…
It was a dark and stormy night.
The ship was sinking.
The captain turned to me and said,
“tell me a story, my son.”
And so I began…
It was a dark and stormy night.
–Remy Charlip, from “Arm in Arm”
And of course, the old classic:
Pete and Repete were sitting on a fence.
Pete fell off… who was left?
And then finally, some trivia. Back inthe old days, crab fishers hated starfish, because starfish eat crabs, including ones in crab pots. (Note for my daughter, who majored in biology: Yes, I know that starfish are not fish and are properly called “sea stars”.)
Anyways, everytime the crab fishermen would pull up a crab pot full of starfish and half-eaten crabs, they’d cut up the starfish and throw the whole mess back into the ocean. It turns out that cut-up bits of starfish will regrow all the cut-off parts of starfish and become whole starfish again, so if you cut a starfish into 5 pieces, you haven’t made 1 starfish into 0 starfish, you’ve made 1 starfish into 5 starfish.
I don’t think this is what the comic is trying to portray, but if he was taking a picture or a video, he’d get a lot of internet points posting it in various cute pet pages / subreddits.
That’s possible. There’s a clip making the rounds of the news shows of a Chihuahua riding on the back of his buddy who’s taking a swim:
A mad meta-poet,
With nothing to say,
Wrote a mad meta-poem
That started: “One day,
A mad meta-poet,
With nothing to say,
Wrote a mad meta-poem
That started: “One day,
[…]
sort of close”.
Were the words that the poet,
Finally chose,
To bring his mad poem,
To some sort of close”.
Were the words that the poet,
Finally chose,
To bring his mad poem,
To some sort of close”.
(Author unknown)
“Yes, I know that starfish are not fish and are properly called “sea stars””
They aren’t stars either…..
There’s a general rule about the naming of insects. If “fly” is a separate word (house fly, tsetse fly), it’s a fly. If “fly” is part of the word for it (butterfly, dragonfly), it’s not actually a fly.
So, by that reasoning, it makes perfect sense to use “starfish” as long as it’s not actually a fish, which it isn’t.
What about swordfish, then? ;)
A swordfish isn’t an insect. And the letter I-S-H are not the letters L-Y.
Although the short stories being written in this comment thread are clearly better than the actual cartoon, I suspect it’s just Arthur’s explanation: “dog is annoyed because he’s carrying other dog, and human isn’t paying attention.”
I don’t have a dog myself, but I do have two incredibly clingy cats, and so I imagine that part of the reason for walking dogs (maybe a tertiary reason, after “excreting” and “exercising”, but still in the mix) is to spend time with your dog and build up your relationship. Big dog may be annoyed that that’s not happening.
Don’t think the little dog is dead. He is smiling. Generally dead animals (and people) are not smiling and have x’s for eyes. I think the little dog wanted a ride and like the bigger sister has to carry the littler one (I know – I have 2 younger sisters) the older dog has to to carry the younger dog. The man is just oblivious to the larger dog being upset and/or what the little dog is doing due to his cell phone. Figuring the purpose to walking a dog – this could be very messy for the big dog and for the man to clean up.
Comics I Don't Understand 
I don’t think this works, but I see one way it’s supposed to make sense:
The puppy is supposed to be getting exercise, but is on the other dog’s back. The other dog isn’t happy about that. The human is oblivious because he’s on his phone.
Among the problems with that explanation is that the dog could bark or buck.
Little dog has died. Owner has placed him on big dog to carry back home, rather than dragging the body through the street. He is looking up local animal control to find out how to dispose of the animal as he lives in an apartment and doesn’t have a garden in which to bury it. The guy is emotionless as the little dog is one his wife owned before they got married and he’s never really cared for it. He brought the big dog to the marriage.Big dog looks angry because he is in Stage 2 of grief.
So, as you see, this a CIU for me, but I don’t think it’s funny.
Same as this:
Is one of your life goals to take a thematic apperception test and get the psychologist to quit his profession? Can I watch?
Arthur, should we become friends I will allow you to watch me do many things.
“He is looking up local animal control to find out how to dispose of the animal as he lives in an apartment and doesn’t have a garden in which to bury it.”
One word: cremation.
“Among the problems with that explanation is that the dog could bark or buck.”
You can complain about the things a puppy does, but it isn’t likely to be taken seriously by either the puppy or by any humans in the puppy’s “awwww!” radius.
And his apartment building doesn’t permit a grill on the balcony.
Sadly, he lacks not only a garden for burying the beast, but he also has no crematorium in his home.
In a case of life-inspiring art, I had to arrange for the disposal of the remains of my father’s cat a number of years ago. Calling animal control was indeed the correct answer. They picked up and disposed of the carcass. I don’t recall if there was a fee. If so, it was minimal.
I could NEVER just throw away a pet that has been a part of my life like that; mine are cremated and their urns are in a Starfish cabinet with their collars and a photo. Oh, and my Mother’s ashes, too, albeit with only a photo.
Why a Starfish cabinet? Because of Rescue . . .
The Starfish
Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.
One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer.
He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn’t dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up some-thing and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
The Starfish
Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.
One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer.
He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn’t dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up some-thing and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
The Starfish
Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.
One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer.
He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn’t dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up some-thing and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
The Starfish
Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.
One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer.
He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up.
As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn’t dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up some-thing and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
As he got closer he called out, “Good morning! What are you doing?”
The young man paused, looked up and replied, “Throwing starfish in the ocean.”
“I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?”
“The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don’t throw them in they’ll die.”
“But, young man, don’t you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can’t possibly make a difference!”
The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said,
“It made a difference for that one.”
A good setup is worth repeating.
When I saw “Captain Marvel”, I was in the theater for the special opening-day fan screening. Well despite being AMC, the screen was dark and the sound was low. So I walked out of that theater to go to the 3D showing right before it began. It was lucky because the opening half-hour of “Captain Marvel” is challenging to follow as it jumps around in time and location.
Andréa said,
I could NEVER just throw away a pet that has been a part of my life like that;
I could, and have. I love my cats dearly, but when they are dead, the part that I loved is gone. I lay the body on the floor so all the cats can know what happened to him, then I wrap him and put him in the trash. I’m not sentimental about the meat, and I believe in letting his molecules be returned to active duty.
SingaporeBill has it right. The one missing detail is his wife got the dog with her ex-boyfriend. The guy isn’t calling anyone, he is taking a video of the dead dog which he will send anonymously to the ex. It gets deeper and deeper.
The starfish story reminded me of another…
It was a dark and stormy night.
The ship was sinking.
The captain turned to me and said,
“tell me a story, my son”
And so I began…
It was a dark and stormy night.
The ship was sinking.
The captain turned to me and said,
“tell me a story, my son.”
And so I began…
It was a dark and stormy night.
–Remy Charlip, from “Arm in Arm”
And of course, the old classic:
Pete and Repete were sitting on a fence.
Pete fell off… who was left?
And then finally, some trivia. Back inthe old days, crab fishers hated starfish, because starfish eat crabs, including ones in crab pots. (Note for my daughter, who majored in biology: Yes, I know that starfish are not fish and are properly called “sea stars”.)
Anyways, everytime the crab fishermen would pull up a crab pot full of starfish and half-eaten crabs, they’d cut up the starfish and throw the whole mess back into the ocean. It turns out that cut-up bits of starfish will regrow all the cut-off parts of starfish and become whole starfish again, so if you cut a starfish into 5 pieces, you haven’t made 1 starfish into 0 starfish, you’ve made 1 starfish into 5 starfish.
I don’t think this is what the comic is trying to portray, but if he was taking a picture or a video, he’d get a lot of internet points posting it in various cute pet pages / subreddits.
That’s possible. There’s a clip making the rounds of the news shows of a Chihuahua riding on the back of his buddy who’s taking a swim:
A mad meta-poet,
With nothing to say,
Wrote a mad meta-poem
That started: “One day,
A mad meta-poet,
With nothing to say,
Wrote a mad meta-poem
That started: “One day,
[…]
sort of close”.
Were the words that the poet,
Finally chose,
To bring his mad poem,
To some sort of close”.
Were the words that the poet,
Finally chose,
To bring his mad poem,
To some sort of close”.
(Author unknown)
“Yes, I know that starfish are not fish and are properly called “sea stars””
They aren’t stars either…..
There’s a general rule about the naming of insects. If “fly” is a separate word (house fly, tsetse fly), it’s a fly. If “fly” is part of the word for it (butterfly, dragonfly), it’s not actually a fly.
So, by that reasoning, it makes perfect sense to use “starfish” as long as it’s not actually a fish, which it isn’t.
What about swordfish, then? ;)
A swordfish isn’t an insect. And the letter I-S-H are not the letters L-Y.
Although the short stories being written in this comment thread are clearly better than the actual cartoon, I suspect it’s just Arthur’s explanation: “dog is annoyed because he’s carrying other dog, and human isn’t paying attention.”
I don’t have a dog myself, but I do have two incredibly clingy cats, and so I imagine that part of the reason for walking dogs (maybe a tertiary reason, after “excreting” and “exercising”, but still in the mix) is to spend time with your dog and build up your relationship. Big dog may be annoyed that that’s not happening.
Don’t think the little dog is dead. He is smiling. Generally dead animals (and people) are not smiling and have x’s for eyes. I think the little dog wanted a ride and like the bigger sister has to carry the littler one (I know – I have 2 younger sisters) the older dog has to to carry the younger dog. The man is just oblivious to the larger dog being upset and/or what the little dog is doing due to his cell phone. Figuring the purpose to walking a dog – this could be very messy for the big dog and for the man to clean up.