As you can see from the storefront above, the Spanish seem to like dogs. There are quite a few around and they all seem fairly friendly. We are in an urban area with a lot of people so I understand the need to control pets and in particular where they leave “Nature’s Callings”. But there needs to be some standardization in signage so that everyone is on the same page. Without a clear and concise message these things are open to interpretation. Things can spin out of control. The result could be pet anarchy. This sign is a perfect example of a generic municipal sign. The dog depicted is completely bland and figureless. This could be any dog, which is the point. There is no room for error.

On the other hand, I’m not even sure that this one is a dog. From what I can see of it behind the red bar it’s a wolf. Of course nobody wants a wolf on the beach. What are you crazy?

Now this one’s a puppy, a friendly puppy. Who doesn’t like puppies?

This one is just sad. Why have they decided to embarrass this poor dog? I think that we’re all smart enough to know why we don’t want the dog on the beach. Do we really have to humiliate the poor creature? And what’s with the perfect dog in the lower right? Go ahead just rub it in a little bit more.

This one’s not a dog. It’s a hand puppet, right?

This dog’s just a little crazy. To me the sign says “No Ditzy Dogs On The Beach”.

I find this one particularly troubling. This is not a generic dog. This is a very specific dog. We were so certain that they were singling out a particular canine that we went around the neighborhood showing people the picture and asking them if anyone knew this dog and what exactly had he done. He looks like a pretty nice dog to me.

They keep telling us, “he went away” or maybe it was, “you should go away”.