Whether snuggled beside us as we sleep, scavenging scraps from our dinner plates,
or even witnessing our most intimate moments in the toilet, dogs have become so intertwined with human society that we often fail to recognize the boundaries that ostensibly distinguish them as a distinct species. Consequently, we project needs for them that are often unrelated to their innate ones, and as a result, they expose our societal imagination on multiple levels: either as extensions of ourselves, as the standard bearers of our tendencies to anthropomorphize, or even as expendable commodities that can be easily discarded. However, to what extent are these designations accurate?

Are we simply living under the illusion
of an idealized notion of dogs?

Beware the dog!
challenges the deeply ingrained norms of contemporary dog-keeping practices. Through three distinct real-life narratives of dogs, this study employs various elements such as leftover bones, archetypal dog identities, autoethnographic knowledge, and pet marrying services to disrupt and defamiliarize the widely-held conventions that govern human-canine interactions. The methodology utilized in this research relies on visual and descriptive components, as well as colloquialisms, to recreate vivid scenarios that highlight the significance of language in shaping the dynamics of cross-species relationships.
Ultimately, this study aims to stimulate introspection and encourages readers to reevaluate their assumptions by recognizing dogs as complex entities that transcend the boundaries of the familiar.