We're working hard to understand the intricacies of dog pooping rituals. And we're back with more data. Turns out in addition to using Earth's magnetic fields to determine where to poop, dogs also might be adding extra circles in their preliminary pooping rituals as a way of honoring toys that have died in the line of duty.
At least that's the theory provided by Los Angeles-based voice actor, humorist, science communicator, and performance artist Ze Frank (who captured our hearts here at Boing Boing years ago), as explained via one of the entries in his series "Sad Dog Diary":
Dear Diary, today I have added a fourth circle to my pre-pooping ritual. As before, the first circle is to verify that I do in fact need to poop. The second is to check for gremlins and men with beards and hats. The third is to reverify my need for pooping. And now the fourth is to honor my newly deceased toy. Stuffed llama, Rest in Peace, I didn't mean to shake your head off.
The audio for this Sad Dog Diary has been used in lots of cute doggie videos on TikTok, much to my delight. Here's one of my favorites, starring adorable Golden Retriever Stella LaBianca.
Here's a great compilation of more Sad Dog Diary entries, and a playlist of Sad Cat and Sad Dog Diaries. And here's another series by Ze Frank, "True Facts," featuring hilariously-delivered science information. See more of Ze Frank's humor on his YouTube. Enjoy!
Previously: Pooping in ancient Rome
