A dog. And another thing. (Associated Press file)
In a dog-centric town like Denver, and for that matter in a dog-centric state like Colorado, you’d expect more interest in Dogspotting, a game that involves posting words about and/or pictures of dogs doing doglike (or un-doglike) things.
Yes, Dogspotting has a little bit in common with , only in Dogspotting, the trick is to catch a dog in the act of being itself without the dog realizing that someone’s watching.
For example, in a small crowd, with this comment: “Lone, old, leashless pug waiting to cross the street earlier today. He was pretty chipper, despite the rain.”
is the quirky web-native (but meatspace-based) game where you’d better not use your own dog as a model, and the points matter so much that detractors have split off from the original group, not unlike .
It all started in 2008 with , who created a game with simple rules: Find a — not your dog — doing something doglike or not-doglike, unaware that its behavior is being witnessed. Front paws on the counter as the dog tries to knock down a plate of cookies? Yes. Cuddling a toy while it naps? Double yes. Helping its human by carrying part of its own leash in its mouth? Meh, but yes. Extra points for internet favorite breeds, including pugs and Shiba Inus? Definitely.
caught on, with about 30,000 members of the original Dogspotting Facebook group — but enough for dogspotting fans to pick quarrels with each other. Now the game that has splintered into bitter factions.
There are the , and offshoots including the, and , and , named for the two writers who shaped and refined the game.
“Dogspotting is basically the art of looking at a dog, classifying it and its actions, and assigning a score to it,” says Jeff Wallen, who curates the Boruff-Savoia Dogspotting page.
“A dog, unaware that it is being spotted, shows the true spirit of itself. It is being itself and acting without outside influence. The best spots catch the dog in this state. A dog that knows it is being watched alters its behavior. For instance, a dog that knows you are there most likely won’t turn over a garbage can. If you can get a spot of a dog destroying human property — well, that is a very valuable spot, and can earn you extra points.”
A few more extra-points examples: the illustrated here by a dog whose tongue is either cute or extremely disturbing, or a .
But, Wallen cautions, avoid what he calls “negative modifiers,” such as a dog wearing clothing, whose fur has been dyed, that’s in a kennel or at a dog park or somewhere else you’d expect to find a dog. Dogspotting is about discovering a dog seizing an opportunity to be itself.
“Some people post spots knowing they are going to get negative points,” Wallen said.
“They just want to share their spotting experience. Others have really caught on to what Dogspotting is all about, and know how to get really awesome spots repeatedly, and are all about the points. Barry Thorpe, who lives in Bali, is a master. His entire family are longtime spotters, part of the original group. Or Bryan Cuttance (who) seems to have an innate ability to catch a dog in heavenly scenes of beauty, and really share the dog’s spirit in its natural state.”
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