I actually think two of my neighbors got dogs during this pandemic. Pet adoption rates have understandably gone way up since the lockdown. I’ve fancied the thought as well, but never seriously considered going through with it. Just wouldn’t fit my current living situation. And with the amount of barking I hear on a daily basis, I feel like I’m already living the dog-owner experience. I’m exaggerating. I’m really not bothered by the barking at all. First off, it’s not loud. From what I can tell, it’s a medium-sized dog, so it’s not belting out and bellowing. Also, they aren’t aggressive barks. It’s more of an “awoo” than a “woof.” I’ve observed over the past few months that the dog seems to sound only when its owner is not present. Probably mournfully waiting for its human companion to return.
Look, you have to take some creative liberties with this sort of thing. If I wrote “awoo” instead of “woof” in the comic, you would think that a police siren was going off next door. And how can you convey that the volume of the dog’s bark is loud enough to be audible, but not loud enough to be annoying? I did my best. And it’s in service of the story! That’s what’s most important. I will say, the timing aspect is accurate. I can hear that dog barking any time of the day. Guess it just depends on what its owner’s got going on that day.
I think I’ve spoken to my neighbor once. I haven’t really spoken to anyone in my apartment building (I believe there are eight others). It’s a small enough population and the locale is quaint enough to facilitate some neighborly mingling, but I haven’t found the need or opportunity. I ain’t baking a pie and dropping it on someone’s doorstep. No one did that for me when I moved in (do people actually do that or is that a movie thing?). I did consider - I laugh at myself for this now - starting an apartment group message when the lockdown first started as a channel to ask for and offer help. Coordinating grocery runs, borrowing cleaning supplies… I had this rosy picture of our little community coming together to tackle the quarantine life. I’m sure many people did this and it worked out spectacularly; and I’m sure it would have also worked out in my situation! But with seven months hindsight, we would have all been fine either way. Speaking for myself, I’ve been able to manage on my own (even without a cat or dog). The idea was definitely borne out of deep anxiety, of not knowing what the future held or how to prepare for it. Having others in the thick of it with you is a comfort many people have been fortunate enough to experience, be it with family, significant others, or pets. Maybe I’ll be able to get out of my comfort zone by the time the next pandemic rolls around.
I will end with a confession, something you may have already suspected. D&A #16 was indeed partly borne out of convenience. I knew I could pretty much get two weeks of comic with only one week’s work. But it was a decision based on efficiency, not laziness. I had this comic idea in my back pocket for months, but waited for the right time to use it. If I ever fell behind in my delivery schedule, I could catch back up to speed with this plan. Lo and behold, there was a week when I couldn’t get a comic finished (work and other obligations took over). So I slid “Before/After My Neighbor Got a Dog” into the release schedule and got back on track. Simple enough, but it worked! Yes, I could have easily conveyed this concept across a single comic, but I like delaying the punchline between releases. You gotta wait a whole week for the joke to kick in.