Animals

I’m Autistic and Scared of Your Dog

Some of My Favorite Summer Places Feel Perilous When People Flout Leash Laws

Small and big dogs playing at a beach while a 'No Dogs Allowed' sign is visible on the left.

It’s a beautiful summer day in Venice, California, and everyone seems to be out enjoying the beach—except for me.

I am profoundly autistic. As a result, I may jump up and down at strange moments or laugh uncontrollably. I cannot speak at all except for a few rote phrases, though I can write with the aid of a letter board or electronic device. And I am profoundly afraid of the dogs off their leashes that seem to be everywhere, especially in summertime.

It does not matter how small or large the dog …

by Jason Jacoby Lee |

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Surreal Sea Creatures

Hoiyan Ng is a New York City-based illustrator and graduate of the School of Visual Arts.

For her Zócalo Sketchbook, Ng takes us below the waves to experience her near-hallucinatory ocean dwellers. “The …

Nature’s Balancing Act

by Petra Holländer |

Petra Holländer is an artist and illustrator from Vienna, Austria. A graduate of the University of Applied Arts Vienna, her work combines bold characters with organic shapes, vibrant colors, and …

Don’t Let the Government Get Your Goat

Cedar, the Caprine Captive Caught in the Middle of a Fatal Legal Battle, Has an Important Story to Tell

by Cedar the Goat, as told to Joe Mathews |

I, Cedar, may be as dead as the narrator of the film Sunset Boulevard. But from my warm and dry pen in caprine heaven, I can still hand down a …

Wild Sights

by Sarah Campbell |

Originally from Canada, illustrator Sarah Campbell moved to Australia in 2010. A graduate from the Design Centre Enmore in Sydney, her work is featured in children’s books, editorials, logos and …

Pet Voice Isn’t All About the LOLZ | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Pet Voice Isn’t All About the LOLZ

The Communication Tactic Dates Back Centuries. But the Act of Anthropomorphizing Our Furry Friends Has Become More Insidious in the Digital Age

by Jessica Maddox |

Whether you love or hate people speaking as their pets, using cutesy terms like “pupperinos” and “heckin’ good bois,” or sharing grammatically incorrect cat speak memes, the concept of a …


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