The Other Side Of The Canine Divide (Electric Dreams Contest Entry)

in #electricdreams6 years ago (edited)

Gerald stood, shaking with anticipation. His trembling hand over the button.

It was finally complete, the machine that could bridge the gap. The chances that it would work were infanticimal. Gerald knew that, but he was banking on the inevitability in infinity. All it would take, is one other.

His heart curdling in his throat, Gerald flicked the switch. The unit before him zapped into life, the display reeling lines of data as it scanned for a signal.

“Rowf rurp rarp”

The speakers erupted in a strange, animalistic sound. Hot panic danced over his skin as a sudden rush of success hit him.

Gerald hadn’t expected to be able to pick up the phone to another dimension, and understand the words uttered by the being on the other end. He had prepared the sequence during his time at SETI, just in case.

In a moment, he was sending the reply. A string of numbers, Gerald sincerely hoped corresponded with his dimension.

An engulfing flash cut through the artificial glow of technology.

Gerald raised his hand to shield his eyes, the whiteness rushed past him, blotting out the room.

As quickly as it had appeared, the dazzlingly light receded. Lowering his hand, Gerald saw a massive brightly illuminated laboratory. Twenty pairs of eyes greeted the man ripped from another dimension.


He found himself in what looked like a room of staring dogs. The canine creatures stood on all fours, proudly wagging their tails.

Gerald was so overcome by the spectacle, he didn’t see the furred figure behind him, slipping earmuffs over his head. About to lift them away, to hear, Gerald realised he could understand the gravely, sharp speech.

“We have it, looks like it is some form of advanced human!!”


Gerald had fainted not too long after that. It was too much for him, the sudden transportation to a canine run lab.

If only he knew the truth of his situation.


Gerald slowly came too, slumped against a wall. In his confusion, he tried to stand up, smacking his head on the low ceiling.

“Ahhh, I see you’re waking up”

Gerald, still reeling, looked up; his eyes glanced over the grey carpet to the small hound, sat on the floor opposite him.

“Don’t be alarmed Mr Ray.”

The fact that this talking dog knew his name, caused Gerald a noticeable level of alarm.

“There is no need to panic, we understand that you have been trained in the sciences?”

Gerald was so considerably floored by this line of inquiry that he answered without considering the situation.

“Indeed I am, I worked at SETI for fifteen years!”

“Well then Mr Ray, you succeeded in your goal, you have found, what I presume you would call extraterrestrial life”

Gerald’s jaw widened a little as he tried to wrap his mind around this. A dog, with an earpiece clipped to his floppy right ear, was sat in this very dog proportioned room, claiming to be an alien. This had to be some form of joke. He could think of a few Fellows who would enjoy pulling this kind of dirty trick of Gullible Gerald.

“Although upon further inspection of the translation, perhaps extraterrestrial is not necessarily the right term, for although we are not on your earth, this is still, in fact, earth.”

Gerald flapped his mouth, struggling to make sound as he attempted to rationalise a statement that so beggared belief. He tried to remember the moments that had led to his waking up.

“Wait, my machine! I contacted… something… then suddenly, here I was, what went wrong…?”

Gerald replayed the test in his mind, calculating his possible errors, until the dog interrupted his thoughts.

“Nothing, everything worked exactly as it was supposed to, you rang the doorbell, and well, we let you in.”

Bemusement crisscrossed Gerald’s face, his eyebrows knitting over his perplexed gaze.

“I’m not following, I opened a connection, I sent out a ping, the tiniest of signals. There is no way I initiated some form of interdimensional travel, I am not buying this for a moment”

The dog paused for a moment.

“Forgive me Mr Ray, I am not used to be able to have any form of interchange with your kind, let alone those of a more complex nature. Let me elaborate…”

The dog proceeded, in great detail, to explain how they had built this machine as the most basic form of interdimensional communication possible. It worked on the gravitational wavelength they felt other sentient beings would be most likely to stumble across. They had long been able to travel between dimensions, but found the civilisation shattering effects of their sudden appearance a bit traumatic. In the end, they decided to wait for one to come to them.

“...And you Mr Ray, did just that, you came to us, and keen to seize the opportunity for discussion and the sharing of ideas, we brought you directly here. We didn’t want to risk upsetting your entire planet with our sudden arrival, and as you had sent out that ping, we hoped you may be more accepting of the entire situation. Sadly, that appears not to be the case at all…”

The dog tailed off, tipping his head to the side as he stared as Gerald with eyes that said ‘your ball’.

Gerald had been slowly soaking in the lengthy exposition, finding it uncannily believable. He had spent so long wanting to believe, wanting to have the tiny flame he could no longer bear to fan, burst into life. It didn’t take any more to convince him.

“Well then, I am very pleased to be here representing my Earth, allow me to introduce myself. Gerald Edward Ray, please, call me Gerald.”

Gerald raised his right hand, offering it to the dog instinctively. He felt instant horror rip inside of him, as he thought of how his little Yorkie back home gave paw in the same way, it was too late. His hand remained suspended in front of him as the dog padded closer.

He gave a muffled squeak of surprise, as the dog lifted his own right paw, and with a thumb Gerald couldn’t take his eyes off, gripped his hand.

“Gerald Edward Ray, I am Toti Ask Fideo, also representing Earth,” he said, with a wink, “Very happy to make your acquaintance.”

The soft pad of the tail on the carpeted floor cemented the handshake


The obliging Toti has bounded out of the room to inform his superiors of his progress. It wasn’t long, before he returned, with an authoritative looking grey and white floppy haired dog.

The newcomer stared expectantly at Gerald.

“Hello?” He tried to break the tension.

The dog didn’t respond.

“Hello there, I am Gerald,” he said, stepping forwards.

“You can talk to him, the headset will translate.” Toti prompted the other dog.

“I have been advised,” began the dog, “that you are capable of conversing at what could be called a reasonable level. Someone on your earth succeeded in the primate discovery of the interdimensional gravity waves. I can only assume you were a test subject, operating the device on behalf of our cautious canine counterparts. Based on this, I can believe you are indeed capable of basic intelligence, so please, tell me about your earth.”

Gerald was really not sure to begin. He was realising the magnitude of difference between their earths, and struggled to work out the best way to approach the subject.

“Now, sorry - I don’t know your name,”

Gerald, paused, expecting the dog to enlighten him. He did not, so Gerald had no choice but to continue his attempt at a comparison.

“From what I understand, on this earth, Humans are not considered an advanced species?”

The dog snorted.

“No, some can be trained, that is true, but those in the wild are animals, like all others. Dumb beasts at best.”

Gerald swallowed, beginning to understand the reception he was receiving.

“Well, on my earth, Humans are an advanced species.”

It wasn’t going down well, a sharp glint was growing in the eye of Gerald’s captor.

“And the dogs…?” he growled.

“Erm, the dogs. Well a few of them live wild, but they are very intelligent, they hunt in packs and look after each other”

He was floundering.

“And erm, the rest. They live as pets, alongside people…”

Toti interrupted him sharply,

“What are “pets”? The headset has been unable to find an accurate translation, please take a moment to describe the term.”

The red blush of fluster rose in Geralds cheek.

“Pets, pets are like friends; dogs are man’s best friend. They live in houses with us, we provide them with food, we take them on walks and just generally take care of them.”

“Are pets then like gods?” Toti asked, still not understanding the relationship being described.

“Not exactly, although now you mention it, actually no, that would only confuse things now. Pets are creatures that mankind looks after, we tend to their every need, in return for their company”

Gerald was pleased with that explanation. He knew it wasn’t always quite that simple, but he didn’t feel like he could face telling these highly advanced canines of some of the darker fates of their counterparts.

Toti wagged his tail excitedly as he began rapidly yapping to his superior.

“This is exactly was Astro speculated!! Given the right set of conditions, it may be possible to domesticate humans, shaping their evolution through selective breeding until we create a symbiotic relationship, where the humans would care for us in return for the fulfilment we bred them to get from it!!”

Both dogs vanished from the room in an instant. A sick, sinking feeling flooded Gerald. What had he done…?


Three weeks went by. Three weeks of processed gloopy meals. He had objected at first,

“I’m not eating that!”

Nothing else came. In the end, he gave in.

As the days had passed, he had become used to the slimy texture of the mush that seemed to be sustaining him. It was nearly meal time. There was no clock, or light, but his grumbling stomach had noticed a pattern.

The door clanged open, and a small patchy dog with clipped fur peeked around the frame.

“Are you the talking human?”

There was a rumble to the low murmur that felt like urgent fear.

Gerald rushed towards the figure.

“Yes, yes! I thought I must have been forgotten!”

“Far from it, you have started a political war! You have to come with me, it isn’t safe for you here”

Gerald had no idea who this little dog was, or if he could trust her. He had been out of his depth since he got there, he had no choice but to take the leap of faith.


Maddie smuggled him out of the scientific facility that had been all he had seen of the world. She bundled him into the basket of her motorized board, and begged him not to peek out of the cover.

It was the hardest thing ever asked of him.

Whizzing through bustling streets. He could hear the clap of what must be horns, vague snippets of conversation made it through the translator. It was painfully tantalising, he tried to wriggle a little, peer between the woven basket frame.

Snapshots of stalls blurred by, patterned fabric canopies running to a kaleidoscope of pale, ashen greens and blues. Moving a little more, Gerald could see the passers-by. Dogs on all fours, gripped the boards dashing past. Some carried saddlebags over their backs, others chatted away on their earpieces.

He felt like he had wandered onto the set of a Disney movie. Dogs, selling wares on the street, riding what almost resembled skateboards. As they continued, he noticed distinct motifs adorning the solid looking buildings, varying district to district.

To begin with, he hadn’t recognised a single breed. He had concluded dogs here may have the same common ancestor, but without human interference, the individual variations had followed different evolutionary paths. Seeing dog after dog whiz by, he began to notice what he could describe as certain “types”.


Maddie finally came to a stop, lifting the lid off her basket, revealing a field full of blue butterflies.

Looking around, Gerald realised they had left the city, the rounded buildings were still visible a few miles away, but they appeared to be in the countryside.

Huge butterflies dappled the small earthen mound that Maddie was padding towards. Climbing out of the basket, eager to stretch his legs, Gerald followed her.

The simplicity of the exterior was misleading, Maddie opened the door to a sumptuous house. A large round living area, scattered with cushions, softly lit with small recessed lights, led to a passageway showing two more openings.

“Sit down Gerald, there are a few things I need to know”

Gerald had been dreading this moment; being pressed about the dogs of his earth.

“On your earth, how would you say the dogs treat humans?”

“… with affection”

“Affection?”

“Yes, a dog lives with me, he loves me very much, as I love him!”

“Love… so is this a romantic relationship?”

Diplomatic Maddie was clearly trying to repress disgust at the idea.

“Of course not!!” Gerald quickly corrected, “It is strictly platonic, a kinship”

Maddie wagged her tail, exclaiming, “Kinship! Kinship! Oh yes, how perfect!”

“Gerald, I’m going to be honest with you. Humans are not well treated on this version of earth. Plenty of them live in the outlands between the larger states, no-dogs land. We have taken their habitat, hunted them for years. Then there are the farms. Humans are capable of repetitive tasks, the most basic of course, they are bred for it. I want to use you to out them! I want you to go on the national broadcast and condemn these camps.”

He was somewhat dumbstruck. He was only interested in getting home, not adding fire to what had been described as political war.

“I would need to see it for myself first…” he ventured cautiously, beginning to feel a sense of social responsibility.


A farm was easy to show him. Maddie stopped the board outside the perimeter, and lifted the basket lid a little to let Gerald peek out.

Humans with large metal rings obscuring their necks wandered aimlessly round an enclosure. They were clustering together, but the soft slap of bare feet on dirt was the only sound breaking the silence.

“Can I talk to them?” Gerald whispered loudly.

“They wouldn’t understand,” murmured Maddie, the same low rumble as before, “they don’t make any sounds resembling speech”

The men and women, wrapped in brown fabrics, had an contented look to their otherwise blank faces. Bumbling around, occasionally prodding each other and smiling widely.

“Are they drugged…?” Gerald wondered out loud.

“They have been bred to be like this, their brains release serotonin periodically”

It was uncomfortable for him to see, but thinking of his own earth, he forced himself to look. They were gaunt, their muscles under developed, their thick hair clipped. They seemed to have their needs met, they weren’t malnourished or dirty, they wandered around unaware of their position.


The wild humans were much harder to find.

They met up with a friend of Maddie’s, Rastan, a dog who tracked wild human population movements.

Rastan carried a pawheld tracking device, there was no display, it seemed to emit a varying frequency lost to Gerald. Rastan however, pricked his ears, and lead the way.

It was a wearing hike through woodland, Gerald struggling to navigate the same route as the agile canines.

The sun was setting by the time they got close enough for Gerald to see them. From this distance, the Maddie and Rastan could only smell the humans, hear them splashing in the water.

Gerald watched as the red tinges of the sky glimmered over the water, illuminating the party. A group of ten humans were gathered by the river, drinking and filling small gourds.

It was a stark contrast to the numb humans of the farm.

An older figure lifted a toddler from the arms of a woman, smiling back at the little face. Soft laughter caught the breeze. Gerald was struck with the urge to draw closer, greet his fellow man, but something about the scene felt inherently strange.

He ignored his hammering heart, forcing his legs to stay stationary while he observed.

“They still hunt wild human, once a month a big pack from the city chases down a poor wild human, killing it for sport” Maddie remarked.

“Do they do this in every city…?” Gerald found himself repelled.

“They claim it is for population control, that we once hunted them, when we were wild. In our evolution, we removed their only predator, so we’re deliberately hindering the development of the species!!” Rastan’s hackles bristled as he spoke.

“So,” Maddie turned to him, “will you do the live broadcast?”

Gulping, Gerald nodded, “Will you send me back home if I do?”

“Of course,” assured Maddie.

It was a long journey back to the city. It gave Gerald plenty of time to think about the world he found himself in, how it compared to his own. The more he thought about it, the more he realised, he would be presenting a very unpopular opinion.


Maddie was addressing a crowd of dogs wielding unfamiliar broadcasting equipment. Gerald felt like he might be sick, could he really do this….

“So with this in mind, please welcome Gerald Ray, here to show you the true potential of his species!”

There was no clapping, silence filled the air as Gerald stepped out. His once smart jacket was rather tattered from his excursions, rather stained from his sloppy meals. He suddenly became aware of his dishevelled appearance.

“Hello, I have been asked here today, to talk to you all about the humans of your world. The ones you keep in captivity, the ones you hunt in the wild. All I want, is to go back to my earth, my humans, real humans! The humans you have bred, they are not humans at all, they are a creature of your own creation, your own responsibility. The others, living out there, are capable of becoming a more advanced species, I could see the likeness instantly.”

Gerald paused, fear beading in sweat across his brow.

“I deeply regret that I must be honest, if the tables were turned, I doubt you would fare much better. The instincts of the wild also run deep in mankind, I can’t bring myself, in good conscience, to condemn your treatment of the humans here.”

The hurt in Maddie’s big dark eyes, her drooping ears, he knew he had let down his only friend in this world.

“What this simple human has failed to see,” she barked, storming onto the stage, “Is that we are better than them! And so we shall do better than them!”

It didn’t take long for her to turn everything he had said to her cause, compelling the wagging reporters, and presumably the listening audience, into believing they should take this opportunity to prove themselves the better species.

“...and what more of a fitting way to start, than by setting this narrow minded human free, sending him back where he came from.”

The howl of agreement echoed through the city, the eager reporters visible twitched with the urge to join in.

As the white light engulfed him, Gerald wasn’t sure he could face returning to the same life he had left.

A somewhat subpar one, but eh, not feeling very well so need to take some time to rest and recoperate instead of agonizing over improvements! Dog world, somewhat inspired by The Stars My Brothers by Edmund Hamilton - One of my all time favorite stories, more cos of the sense of lonely sense of kinship that comes from drifted with the stars we came from, but the idea of a human visiting a planet where humans are not the dominate species has a lot of space for maneuver. I feel like this is different enough though.

This is my entry to @tygertyger 's #ElectricDreams Contest - Round 9 - the prompts this round are: #1 your protagonist lives in a world where dogs are the dominant species. Unlike their counterparts in our reality they developed opposable thumbs and thus the same ability to create tools ect. as we did in our reality. How does their reality differ from ours, their cultural norms? This time there are no restrictions on what the story is about but I really want to see your take on an advanced dog society. and would like some detail on that aspect #2 a field full of blue butterflies #3 the story must include the sentence - “I am not eating that!”. - there are a few days left to enter so give it a go!

Photo Credit which thankfully is free to use and share, for any purpose. This is from a very interesting article on how dogs process language, I have learnt so much about dog vision, dog evolution, and a dash of science in writing this.

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enjoyed with my pet at my feet

<3 Liking and re-steeming because of the doggos. I mean the story was good, but the picture sold me at first sight. <3

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