Business Unusual for the Dog Walker

The following “Business Unusual” account is part of our new initiative, Collecting in Quarantine. With current mandates for all non-essential businesses to close, business is anything but usual in Maryland. In the Business Unusual series, MdHS is asking business employees, owners, customers, passers-by and neighborhood residents to visually share their experiences during the COVID-19 crisis.

Dog in backyard — Untitled, 8×10-inch black and white print, photograph by Joseph Kohl, undated. Joseph Kohl Photograph Collection, PP284, box 26, folder 24, H. Furlong Baldwin Library, Maryland Historical Society.

Friday, March 27, 2020 – On this day, Carolyn from Baltimore shared the following poem:

Dog Walker

the loudest sound is a robin’s song
she does not move as I walk along
nearly step on her

eye to eye
in a shut down world
morning doves in a twirl

have they taken over

young man with Swiss mountain dog
comes this way
six feet between us

we say a few words over chatter of birds

Please note: The views, information, and opinions expressed and shared on the underbelly through the Collecting in Quarantine project do not necessarily represent those of the Maryland Historical Society. Our staff does not verify for accuracy the information contained within these submissions. The primary purpose of this series, with the permission of contributors, is to share and collect the experiences of Marylanders living through quarantine at this moment in time.

To learn more about the Collecting in Quarantine project and how to share a story and/or photos of your own, click here.