The Dogs’ Rivalry

This flow traces the Pekes and Pollicles from a chance meeting through escalating pack participation to the sudden dispersal of their confrontation.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Old Enemies

Old Enemies A Persistent Feud The Pekes and Pollicles are described as passionate and implacable foes. Their rivalry appears wherever the two groups meet. The poem begins with conflict already established as a familiar social pattern. Other Dogs Nearby Pugs and Poms usually claim to dislike fighting. Yet they sometimes join the quarrel. Their possible involvement makes a small dispute capable of growing into a crowd.

A Rare Quiet Week

A Rare Quiet Week Calm Before Contact Almost a week has passed with little happening between the rival groups. The poem treats this short peace as a notably long interval. The quiet makes the next encounter feel overdue rather than accidental. An Unwatched Street The big Police Dog is away from his beat. No one else is about when a Peke and a Pollicle meet. The absence of supervision leaves their hostility free to surface.

The First Barking

The First Barking Standoff The Peke and Pollicle neither advance nor retreat. They glare at one another and scrape their hind feet. Their hesitation gives way to a loud verbal challenge. Noise Spreads The pair bark until they can be heard across the Park. A single encounter becomes a public disturbance. The sound draws the larger communities toward the street.

Packs Join In

Packs Join In Group Response Pekes come to windows and doors after hearing the uproar. Pollicles answer with their own gathering and organized noise. The quarrel grows from two dogs into rival crowds. Wider Participation Pugs and Poms join from balconies and rooftops. The street fills with barking that stops traffic and frightens neighbors. The original dispute has become a citywide disturbance.

The Rumpuscat’s Intervention

The Rumpuscat’s Intervention A New Presence The Great Rumpuscat emerges from a small basement flat. His blazing eyes, huge jaws, and fearsome appearance overwhelm the gathered dogs. The spectacle changes the balance more quickly than their barking did. Sudden Dispersal The dogs scatter, and the street is empty when the Police Dog returns. The confrontation ends without a drawn-out fight. The intervention resolves the rivalry’s immediate crisis through intimidation.

At the opening of The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles

After several days with little trouble

At the first meeting in the street

As the barking brings other dogs to the street

At the battle’s climax