Inja yoMlungu

What makes a white man treat a dog better than another human being? In the days of apartheid, the white man’s dogs were used to inspire fear. Before he was incarcerated on Robben Island, Sipho had a dog called Duke. He remembers being devoted to the dog, but ponders if they were as close as some of his white friends are to their dogs. So he sets out to explore the reasons behind the difference in attitude. He interviews white dog owners, a tribal elder on dog ownership, and attends dog psychology classes with middle class white housewives and their pooches. As this amusing exploration unfolds, it transpires that, while in the past dogs were utilized for more sinister reasons, today the relationships reflect a crack sociology of whites.