"—We Also Walk Dogs"

"—We Also Walk Dogs" is a science fiction short story by Robert A. Heinlein. One of his Future History stories, it was first published in "Astounding Science Fiction" (July 1941 as by Anson MacDonald) and collected in "The Green Hills of Earth" (and subsequently "The Past Through Tomorrow").

Plot summary

A company that provides various personal services such as shopping for you or walking your dogs or supplying a host for a party, is asked to do the impossible: enable an interplanetary conference to be held on Earth, whose strong gravity is inhospitable to the native races of other planets in the solar system.

Much of the action of the story is not, as one might expect, about the science or engineering of creating an antigravity device, but about how to persuade the world’s leading physicist to undertake the job. It turns out he’s fond of a museum piece, "The Flower of Forgetfulness".

Language

Though not in wide usage, the term is also used as a catchphrase among techies to describe a willingness to take on any job, large or small, prestigious or menial—one tech-related consulting organization named their company after this phrase, emphasizing the versatility of providing solutions to Fortune 500 or startup companies. [cite web | title = We Also Walk Dogs | url=http://www.wawd.com | accessdate = 2007-04-18]

References