Pedestrians whizzing by a man hawking SPCA flyers in Downtown Seattle today walked away with a gnawing feeling that the man may have also been seeking some sort of genuine human connection.
“Hey, got a minute to talk about animals? Or just talk in general …?” solicitor Robert Carrington asked pedestrians as they buzzed past him with earbuds firmly in place.
Drawn to the organization by Sarah McLachlan’s soul-stirring tunes and a big heart hoping to make a difference, Carrington originally got into the gig for the animals. But those times have given way to a colder reality.
“One time I juggled some of our abused cats — I literally juggled cats — while my compatriot Brenna here strummed ‘Cats in the Cradle,’” Carrington said. “I couldn’t even get eye contact.”
The isolation has gotten so bad for Carrington that he’s begun swapping out his SPCA sign for a “Free Hugs … Please” placard that he donned near the bus stop.
Pedestrian Zach Burns said he paused at the sign, considered interacting, and then thought better of it.
“Yeah, I don’t know, it’s pretty needy and I don’t want to enable his behavior,” said Burns. “Why can’t he just download a few dating apps and pick up an emotional numbing habit like drinking, smoking, eating or porn instead like the rest of us?”
