# "Dog?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 10, 2010, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog/553270 "2010-09-10T06:06:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog/553270/41 "2010-09-10T17:36:14Z")
😉 ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog/553270/42 "2010-09-10T18:26:34Z")
First of all could it be a prank. Do you have an ex or something? What about your current partner? Could it be someone trying to get back at him through you? Have you interacted with a kid lately? And remember it doesn’t have to be a joke against you. It could be a joke against someone else and you’re landline was giving out. Perhaps someone is giving your landline out as a fake number in a bar. Most people are familiar enough with caller ID not to make a call and expect not to be found out. Area codes are meaningless for some part as many people move and wait to change their numbers, especially if they don’t pay any roaming or long distance charges. Have you Google’d your own land line (also Yahoo, Bing and Ask) to see if the number comes up there. Someone could’ve put something on a blog with your landline. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog/553270/43 "2010-09-10T18:50:19Z")
Ok, guys. For those of you who are chomping at the bit, here’s the number: 571-214-5430. ---
**Author:** ![CWN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bc79bd/32.png) [@CWN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CWN)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog/553270/44 "2010-09-10T19:11:00Z")
Looked the number up on google and it seems ALOT of folks are getting the thing- asking if they have a small dog and a hangup ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog/553270/45 "2010-09-10T19:14:12Z")
I recall hearing that this is a scam. It’s a recorded message asking you if you have a small dog, and if you answer “yes” then you’re authorizing them to put some kind of charge on your phone bill. For some reason, the first part of the recording often gets cut off. ---
**Author:** ![StusBlues](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@StusBlues](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StusBlues)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog/553270/46 "2010-09-10T19:19:08Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Ok, guys. For those of you who are chomping at the bit, here’s the number: > > 571-214-5430. I got a “your call did not go through” message. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog/553270/47 "2010-09-10T19:21:43Z")
Yes, I was thinking that the beginning of the message was cut off, because his inflection definitely indicated the end of a question. And I’m glad I never answered. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog/553270/48 "2010-09-10T19:34:27Z")
You should get a Google Voice phone number and you can make calls and receive them through that. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog/553270/49 "2010-09-10T20:09:50Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > 😉 Thanks for the assist. I’m assuming it was an assist anyway, I have a hard time believing that joke could actually work in the wild. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_Door](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@Bill\_Door](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_Door)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog/553270/50 "2010-09-10T20:10:42Z")
> [@Jet\_Jaguar](#): > > I recall hearing that this is a scam. It’s a recorded message asking you if you have a small dog, and if you answer “yes” then you’re authorizing them to put some kind of charge on your phone bill. For some reason, the first part of the recording often gets cut off. It’s because the recording doesn’t wait for your outgoing message to finish before it goes into its spiel. ---
**Author:** ![TerpBE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc8723/32.png) [@TerpBE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TerpBE)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog/553270/51 "2010-09-10T20:33:11Z")
Here is a list of people who have gotten the same call: [http://www.numberinvestigator.com/571214](http://www.numberinvestigator.com/571214) ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog/553270/52 "2010-09-11T03:17:22Z")
> [@StusBlues](#): > > > [@panache45](#): > > > > Ok, guys. For those of you who are chomping at the bit, here’s the number: > > > > 571-214-5430. > > I got a “your call did not go through” message. I got the message: “The party you are trying to reach is not accepting calls at this time.” Might try again during “business hours” ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog/553270/53 "2010-09-11T04:06:45Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > For several days, someone’s been calling my land line, saying “Dog?” then hanging up. It’s a man’s voice. The only exception was yesterday morning, when he said “Small dog?”. > > I’ve traced his phone number to a cell phone in Ft. Myer, Virginia, which is right next to Arlington National Cemetery. It reminds me of that old “Twilight Zone” episode with the elderly woman who’s getting phone calls from her dead fiancĂ©. > > There is a web site called “Small Dog Electronics,” and they specialize in Apple products (I do use a G5 Mac). But they’re located in Vermont. > > Anyone have a clue? How did you trace the number? Caller ID? That can be spoofed (Cardmember Services is notorious for that, for one). About 9 years ago, we got a call every weekday at about 1 PM. Caller ID was blocked. It was always a male voice, American accent, and he would immediately say “wrong number” and hang up. Very weird. The calls didn’t stop until we got Call Intercept, which basically forces anyone from an unknown number to announce their name to the phone system, then we get a special ring and an option to hear the name, then either accept or reject the call. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dog/553270/54 "2010-09-13T14:44:54Z")
This link might be of interest: > **[Keep Your Small Dog Info To Yourself; The Person Calling You Doesn't Need To...](https://consumerist.com/2010/09/keep-your-small-dog-info-to-yourself-the-person-calling-you-doesnt-need-to-know.html)** > > Here’s a weird possible scam going around. Our reader Chris writes, “Every day for the past week, I’ve been getting an automated call that asks me, ‘This is Survey 2010. Do 
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