SCP-6585 instance. Photograph taken by civilian.

Item #: SCP-6585

Object Class: Archon

Special Containment Procedures: At the time of writing, 76 SCP-6585 instances have been implemented with subdermal tracking devices; these have proven unobtrusive enough to avoid triggering the creation of new instances. SCP-6585 manifestation events are to be monitored, but not directly interfered with. Amnestics should not be administered to civilian areas affected by SCP-6585, as researchers have concluded this will likely interfere with the SCP-6585 manifestation schedule.

Description: SCP-6585 is the collective designation for a group of anomalous domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) that periodically manifest in communities throughout the world. SCP-6585 instances are distinguishable by a thin white material attached to their fur with the words “COMMUNITY DOG” written in black marker on either side.1 This identifying marker is anomalously resistant to damage and cannot be fully removed from the instances by any means, though it does not appear to cause them discomfort. SCP-6585 consists of a single pack2 of approximately 400 dogs which shifts locations every 6 months. A wide variety of dog breeds have been recorded among SCP-6585 instances, ranging in size from standard Chihuahuas (est. 30-35 in pack) to Irish Wolfhounds (3 in pack).

SCP-6585 usually manifests in communities that are experiencing economic hardship and/or social turmoil. Individual instances will seek out members of the community that are under significant personal stress and essentially act as emotional support animals, often taking up residence in their homes. Subjects who interact with SCP-6585 universally report feelings of happiness and contentment while doing so, even among subjects who were known to strongly dislike dogs. When a manifestation event has concluded, all persons in the affected area will remember the event having occurred but will not find the sudden disappearance of the instances unusual.

SCP-6585 instances possess a number of anomalous properties that distinguish them from baseline dogs. They do not physically age or require nourishment of any kind, but will still consume food for personal enjoyment.3 Other behaviors are also altered in comparison to non-anomalous dogs, generally in ways that make them more palatable to humans. For example, SCP-6585 instances enjoy receiving hugs and other forms of close physical affection from humans that non-anomalous dogs typically find unpleasant. Communities affected by SCP-6585 will generally not notice these anomalies, or will find them unremarkable if they do.

Select SCP-6585 Manifestation Events:4

Date
Location
Corresponding Economic/Social Event

January-June 1930
New York City, United States
Stock Market Crash of 1929.

July-December 1943
Los Angeles, United States
Zoot Suit Riots.

January-June 1957
Budapest, Hungary
Hungarian Revolution.

July-December 1968
Bordeaux, France
May 68.

July-December 1989
Beijing, China
1989 Tiananmen Square protests.

July-December 1995
Seoul, South Korea
Sampoong Department Store collapse.

January-June 1993
London, United Kingdom
Black Wednesday.

January-June 2009
New York City, United States
Great Recession.

July-December 2020
Minneapolis, United States
George Floyd protests.

Addendum 6585.A: Initial Containment Failure: When it was first discovered by the Foundation in 1968, SCP-6585 was classified as Euclid, and initial containment procedures called for the removal of SCP-6585 instances from affected communities. However, subsequent events following the first and only attempt at containment in 1970 led to the establishment of the current monitoring protocols.

In July 1970, an active SCP-6585 event was discovered in Augusta, Georgia, believed to be a response to the riot that had taken place in the city two months earlier. After identifying the phenomenon in France in 1968 and spending the next two years researching its effects, Foundation scientists attempted to stop the Augusta event by collecting the SCP-6585 instances and temporarily relocating them to a nearby Site. The attempt initially appeared to neutralize the phenomenon, as the former SCP-6585 instances exhibited traits of non-anomalous domestic dogs; the “COMMUNITY DOG” signs detached from their fur shortly after their removal from Augusta.

Two weeks later, Foundation agents stationed in Augusta reported an apparent SCP-6585 containment breach when approximately 550 domestic dogs were found throughout the city of Augusta bearing the SCP-6585 signage. Closer investigation revealed that the vast majority of these dogs were identical to those that had been previously owned by persons throughout the city. Upon questioning, these owners expressed no knowledge of their pets and identified them as stray dogs, even when directly shown evidence of their previous owners. Researchers concluded that SCP-6585 “replenished” itself with domestic dogs resident in the Augusta area, making them new SCP-6585 instances in the process and producing an antimemetic effect to hide their disappearances from the previous pet owners.

SCP-6585 instances did not leave Augusta at the end of 1970, deviating from their manifestation schedule. Instead, they remained in the city until January 1972; during this time, an additional 137 dogs were discovered to have disappeared from their homes in the area. None were reported as missing or searched for by their owners, and SCP-6585 instances matching their descriptions were identified at the time or in later manifestation events. Following the Augusta containment breach, SCP-6585 was reclassified as Archon.

As of 2021, the current pack of SCP-6585 instances is the same as was originally produced in Augusta in 1970. Since that date, over 200 instances have detached from the main pack and remained in previous manifestation locations, losing their anomalous properties in the process. In all cases, these former SCP-6585 instances resided or continue to reside with persons that have a disability for which a service dog is very helpful, most commonly blindness.

Footnotes

1. Materials found on SCP-6585 instances have included letter paper, napkins [serviettes] (as in the above picture), tissue, and paper towels.

2. The term “pack” is used for convenience; despite manifesting in the same location and remaining in the same area as one another, instances usually behave as individuals and do not regard each other with more affection or loyalty than their non-anomalous equivalents.

3. All defecation resulting from this consumption has taken place in an outside environment; to date, no SCP-6585 instance is known to have defecated in an indoor area.

4. Events that took place before the Foundation’s discovery of SCP-6585 were inferred to have occurred based on historical photographs and descriptions.