Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of animal cruelty and ableism.

Dogtown is the titular location and the story’s main setting. In addition, the shelter is a symbol of The Dangers of Inequality. Different parts of Dogtown reflect different aspects of the human/dog hierarchy that exists both within its walls and in the world at large. The main floor and front desk area is the ideal place to be. This is where most dogs are adopted and where Management places the dogs that she believes have the greatest chance of finding a home. By contrast, the basement is where dogs go to be punished or when they are on or headed for the List. Unlike the upstairs, the basement is dark and cold, illustrating that dogs are second-class citizens. Moreover, being placed in the basement lessens a dog’s chance of being adopted because the entrance of the basement is difficult to find; it thus reinforces the hierarchy that exists among the more and less “desirable” dogs of Dogtown. The building’s layout thus suggests both the arbitrary power that humans have over the lives of dogs and how this impacts relations among the dogs themselves.