The play provoked national and international attention, and even drew protest from an animal rights group.
Schippers, who had gained a reputation as an artist creating unusual works of visual art in the 1960s (for instance, his Pindakaasvloer consisted of a floor covered in peanut butter),[1] conceived of the idea for the play in the early 1970s,[2] and explained that the six dogs had been acquired as puppies and had received acting lessons from the Amsterdam police.
The real spectacle, he said, was "the curious fact that people will actually come to the theatre to watch dogs eating, barking, urinating, fighting, sleeping and playing".
[3] The plot was called "familiar" in one review, and was described as "a Byzantine love story set in a rambling country manor":[4] a young girl introduces her boyfriend to her parents, and plays up emotions like "love, jealousy, curiosity, and parental worries".
[7] Not all were positive: reportedly some people (including the theater manager) left the performance early in dismay, and an action group, "The Underdog", protested against what they saw as animal abuse.