Torngats 2015 - Where Nature and Culture Connect 21

A Reminder to Take the Time to Relax

In the Design Shelter Tents...  

... there is even a place to sit and think.   

Overall, the accommodations at the Torngat Mountains Base Camp are very comfortable. In the largest of the tents, the Design Shelters, table and chairs give space for writing, working or just sitting by the window and thinking.         

Gone to the Dogs - Day 28

 Momentarily Distracted 

Something has caught their attention...

- should they run to check it out?     

Casper and Spirit keep an eye on the neighborhood, and very little gets past them. Especially the neighbors' dogs out on the road.

Gone to the Dogs - Day 23

Spirit and her Shadow  

Spirit is enjoying the late afternoon sunshine    

- and her shadow puts another dog in the pen   

Spirit is waiting patiently for a treat, staying close enough to nuzzle up to where the treats are in the jacket pockets.

Gone to the Dogs - Day 19

Spirit Eating A Carrot... just watch...  

This is the way to eat a carrot    

-  note how she uses her paws    

Spirit enjoys her treats, especially if they are treats that are bigger than just one mouthful. This one was good.

Gone to the Dogs - Day 16

Casper and His Treat  

Casper is waiting    

- and guarding to make sure the treat doesn't disappear    

Each dog has characteristic behaviors and postures. From the time he was a puppy, when Casper was made to wait for food in his dish, he would fix his attention on the bowl and not take his eyes off it. Now that he is learning to wait for a treat, Casper demonstrates the same behavior.

Gone to the Dogs - Day 15

A Reflection of What Spirit Sees  

In Spirit's Eye    

- you can see both Casper and me    

The flow of a dog's fur, or the shape of her head, or the way she holds her tail may be beautiful features.
For me, one of Spirit's most beautiful features is her dark shiny eyes. And surprisingly, as she looked at us, I was able to see reflections of both Casper and me in her eye. And the photograph caught the moment.

Gone to the Dogs - Day 13

Casper in Profile  

Casper Spots Something in the Distance    

-  and displays that handsome profile    

Casper and Spirit are cousins. They are "Mixed Breed" canines, meaning that there's a variety of genetic material blended in their makeup, and in many ways the two dogs do not resemble each other. However, in their profiles, there is the shared shape of nose, muzzle and lips that is obvious in this photo and the last one.

Gone to the Dogs - Day 12

Spirit in Profile  

Spirit is momentarily distracted    

-  and she shows me her profile    

Spirit is a highly alert dog. She is playful and she can be boisterous, but she is always aware of her environment, and if something catches her attention, she will break off play or eye contact to check on what is going on.
Here in profile, she displays the delicate shape of her nose, her muzzle and her lips.

Gone to the Dogs - Day 11

Nibbling and not-Nipping  

It's About Not-Biting The Hand That Feeds You    

-  and the gloves are really for protection against the cold    

Grabbing that treat and running with it to a safe spot isn't working here.
So, it's nibble and chew. And be aware of where the biscuit is and where the fingers are.
And be careful not to bite the hand that feeds you.

Gone to the Dogs - Day 10

Casper Yawns  

Casper's stretch-and-yawn routine    

-  can you keep from yawning, too?    

Yawning is contagious, when you see someone do it, you yawn too, or else you try to suppress it.
There are scientific studies about how this comes about, but for me it is sheer pleasure to watch Casper pull himself out into a long stretch, first front and then rear, then yawn and bring in a deep breath, and finally shake his entire body to loosen up. And then I do it, too.

Gone to the Dogs - Day 9

Spirit's Eyes  

Is Spirit trying to stare me down?    

-  or is she trying to figure out where her treat is?    

Casper and Spirit have learned that they get a treat as a reward for doing something on command. So, responding to "Sit", "Stay", "Come" and "Lie Down" usually means that a treat is on the way. Right now Spirit is waiting to hear the magic word... "Okay!"... to collect it.
And while she is waiting, in those eyes I can see a lot of her wolf-background staring back at me.

Gone to the Dogs - Day 8

Casper Head on Paws  

Lie Down!    

-  Casper waiting for his treat   

Casper's command was "Lie Down" and he settled into a comfortable position right away, head on paws and waited. He knows that there is a reward coming, and now that he has earned it, all he needs to do is wait.

Gone to the Dogs - Day 7

"On-Ignore"  

Spirit is ignoring me    

-  and hiding so I can't see her    

Like people, dogs demonstrate different behaviors in strange situations. I asked Spirit to perform a command that she had obviously forgotten. Frustrated after several tries, she pulled back behind a post to gather herself together before she comes back out - a variation on the old wolf trick of hiding behind a tree to size up an opportunity.

Gone to the Dogs - Day 6

Close up on Forepaws  

Spirit's Forepaw

Casper's Forepaw

His and Hers    

-  different sizes, different shapes, even different colors, such variation    

Here are Casper's and Spirit's forepaws in winter. The nails are growing long and give the dogs grip in the packed snow, the fur is growing thick and long and it helps insulate between the toes and the foot pads.

Gone to the Dogs - Day 5

Comfortable At Home  

Waiting to See What Will Happen Next    

-  it's bound to be interesting    

Casper and Spirit are cousins. Their mothers, two sisters, got out of our friends' garden together and roamed the neighbourhood for a while, with predictable results. There were nine puppies altogether from two litters, and these two chose to come home with us. We think it was a good choice.

Gone to the Dogs - Day 4

Portrait of Casper  

What a smile    

- and he's hoping for something nice    

"We always welcome dog treats. And if there are no treats, we'll chew on anything else we can find.
And we'll come back smiling, just in case."

Gone to the Dogs - Day 3

Portrait of Spirit  

Ears perked up    

- any sound could be important     

She knows something good is coming. Sometime soon. Any minute. Listen... concentrate.

Gone to the Dogs - Day 2

Casper on Alert  

Casper and Spirit in the Doghouse Doorway    

- vigilant guard dogs    

We made the doghouse doorway small so as to keep the heat inside in the winter and to keep the doghouse cool in summer. A dog can go through comfortably, but only one dog at a time, although both dogs could poke their heads out together. Right now, Casper is on alert, and so Spirit will have to wait to get out.

Gone to the Dogs - Day 1

My Tame Animal Models  

Introducing Spirit and Casper    

- photography models as long as there are treats    

I am interested in doing "street photography" but that kind of shooting requires complete control of the camera and the ability to set up a shot quickly. I want to sharpen my skills in this technique. So, for the next little while, I propose to work with my tame animal models, Spirit and Casper, two six-year old mixed breed dogs, who are puzzled by the camera, but who understand the concept of treats very well. We'll see where this takes us!