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 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 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 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 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 3

Portrait of Spirit  

Ears perked up    

- any sound could be important     

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