What Do The Pictures Tell Us?

My good friend, Mel, sent this response to the question, "What do the pictures tell us?"

Today's pictures... your Blondie has the softest look staring up at you. Wow. Your puppy on the other hand looks much more comfortable than your earlier pictures but seems quite conflicted. She looks as though she is prepared to spring away at at any moment should she feel the need. She is quite intensely watching you. Curious yet skeptical. If you turn away does she move closer? It reminds me of the scene from Dances With Wolves when Two Socks is starting to take food from his hand... One of my favorite movies. Makes me wonder what it was like to "tame" the first canids that joined man.

Mel, you hit the nail on the head Bonita is the picture of conflicted. And, yes, my fantasy would be to be the Jane Goodall of wild dogs in Africa. I guess this crowd will have to do.
One of the things I used to teach you in class was to stand up straight. I love the comparison between the two photos based on my posture change alone.
Top pic all three of us are focused on the food in my hand. I am coaxing her to take the food from my hand in her mother's presence.

In both pics Bonita is under the control of her mother, not me. The bottom is interesting because the downward look and head tilt is to appease mom.
When Blondie isn't around this is my little shadow. She struggles with her fear. First thing in the morning Bonita's little tail flies. She walks in circles while I tell her how good she is. makes her tail thump. She doesn't not yet know the joy of being stroked by a human hand. This morning Stormy heard me talking to Bonita & joined us. He loves being thumped.
Bonita does this, "rrrhagg" face nip, then rubs the top of her head under his jaw. This stimulates a brief play response from Stormy, who is more interested in me at the moment. Storm was standing between my ankles. I'm bent over at the hips, my head a foot over his. Bonita does the face nip, rub thing to him a couple of times. I couldn't resist, with the back of my hand I stroked her side. Her eyes buldged out, then she nipped at my hand the way she had been with Stormy. It was a sassy girl play nip.
I am elated that she is comfortable enough to be sassy with me, that's huge.
Mel, thanks for pointing out Blondie's soft eye contact. All too often we focus only on what we're not getting. To point out the good things we are getting helps the perspective. Gracias.
The energy dynamics contrasted by the two photos is that 1,000 word thing for me.Any thoughts????