Most dogs I encountered in India were in terrible condition — many were mangy or otherwise diseased; most were thin, some to the point of being skeletal; the usual behaviour was craven. A few I kept well clear of — rabies kills tens of thousands of people each year in India and although I'd been prevaccinated I didn't relish the thought of the post-bite course of injections. But occasionally I'd meet dogs that were obviously well looked after; lovely animals who evoked feelings of delight rather than pity. This was the first of those, at the guest house at Kausani in the Himalaya. I'd like to think his expression here was one of melancholy because I was leaving, but he was probably just bored.
All content © 2008 Pete McGregor
Another wonderfully eloquent portrait (for that book!). You were probably the most intriguing thing he'd seen for weeks!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely boy. I hope you gave him a scratch behind the ears :-)
ReplyDeleteRR, he did pay me a bit of attention during my stay ;^)
ReplyDeleteAnne-Marie, if I remember correctly, he was one of only two dogs I was game to touch in India.
This is a great shot!
ReplyDeleteI just love these shots at which you can stare for long minutes and try to understand or just imagine, what does this expression means!
I could write here about a dozen ideas of what this dog was thinking at the moment and what it mood could be.
Cheers Greg. I agree — landscapes, photographed well, can be marvellous, but often they leave too little to the imagination (I count most of mine among those). In contrast, an expression on a face — whether human or other animal — so often allows the viewer to wonder, and I admit to preferring photos with that characteristic.
ReplyDeletewonderful tribute! I bet he'd remember you if you went there again. beautiful coat and well caught shot. I hope I see more canines around :) keep it up
ReplyDeleteD.V.A., like most dogs, he probably remembers anyone who pays him attention!
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