Favorite Breed

My new friend, Liz asked me a question this weekend. I have had several people ask this question and I have never quite given it a straight answer (probably bc i didn’t know what I was trying to say) until this weekend. Maybe it is because I had an “ah-ha” moment (sorry about the Oprah-ness of that comment).

Liz said, “So what is your favorite breed?”. I answered, “The breed i am photographing at that moment”.

When I photograph dogs – i get lost. I get down and rub my hand along their backs, bellies and ears (oh yes – the cold sensation of a big floppy ear is *pure* heaven!). I forget the time. I forget what I need to do after the photo session. Or what I did earlier in the day. I forget everything. I live in the moment. That moment when the fur gently brushes the palm of my hand.

I am a *very* Sensing person. I repeat – I am a *VERY* Sensing person. Remember the Myers-Briggs tests you took in high school? Well, I topped the charts on “Sensing”. I was the kid in the toy shop that would walk down an aisle and touch every toy box and every stuffed animal. I didn’t care that the stuffed animals were all pink rabbits. I wanted to touch every one because every one was different to me. Just like dogs. No matter how many boxers, golden retrievers, or frenchies that I photograph. They are all different + unique. They are their *own* self. During my photo sessions, I search for their *own* self to reveal itself.

I usually ask owners to tell me about their dogs – I find out about scars on a back, neck, deformed or missing paws. I want to hear their stories because then I can start to hear the dog’s story. The story that they cannot tell me. I *listen* to how their run, fetch a ball (or not), watch a bird float over head, every movement they make (or don’t). I am not an animal communicator. But I do know what my *gut* tells me (that little voice or feeling we sometimes push away?). In previous jobs, I rarely listened to that *gut* voice. I was too busy listening to that *logic* voice (which I found out only knows half the story).

Thank you for reading – some mornings i love to ramble when the coffee is brewed just right and Doc is seated just right of my big purple yoga ball I sit on so I can pet her as I write….good morning.