Sugi likes bananas

sugi-banana

  •  Lesson from Sugi: Dogs like fruit
  • Sugi says, “in the evening, after a long day, I like to have a snack of banana cut up into bite-size pieces”

Sugi’s pretty fussy about his food. He’ll just sit and look at me with disdain if I give him a bowl of food he doesn’t like. Recently, I’ve discovered that he likes an evening snack of banana. I cut up a whole banana into slices and share it between Tom and Sugi. They love this in the evening before bed. We now have a special “banana time!” that they have come to love and expect each evening.

Banana is a good ‘cooling’ food according to TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) that will cool you down if you’re having too much heat. This is good for Sugi when he’s hot after coming indoors from an evening walk.

 

Tom Zen Nap

Tomzen

  •  Lesson from Tom: Dog’s like a cozy place to sleep
  • Sugi says, “sometimes I like to get small!”

I like to photograph Tom and Sugi when they’re napping. Like humans, dogs can seem more vulnerable when they’re asleep. Inspired by my recent interest in Zen (I think there’s a connection but not sure what it is yet…), here Tom is trying to make himself small.

Sugi likes a cuddle

sugi-cuddle-s

  • Lesson from Sugi: Dogs need loving kindness too!
  • Sugi says, “When I’m feeling safe I can relax into a cuddle.”

Lately, Sugi has been less fearful (of flies, noises, etc.) and this seems to coincide with his ability to be happier and more relaxed. When he’s feeling this way he even asks for affection! Sometimes, he even comes over and rests his head on my leg while I’m working at the computer, in this way asking to be picked up in my lap.

Bike ride to the Farmers’ Market with Tom

  • tom-marketLesson from Tom: Dogs like to have jobs
  • Tom says, “It gives me a sense of purpose”

The air is warm with a slight cooling breeze and the sun shines down on us warming our backs. Tom trots beside me while I leisurely ride my bike along a low-traffic route that is easy, flat, and enjoyable.  During the summer months, Tom and I bike ride to the Main Street Station Farmers’ Market every Wednesday afternoon. Tom loves these outings. Knowing him, it’s for a number of reasons. Foremost, Tom likes to feel that he has a job. He enjoys the discipline of trotting at a constant speed and distance beside me. He feels useful when we get to the market because he can guard the bags of purchased vegetables that I leave on the lawn beside him when I go into the stalls for more shopping. He especially likes the treats that I give him after coming out from the stalls, rewarding him for a job well done: blueberries, carrots, cauliflower…

For the ride, I use a longer than normal lease in order to give him slack. We don’t want to accidentally bump into each other, so the longer lease gives him room to move around if he needs to. Because the trip is about 3 km each way, we take rest stops and I let him roam around off-leash in Strathcona Park which we cut through en route. I carry water with me and give him some when we arrive at the market, and again before setting off for the trip home. He’s a black dog, so in the summer months he does get warm in the sun.