Until one has loved an animal a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.

– Anatole France

Tina has chosen a theme close to my heart – and I guess to many of us this will be a feast of memories!

In the first gallery you will find my own dogs, (I just had to…) the Lagotto Romagnolos. Originally waterdogs, but as Romagna (Italy) lost many of its water- and marsh lands, these dogs were taught to find truffles instead. The breed is known to be very harmonious and friendly, and these dogs never shed any hair.

Next gallery shows some of the unforgettable dogs I have met on my travels. Often it is the eyes that does it, but they all have their own stories.

The first one was a cosy dog we met on a hike in the Pyrenees. He was chained to his little house, which is forbidden in Sweden. So we stayed some time to talk and pat. In the middle are two ”mustcuddle” dogs from Scotland belonging to a blogger friend of mine. Before our Lagottos, we had a Bearded Collie in excactly the same colours. Then, there is a shop assistant in Bhutan…

The blue-eyes was a stunner in Lodz – never seen anything like those eyes. I know I have posted this several times – but how could I not? In Georgia we met many dogs, but this was the sweetest, most harmonious picture of a young boy and a stray dog, relaxing together in the sun. I saw a lovely story in this one…the two of them seeking each others’ company, maybe after school? Even if the boy is on his phone, his hand is resting quietly on the dog. And they breathe together. In silence.

The last gallery is for the cats! We always had cats when I grew up, so there is a special bond…even if I nowadays prefer dogs. (Or my husband does…)

Cats and dogs generally go well together- if they grow up together – but if not…well, in this meeting the dog turned stiff as a statue and the cat froze with lowered ears. Again we visit Tblisi, but also Norway, Iceland, the Amsterdam Catmuseum and lastly, Sweden.

The two siamese cats belong to a very good friend of mine. (Borrowed photos!) They are a Siamese and an Oriental Shorthair. Those two finally became good friends ( after half a year or more… ) and are now inseparable. Just for fun, my friend used one of her apps for deciding animal species – and the Oriental Shorthair is…according to AI… a bat! True enough by his looks! But he is very social and sweet, and ”talks” very much to us all.

Be sure to visit Tina’s inspirational site for beautiful wild cats as well – I cannot provide you with any (except Aslan in the header) and link to her post including the Lens-Artists Tag. We thank Egidio for last week’s Complementary Colors challenge, and all of you who responded with your beautiful images. Finally, we hope you’ll join us next week when Patti leads us once again on her terrific Pilotfish blog. Until then as always please stay safe, be kind and true to yourself.