My Friends Butch and Scruffy

“We long for an affection altogether ignorant of our faults.

Heaven has accorded this to us in the uncritical canine attachment.”

(George Elliot)

The current theme over at The Round Robin Photo Challenges is friendship. My best friends in the whole world are my amazing 15 year old daughter Mandy and my wonderful husband Sean. But I don’t generally post photos of them here.

Hmm… so who’s next in line? My adorable sons, Butchie and Scruffy.

They don’t mind the posting so much. They are undeniably exhibitionists, given the things they do in public.

And they are undeniably my friends.

• They are always happy to see me.
• When I get home from work at night, they run in circles and wag their entire bodies.
• When I am sad, they know it, and they’ll simply cuddle up next to me quietly and keep me company.
• They expect very little from me, other than daily food and water.
• But they delight in my company – my presence alone will make their ears stick out, their eyes brighten, and their steps bouncy.

Their unconditional love is a gift.

But it’s not so easy to snap a photo of either one of my boys.

Scruffy needs to be under my feet at all times. When I try to back away from him to frame up a shot, he comes running. Try to snap a candid of him sniffing around the yard and he does the same thing the moment he notices me. And if he’s not directly next to me, he is seated with his back to me, guarding me from anyone who dares to approach. Not that he would know what to do with advancing enemies, but he’s always got his eye on them just the same.

So my only option for getting a photo of him this week was to be in the shot with him. Although he’s 15 years old, he’s constantly moving, so I set up the tripod, set the timer for 20 shots - one every 5 seconds, and crossed my fingers. Most were blurry, but two came out pretty decent…

Butchie, on the other hand, is downright camera-shy. Or is it camera-weary? He used to tolerate my picture taking, but now he’s just plain fed up with me. If he had the ability, I believe he would stick his fingers in his mouth and stretch out his cheeks like an annoying 8-year-old just to mess up my shots. He’s tried sticking out his tongue at me, but alas, I am undeterred. When he sees the camera come out, even before I’ve turned it on and raised it up to my eye, he’s gotten up and walked away. Seriously.

So the only way to snap a shot of him is when he’s half-asleep on the couch and too lazy to get up…


Or as he's rubbing he head on my knees in an attempt to persuade me to rub his ears...

The most I can do for my friend is simply to be his friend.

I have no wealth to bestow on him.

If he knows that I am happy in loving him, he will want no other reward.

Is not friendship divine in this?

(Henry David Thoreau)