#15 - Pawtraits' stories in London's summer
Going full Dogspotting from this week!
Hi there,
How’ve you been dealing with the heat?
Summer is finally here. I’ve been having fun thinking about how things change with this weather. More salads on the plate, more ice in the coffee, more samba from the speaker. How do you notice these changes?
On the topic of changes, I’m going to introduce some minor updates to this newsletter. I’ll tell you about it in a bit. First things first…
Dogspotting.
A block down our street there is a place that bakes bread and distributes it to multiple off-licences around London. They sell it from there too. When we moved into the neighbourhood over a year ago, I started visiting it with Amy. If you have read previous letters, it will not come as a surprise to you that I like connecting with people who actually make the stuff.
Every time we went, the person at the counter gave Amy a slice of bacon. And Amy knew that if she looked this person straight in the eyes, she could get an extra slice. One day, that person wasn’t there anymore, and Amy would look around, not understanding why she wasn’t getting all the love she was used to. It was as if she had discovered that Santa didn’t exist; a magic lost forever.
This last weekend I was doing Free Pawtraits in Victoria Park and I saw a couple with a sassy dachshund walking across the bridge. They must get a pawtrait, I thought. Golden hour in full, some fresh breeze coming in, it was the perfect moment. Baby, the dachshund, quickly accepted me as a friend, when their mother said ‘hey, I remember you’.
‘I used to work in Harvest, you used to come in with your dog’. I didn’t clock it at first, and just said yes and smiled. But then two seconds later, everything made sense. That Harvest, the bakery where Amy feels that everyone owes her bacon.
In that moment, however, it was Baby the dachshund who was reigning in the space.
It had never occurred to me that dachshunds are like tiny dragons until I saw the picture above. Or maybe it is just Baby. I think it’s possible to have a glimpse in the relation between a dog and their humans by how the dog walks. Just look at Baby. The confidence in Baby’s pose tells you that while she might be as tall as a boot, she is as self-assured as a dragon guarding a treasure.
Amazing to see that, across the loud streets and sometimes crowded parks, there are networks of people (and dogs) that remember each other. It makes me wonder about how much humanity we have around us, in the places we live and the daily activities we do. And the walls or distances we put between ourselves.
I was talking with Dylan’s fathers (Dylan is a super-sweet puppy) just a couple of hours ago about a similar idea. When living with a dog, you get to know so many people who had always been there, but never crossed that interpersonal wall. With a dog, London - but particularly the park! - becomes a completely different place.
BTW… Baby’s mother has a dog clothes business, they look mega cute, give them a look!
Remember.
Are you looking for a gift for a dog-friendly friend? Or do you have a corner of the house that needs art to bring life into it?
I still have three (out of five) prints available! They come in A4 size (210x290mm) and with the white margins seen in the picture. Each print is £30 plus shipping. You are able to get a print until next Sunday!
Reply to this email to get yours.
Big update.
I will be updating the name of this newsletter.
Dogspotting is the main thread of the newsletter, so… it will become the name. The style, pictures and all the rest will remain the same. Just an easier way to be more memorable.
Keep an eye for that email next week.
That’s all for this week… catch you in the park!