During my talk on photography Saturday, someone in the audience asked me what emotions I saw in the animals I photograph. Did I see them mourn? Grieve? Smile? I said I did not feel I could  describe their emotions so clearly, as I believe we do not have a language to capture what they are feeling and thinking. Their minds are different, alien from ours. What, then, I was asked, are they thinking?

I said, of course, that I do not know, and I do  not believe anybody who is not an animal knows. Those of us who live with them and watch them closely have their ideas, and I have mine. I came to realize early in our relationship that Maria has a special gift. She can communicate with animals in a way I have not ever seen up close, yet could see clearly in my photography. I believe we communicate with animals through emotions, not words.  In this photograph, at this moment, I believe I know what Maria was saying to Simon, as I know her well. She was saying: I love you, I care about you. I will take care of you.

What was Simon saying back: I believe he was expressing these emotions to Maria. I am comfortable here. I am safe here. I feel your affection for me, our connection. When this happens, I feel an ancient and instinctive contentment that you can see in the position of my ears, my ears, my quivering lip, the stance of my legs and tail. I trust you.  You bring sustenance to me, and sustenance is life. I am here in this moment with your, our emotions connected, fused for these seconds in this very old and very powerful dance.

That is what I think is being said.