Fixation

If you've got a dog - certainly, if you've got a sighthound - you'll be familiar with these moments.

He suddenly freezes: body taught as a bowstring, maybe with hackles up, maybe shivering with barely-controlled excitement. Every atom of his being, every whit of his attention, is totally focused on something.

And 90% of the time, he's seen it before you. You know it's there, but it often takes you a few moments of peering into the distance to spot the neighbours' cat lurking in the shrubbery; the small furry creature stealing across the garden; or the potential playmate who's just come into view.

Vinnie and I were out for a walk by the Kennet & Avon Canal this afternoon, when he had one of those moments. I'd been trying to take photos of one of the locks, and looked round to see him perfectly still, his attention riveted on whatever he'd spotted. Following his gaze, I realized a lady with dog was crossing the next bridge - and for Vinnie, at that moment, that was his sole and singular focus.

I had a few seconds before he started tugging at the lead to try to get me to go and follow them, and I took this shot. You can hardly make out the dog and its owner on bridge, but with a bit of editing, I've tried to give an impression of how I imagine Vinnie's fixation - at that moment, his world was that distant dog!