Big Brown Eyes!

How could anybody not love this face?

2013 09 16 1

Am I a dreamer or can I see wisdom in those eyes? To me, they are the “I’ve been around the block a few times” eyes. They are the “Been there, done that, don’t want to do it again” eyes. There could be sad reflective moments in those eyes as perhaps he was missing his friends at the Oakville & Milton Humane Society. We know that he was (and still is) quite attached to a few individuals there.

While not evident in the photo, his eyes (together with some facial movements) can also say “We’re friends” or, “Love you Dad” or, “How about some fun”. But they can just as easily say “Don’t even try” or, “I’m not sure about this” or, “You’ve been warned.”

They are very useful when it comes to projecting messages like “I would love some of that” or, “Please don’t forget me” or simply, “Where’s mine?” and of course the classic message reserved for those who don’t know any better …. “They don’t feed me, and you have food, and I’m really hungry”.

His eyes can show incredible focus for “Don’t disturb me now ‘cos I can see a squirrel”, as well as “I’m just chilling out watching you do whatever it is you are doing” or, “I’m trying to nap so can you stop moving around?”

His eyes can be so warm and inviting and yet they can also be cold and uncomfortably piercing. We taught Ray to make eye contact because we believed that if we have his attention, there was a chance that we could do something with him. It worked extremely well for training purposes however, he has made quite a few people uncomfortable by holding eye contact with them. Some take it as a staring contest, which we have to quickly discourage and explain that Ray could easily interpret that as a personal threat. Not a good idea!

When I was contemplating adopting Ray, there were so many aspects of him which were contrary to the vision I had of a canine buddy (see About Me page). In fairness, he also displayed some positive traits but I was really in limbo with a final decision until one morning when I went to see him at OMHS and took him out for a walk. We ended up in their fenced area where I could let go of his leash and let him wander around. He spent some time checking the scents along the base of the perimeter fence and then suddenly stopped and looked directly at me. He would have been around 60-80ft away at that time, but then he started walking very deliberately straight towards me. I was in a squat position with my back against the fence and so our head heights would have been about the same.

Not being too sure what to expect, I watched him come closer and closer until he stopped literally inches from my face and looked directly at me. Somebody once said “The eyes are the windows to the soul”. If that statement is correct, then our souls touched for a few seconds. Can you imagine looking into those eyes from a distance of perhaps 12 inches? He then reached forward so that our noses touched, after which he turned and walked away.

Whereas it was the “nose touch” that made my decision easy, I shall never forget looking into those big brown eyes!

15 thoughts on “Big Brown Eyes!”

  3. That was awesome how Ray picked you! I can totally understand the staring contest dealio. I’ve got border collies! Breck even knows how to look in the mirror to catch my gaze. Dogs are amazing souls. I couldn’t live without one (or 2..) in my life 🐶

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  4. This is such a heartwarming story😢I can just imagine you sitting up against a fence with this massive dog with his head just inches away from your face and then reaching a little bit further to touch noses, from my imagination on a side profile that’d be a tear jerker picture right there.

    Melanie

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  5. Mom loves my “little brown chocolate eyeballs”. She tells me so all the time. She says that sometimes they look so happy and other times they look so sad. Finally, she says they melt her little heart. I love the story of you and Ray bumping noses. It’s one of my favorites because it got my BBB (best blog buddy) a home. Thanks for loving Ray, Colin. ~Noodle

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    • Hi Noodle – No problem! He has fitted into our family so well that we cannot imagine our world without him in it! I am sure that your Mum and Dad would say much the same about you. Take care buddy. Colin.

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  6. Such a lovely face and expressive eyes. We know the pathetic ‘they don’t feed me’ and ‘you know you want me to have some’ looks. Also the ‘I know you don’t really mean that’ when you try to tell them off.
    We (owners) love our dogs (pets) to pieces and they give us their unconditional love and loyalty.
    Ray is a handsome animal. Is he a GSD x Rotti?

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