Sultry

Barley, a dog, relaxes on the futon. She is, in an unusual move, not wearing her collar.

I’m used to seeing Juniper without a collar, since collars are only a sometimes-accessory for her, but Barley is almost always wearing a collar, since it only comes off when she gets a bath, and goes back on once her fur is fully dry. As such, seeing her without that signature splash of blue feels transgressive and strange to me. For her part, she doesn’t seem to give it a second thought. If she’s got an itch she needs to scratch, for example, she never goes after her neck. I figure this is because her head’s so blocky that the collar can be a little bit loose without any risk of coming off, which has the added benefit of letting it swivel freely while the leash is clipped to it.