Dogs using Slow Ways #6: Connie

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We asked wildlife photographer Jasmine Pasha to turn her lens on dogs going about their Slow Ways journeys, to see what we human walkers might learn

Since Slow Ways began two years ago people have poured hundreds of thousands of words of reviews, and thousands of photos, into the collective pot. Routes are being walked and reviewed at a rate of 137km a day! We are well on the way to discovering how people feel about the routes they are walking, as each reviewer leaves notes and clues, tips and memories, like a postcard to the next user.

But there is another major user of the routes. Love them or hate them, there are many, many dogs of Slow Ways, all non-verbally having their own experiences of the routes, back and forth (and back and forth and back and forth) all over the country. What are they thinking? What do they love, what do they hate? It’s not our place to suggest, so the best tool we have is a camera.

We asked talented wildlife photographer Jasmine Pasha to spend time on routes, where she’d try to capture some of the spirit and soul of these route companions. The photos stand alone, but as you look at them you might like to think: what is the dog thinking? What senses is it using that its owner can’t access? What extra information would the dog write in its review? Can we recognise joy, right here? Might it be contagious?

Here’s Connie on her Slow Ways journey.

Slow Ways Route: South Harefield—Uxbridge One
Distance: 9km / 6mi

Nose to the ground, Connie leaves no stone unturned! Sometimes she’s lost in thought and others times she’s so distracted by everything that’s going on around her, that she doesn’t seem to hear her name being called, There’s just so much to see, sniff, and chase on this route. Connie seems to love having the freedom to run around, occasionally she’ll even pinch the odd ball or two from her other four-legged friends!

Do you have a dog that uses Slow Ways? Share their journeys on our socials using the #DogsUsingSlowWays @slowwaysUK

Saira Niazihttps://www.livinglondon.org/
For as long as she can remember, Saira's loved wandering around, discovering new places, talking to strangers and recording her adventures. When she was in school she would often bunk off and end up exploring markets, museums, city streets and suburbs. She leads wandering tours, writes, and is Slow Ways' Community Story Lead.