#sleep-token

STOOWWWPPP THIS IS OUTRAGEOUSLY STUNNING 😩😩😩😩😍😍😍😍

purple and pink sunset!!! It's us!!! 💛❣️ I cannot tell you how long I've just been sat here looking lovingly at this photo with a silly smile on my face 🥹🥹

I still haven't seen much sunsets lately since December is monsoon season, it's been gray clouds galore, but for now, here's flowers for you:

Hi Dani!

This has been sitting in my inbox for a good while, because my brain has been soup and I wanted to write an actual thoughtful response lol.

I have Many dog opinions! But I think the context was that I had talked about mostly only liking herdy things in the tags. And that absolutely is true - dogs I enjoy working with and dogs that I would actually own tend to come from the herding breeds. (The list of breeds I would own is so much smaller than the list of breeds I would not - which makes sense if you know me well, but tends to confuse people who just know me as an animal lover.)

In general, for animals I would have in my home (notice how I'm not saying Everyone, or Every Dog,) I only go for responsibly, purposefully-bred dogs. I have specific traits I want, and traits I want to avoid. My minimum qualities I look for in a breeder are:

Health testing according to the national breed club's recommendations, though more is better. My Belgian has had her hips, elbows, eyes, dentition, and basic cardiac evaluations done. Her breeder does hips, elbows, and eyes, as recommended by the breed club. The whippet's breeder does hips, full cardiac, and I believe eyes as well (I'm not super into whippets as a breed - I just wanted one as a pet so I am not as up to date on their testing.)

Shows and/or titles in sports. Conformation show titles indicate that you are breeding to the standard, and producing animals with good structure. Sports titles show your animals are functional, trainable, and possess the skills to succeed. Some sports are specific to certain breeds, like hunt tests for spaniels and retrievers. Some are open to absolutely anything, like dock diving or scent work. Some are "harder" sports, like Protection Sports vs "easier" things like FastCat (100 yard straight lure course) or trick training. It depends on what you're looking for.

No crossing breeds, unless for a specific purpose (which personally I don't need - I like my purebreds and don't need to do anything at super high levels, so I'm not after border collie X whippets for flyball or malinois X whippets for disc or dock diving.) There are some outcross programs for some breeds, in order to introduce new genetics, but these are carefully considered and done with the support of the breed club. Not just randomly mixing poodles with everything.

Will take back any puppy they've produced if necessary. Both of my girls would go back to their breeders if anything happened to me. That's part of having a responsible breeder.

In terms of breeds? I think I'm pretty set with the herding creatures. They're intelligent, tend to like problem solving, are biddable, and tend to enjoy training. I also like herding, though the Belgian and I have only done a little bit (it's not super easy to find herding trainers in a large city.) I also like sighthounds, though they are often far less interested in the types of training I like to do, and less eager to please than my herdy things.

I grew up with a range of dogs - mutts from the shelter, hunting beagles, labrador and brittany gundogs, and a dalmatian. I found the beagles absolutely awful - loud, smelly, completely disinterested in training. The brittanies were alright, and I considered getting one before settling on Belgians, but can tend toward neuroticism (though nearly any breed if not thoughtfully produced and raised tends to follow this path.) Retrievers are too happy and dopey for me. I took care of a colleague's golden for a week and almost lost my mind. I'm not a super happy everyone-is-my-friend type of person, so that personality in my dogs is Too Much. Dalmatians were also on my shortlist, though finding the right breeder is key due to health and temperament issues.

IDK man, I'm just really picky. I don't like drool, saggy skin, face folds, silky coats, brachycephalic dogs, scent hounds, or most spitz or terrier personalities FOR ME.

LOOKITTHEMOOOOOOOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my god she is STUNNING!! And wasn’t even photo shy for you!!! She always gets photo shy for me and hides her seas behind her glow but 🤩

more than anything, whenever I see the 'thank you posts' with pictures, my first thought is always "THANK YOU RUTH!!" because those that don't know: miss ma'am Ruth Medjber aka Ruthlessimagery is the Hozier equivalent of our beloved mister Adamrosssi for Sleep Token!

but yeah! thoughts:

that first photo is WICKED!!! both hands off the guitar with the leg bend and closed eyes is jfhsjkhds I am having Thots that are not in the bible. plus the sunset colored lighting is SO PRETTY

wind was a paid actor making his already majestic hair look even more dreamy. also that is just such a rockstar moment of a photo omg

pretty man. pretty talented man in a suit singing his heart out!!

pretty SILLY GOOFY MAN. Andrew why are you making that face during what I can only assume (due to a few reasons) is 'Would That I'? (which, actually yeah. he tends to make that face during WTI its cute)

SMILEY HOZI SAVE MEEEEEE!!!! smiley hozi can and will save me!!!!

ALSO, I love this alternate photo that was uploaded on twitter for the one where he's not holding the guitar:

YOU FOUND A ME IN YOUR GARDEN!!!! guys that's literally me if you even care.

little guy is a gorgeous shade of red and such a good bug for staying put for a photo 😭😭😭 i'm only entirely jealous because all the sunset bugs (<- is what i've been calling the orange colored ladybugs that i see around my neighborhood) never stay long enough for me to take their picture 😔

then got another once i had someone to cover my area

THAT IS INSANELY PINK OH MY GOODNESS!!!!

I fully understand the sprinting outside because I do that same thing as soon as my eyes catch a glimpse of a pretty sky. I'M SO HAPPY YOU GOT SOMEONE TO COVER FOR YOU SO YOU CAN APPRECIATE THIS BEAUTIFUL SUNSET 🥹🥹🥹