This is a beautiful picture of a beautiful animal. There is a certain subtle tenseness I can sense in the picture that grabs my attention. The color and detail is outstanding. I gave it a 9 - one of two 9s I gave.
I'd be pleased with it, as a portrait of a dog. The purple finging around the right ear is a shame, but would be correctible under decent editing rules. As a portrait, however, it is simply that: there is no other element to this shot, no particular context, reference, etc. What I'm saying is that whilst it's admirable for what it is, it doesn't get a high rating from me because i think photography can be about so much more than this.