This is a really good shot. However, I can't give it a 7+ because to me it seems like my attention is being drawn AWAY from the dog and into the scenery around him. The backlight is supposed to highlight your subject. Like I said, this is a really really good shot, but i'm not sure it's right for this challange.
I like this. It almost borders on a silhouette, but with the dog being black, that makes it kind of hard. I wish you could have dodged the eyes a touch. Lovely perspective and the view is killer. If you could just adjust the curves on everything but the dog, it'd really give it some pop, but with basic editing, no go. Overall - I like it. 7