Okay, I'm starting to like this. The tile and angle are effective, and neither subject is fully visible (for different reasons) which gives it some mystery.
The overall grayscale approach to this was originally viewed as a negative and a rating of 9, but on comment review, this viewer has rethought the original reaction and rerated it to a 10. While not quite to the standard set by other images in this challenge, it is a totally casual moment of tranquility and friendship between the subject and his dog. The angle is very good and impacts a sense of depth not normally seen in images of this tonal range. Both an artistic and technical success this should be a top twenty image if not a top ten. Well done.