Do you also have a spa? If I were to guess, the three lines coming from the ground going to the pump in the middle of the picture have your pool drain, skimmer, and spa suction lines in that valve cluster. And my other guess would be the valve on the right (of the two really close together) would be the valve to adjust the pool skimmer/return drain mix. Try moving that valve to a position in the middle of its travel and see if you get suction at the skimmer. Those are Jandy valves I believe and you'll probably need to loosen the thumb screw on top of the handle a little bit to get them to turn.
Also, your dog seems interested in something... lol.
I hope this helps.