A day at the beach

Well, not really a whole day... more like a couple of hours.

Brought Sam and Rosie to a beach which was also designated off-leash area for dogs a couple of days ago. We'd been to the park so often that we thought a change in scenery would be good for them. Plus being a legitimate off-leash area meant we could let them run to their hearts' content chasing birds and the like.

They seemed a bit intimidated by the waves initially, especially when it washed up on them and got their coats wet on the bottom. But they did have fun chasing Noon and I around and kept running back and forth between us as we walked along. Kept a close eye on them just in case coz we were afraid they might just dash into the sea. Neither of them had actually swum at the beach before, although Rosie likes wading around in ponds of still water.

They both went exploring a fair bit, up and down the little sand dunes. Didn't stray too far from us though... kept looking over their shoulders at us as if to asking us to keep up with them. We didn't, and after a while, they got the idea we weren't going along with them. Then they'd both come bounding back to Noon and me.

They also met up with other dogs along the beach too. Sam loves playing with newfound friends; don't let his size fool you, he's still a puppy at heart and once he sees another dog, he has selective hearing loss and will never heed any calls to return. I personally don't like this in him - his size makes him intimidating and seeing a huge dog running right at you doesn't instill a whole lot of confidence, no matter how friendly it looks! Kids are a major concern as well, since Sam and Rosie love kids and like nothing better than to tumble around with them and lick their faces silly. I can only imagine the apprehension that goes through the parents' minds when they see Sam bounding up to their toddlers. Gotta get this under control, methinks.

Anyway, on this occasion, Sam and Rosie met up with a friendly dog who was happy enough to run around with them and play tag for a little bit. They got quite a good workout doing so, giving Noon and I a bit of a break from keeping them company the whole time.

And what do you do when you're buggered from all that running? Plop your butt down under the cool and comfy shade of the beach umbrella! That's my Mum in the pics, Dad got displaced by Sam when he came around all dripping and wet. They look pretty content, don't they? Cheeky little buggers!

When they looked like they'd had enough and didn't want to run off anymore, we brought them home. Had to wash them off to get rid of the salt and sand. Don't think they liked that part very much, kept trying to run off, but that's the price you pay for having fun at the beach :)