The Beach

Today was in the upper 40’s with bright sunshine. It was a day to walk the beach! About a week ago, when the sand was frozen and ice was building at the edge of the lake, I took Guinny for his third foray on the beach. That was the first time we had walked the length of the beach. I kept him on a long lead (a better quality one than the one from the dollar store that broke as soon as his paws hit the sand), and he did great. Today, after a couple of minutes on the beach, Guinness came racing back to me and jumped on me to say, “Thank you, thank you, Mommy for bringing me here again!” It was so sweet! The ice and snow had melted at the edge of the lake, so I let him get his feet wet. He was ecstatic, leaping through the water. Since he was on a lead, he could not go out deep enough to swim. When on the sand, he pranced and bounced or strutted with the gait of a Tennessee Walker. He was definitely a happy boy! Canada Geese, Mallard Ducks, some seagulls, and a few Trumpeter Swans which winter in this area, were all along the edge of the lake and scurried away as we approached. Since it was a nice day, there was a smattering of people roaming the beach as well as a few dogs. We walked all the way to the pier lining the channel into the bay. As is usual in winter, that narrow stretch of deep water was full of Oldsquaw Scoters. Since they were disturbed by Guinness’s presence, I turned around half way down the pier. Guinness pled, “Do we have to go home?” He wanted to keep going. But back we went. On the return down the beach, two dogs the size of Guinness were off leash with their master, so, when Guinny pulled to meet them, I allowed the loop to slip off my wrist. They had a couple minutes of playful frenzy. The other master picked up Guinness’s leash and was shocked at how strong he is. He said, “You have your hands full! This is one powerful dog!” Yep. I’m well aware of that. Actually, if I had not released the leash, he easily could drag me face down through the sand.

I must say that there was a smile pasted on my face for the entire walk. I love it as much as Guinness does, plus I was amused to watch how fascinated he is with the beach. The regret crossed my mind again that I wish Hershey had been well enough long enough to have taught Guinness how to behave on the beach without a leash.