Dogs and Beaches

Dogs inspire a variety of emotions in people. For some, they inspire fear. Perhaps a bad childhood encounter with a vicious behemoth has instilled this fear. For others, dogs conjure up images of loyal, tail wagging confidants who never judge nor reveal one's darkest secrets.

I have a small mix breed dog who is one half clown and the other half pure love. This little fellow adores people especially the elderly and small children or babies. He also loves other dogs and even cats. In fact, my dog is so enamored with cats that he has his own kitten. This unlikely pair have spent many hours playing together.

Recently I went to the beach in the Florida panhandle. It would be unthinkable not to take my little dog. There was one motel that would allow dogs at this particular locale. I had to pay extra for the privilege of bringing my canine buddy, but it was a price worth paying. My dog had never encountered the beach.

He thoroughly enjoyed himself at the beach. Some teenage boys at an ice cream store were so impressed with his friendly ways that they gave him some free vanilla ice cream. My doggie loved it. It was his first ice cream.

Now to introduce him to the Gulf of Mexico. I had to drive quite a distance to find a stretch of beach that would allow a dog to walk its shores. After I embarked with my dog, he happily splashed along the water's edge. He wasn't brave enough to actually try to swim, but he did grin from ear to ear. If I swam too far away from him, he would bark as if to warn me to stay closer to the shore so that he could guard me.

At night he had to get used to the sounds of people arriving at their rooms at all hours. Every time he heard someone outside, his guard dog instincts kicked in, and he would run barking and growling toward the front door. I didn't get much sleep the first night.

The next night I was a bit wiser. I left the TV running so that it helped to drown out some of the outside distractions. The dog slept quietly all night next to me in the bed.

At dawn's early light, he was bright eyed and ready for a new adventure. My experience with the dog was somewhat similar to the experience a parent would have taking a young child to the beach for the first time. A child will view the Florida sunshine and surf with an awe rivaling a worshiper enthralled by the church choir. There is something heavenly in the innocence of children and dogs.