Poodles and Boxers and Mutts, Oh My!

We made a seasonal pilgrimage to the beach last Friday. The place we usually park was packed solid, so we ventured north and found a spot that we'd never been to before. Little did we know as we dropped a thousand quarters into the meter that we had just rented a little slice of beach heaven for our sweet daughter. You see, we were at a dog beach.



I've seen such places on the Dog Whisperer (in fact, I was looking around for Cesar and his camera crew for the first several minutes), but I had never before had the pleasure of actually being at one. We were surrounded by Great Danes, Weimarers, Bulldogs, German Shepherds, Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Dachshunds and a handful of Heinz 57s.

It really was a very cool place. We were there for two hours and I didn't witness even one dog fight. Perhaps, the dogs were so overjoyed at being unleashed and near the surf that they were able to overcome their natural instincts.

Delaney was, of course, thrilled. She petted, played with and oohed and aahhed over many a pooch. Oh...and she played in the waves a little bit, too.

My surprise of the day came when a soggy poodle-type, fresh from a romp in the surf, started circling me as I sat on a towel under our umbrella, but wait...there's more...I said "Hello" to her which must have sounded like the canine-speak for "Hop on!" because that's exactly what she did. "Lexie's" owner was mortified and apologized profusely while trying to coax Lexie off my lap. I just handed her my camera and asked her to document the event for me.


(Did you notice that I'm wearing my sun hat whilst under my umbrella? Perhaps it's overkill, but I didn't get burnt at all!)

It would have been a more pleasant experience had Lexie not been dripping and sandy. This is what my lap looked like afterward:


In spite of the minor mess that I became after my encounter with Lexie, I think that next time we go to the beach, I'll request that it be the dog beach.