Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012

I introduced my Bossie dogs, Sadie and her son, Foster, to the beach this evening.  Taking a break from unpacking and settling in, I walked them out to the beach.  The second Foster’s feet sunk into the silky sand, he looked alarmed and glanced up at me for reassurance.  Sadie was fine with the sand, enjoying how it squished between her toes.  When it came to familiarizing both dogs with the ocean, I was sure Foster would be hesitant.  Instead, Sadie, the more adventuresome of the two, wrapped herself around a leg, her message clear that if she had to get wet, we both would.

LOL.

Foster, meanwhile, was thrilled with the water.  Though he didn’t rush into it, he was intrigued with how it was wet.  Most of all, he was perplexed by how, despite his standing perfectly still, the water would suddenly rush over his toes.

Having moved from a sprawling property, I was concerned with how well my dogs would adjust to living on a property, the entire lot size of which was smaller than the footprint of my old house.  But both dogs are doing great and loving their new environment, able to see me from anywhere in the yard. 

Tonight’s adventure to introduce Sadie and Foster to the beach warmed my heart.  To see how well they took to it.  To delight in how they raced after one another once I let them off leash.  How they tackled one another and were able to run as far as they wanted in any direction without a care in the world.  Sadie fell in love with chasing seagulls.  Foster quickly joined in.  When I threw a piece of seaweed for Sadie to fetch, she was ruthless with shaking it to pieces, once capturing it in her jaw.  Frankly, I think she was appalled at how salty it tasted and wanted to destroy it so I’d never make her do that again.

LOL.

Before long, Sadie and Foster lost interest in chasing one another and the birds in favor of exploring all the beach had to offer.  Their sniffers must have been working overtime with all the new scents, completely unfamiliar to them.

For the past year, as I navigated the waters of my divorce, one silver lining was to envision Sadie and Foster running free at a dog-friendly beach they (we all) could call home.  Tonight, I got to make that fantasy a reality, and I couldn’t be more pleased with how it translated.