Speedy Canizales

If my dog Sadie could talk, she’d talk your ear off about our visit to the beach last week.

First she’d tell you about the LONG car ride to get there.  She paced up and down the minivan like a caged lion at the zoo, going to the back and then to the front.  From time to time she would plop between us, as if to ask if we were there yet.  Luckily there was no freeway traffic that day (Black Friday) and it only took us an hour to drive to the Long Beach Dog Beach.

Once we got there it was like setting wild animals loose – Sadie and Chuy could not wait to get out of the van and explore the area, and they were so giddy that Sadie slipped out of her collar.  She was excited about touching the sand and getting acquainted with the smells other dogs left behind.

When we finally reached the beach (after crossing a parking lot, stopping by the bathrooms to take off our shoes, and crossing a wide expanse of sand), it was fun watching Sadie experience the ocean for the first time.  This is her noticing the water:

This is her trying to decide whether the ocean is a friend or foe (notice the foam mustache):

And this is her deciding that the ocean is a dear, dear friend that she LOVES!

Chuy, on the other hand, was not very impressed with the Dog Beach.  He did not appreciate being wet:

Or the line of dogs following him around so they could sniff his butt:

No, Chuy prefers long car rides, and was happy for the trip to end.  Sadie, however, bolted when we told her it was time to go home:

Catching her was hard, especially when there were so many friends to be made and so much ocean to explore.  We managed to get hold of her after she got tired of chasing other dogs around:

And made our way home, where she slept for the rest of the day.  It was eerily quiet at our house that night.

(See the full album here.  All pictures taken by Rene.)