Let's Give 'Em Somethin' to Bark About

I took Lola Rose to the Montrose Dog Beach to let her run around like a crazed pup and get myself a bit of sun. I get there and there are all kinds of dogs there - big, small, fat, and skinny. Lola is about 25 lbs. so she's not huge but she's not scrawny either. Lola likes to play assertively with other dogs and makes a lot of noise while chasing them up and down the beach, but overall, she's gentle with most dogs. However, she likes to play with dogs smaller than her.

The problem with this is that for some strange reason, people bring toy/teacup dogs to the beach. The kind of people who own these dogs are to me a specific group of people. Typically, they are anal, high-strung folk who believe that they have a sense of specialness about them and their dog which in turn makes them incredibly over-protective of their dogs.

I would venture to say that at least half the dogs there don't get regular walks/runs, and that beach excursion is the first real outing they've had in a while. They are full of energy and spirit and want to play with everyone and everything. Lola darts for every toy dog out there and I have continuously keep herding her away to focus on something else. Lola sounds vicious sometimes but that's just how she plays. Toy dog owners get a horrified look on their face when our dogs start playing and immediately pick their dogs up, cradle them, and give me the "bad owner" look of disapproval. I look at them with a look that reads, "Don't bring a dog to the dog beach expecting everything to be prim and perfect. My dog is doing what dogs do. You're dog is gonna get jacked by some other dog that isn't as well behaved as Lola and you'll need to be prepared for that."

I still like going to the dog beach, because it's a lot of fun to go with Lola. If you own a toy dog and are super-protective of it, don't bring it. Walk the dog around on it's incredibly small leash and show it off like the trophy you made it out to be.

Currently listening : The Best of Bonnie Raitt By Bonnie Raitt Release date: 30 September, 2003