A day at the beach with friends old and new
We’ve just come home from a brilliant day at the beach, the girls are exhausted, as am I but we’ve had such fun we have to share it and some photos.
It was frosty when we left home, but the sky was blue and the air temperature was rising as we drove the hour to Hayling Island on the south coast, by the time we arrived it was 6 degrees!
I’d arranged to have an early swim with a friend before we met up with the bunch of schnauzer owners we were due to walk with later and I was pleased to see the water was flat and calm, choppy waves might easily have put me off. With the blue sky above and the sun shining, the water was deceptively inviting.
Susie-Belle and Renae were super-excited when they hit the beach, tripping over the shingles with their noses stuck to the stones as they took in all the exciting sea-side aromas. Renae inadvertently got her paws damp before heading back up the beach to the safety of dry shingle. They said multiple noisy woofety greetings to every dog that came along the water’s edge but weren’t tempted to join the many labradores making the most of beach life by diving into the water with every paw step.
 |
| Was everyone trying to pretend I was nothing to do with them? |
When my friend arrived, we dithered about for 10 minutes before taking the plunge, well, tentatively picking our way into the water, which was a very cool 7degrees celsius – bracing I think is the favoured word.
I managed to stay in and have a short swim for 11 minutes – it seemed useful to time it seeing as I nearly got out after what seemed an age but which was only 1min46 seconds.
Neither of the girls were tempted to follow me into the water which was disappointing although entirely understandable to any normal thinking person. In fact not only did they not fancy joining me, I distinctly had the impression that they would rather no-one thought they were anything to do with the odd-bod in the water.
When I was done with my chilly dipping and embarrassing the girls, we headed off to meet everyone else for our Sunday schnauzer walk. There were around 26 or more schnauzers who turned up which was a really good turn-out. All ages, from the babies Winter, Rodders and Seamus to the older mature ones, some of whom we’ve met before but many new faces too. After all the hustle and bustle of first hellos, we headed off down a trail which took us along the coast, across fields and tracks. It was a brilliant location and presented lots of interest for the dogs. There were a few horses and lots of cyclists and all the dogs did brilliantly, no trouble at all.
What’s great to see with these meet-ups is how Susie-Belle seems more and more comfortable every time. She’s always been fine with other dogs, after all that’s all she knew for company in the puppy farm, but with humans her confidence is clearly growing too. I believe these outings help her to enjoy life fully as they’re stimulating on so many levels for her.
When we finished the walk, some of us headed off for fish and chips by the beach, generously sampled of course by our foodie-Susie-Belle. All in all, a perfect end to a perfect day.
