From the time I step out of the house, Pip suggests the beach by racing toward the path, then turning to stare into my face, You coming? Huh? Huh? You coming?” When I step in that direction, she races to the top of the stairs down to the water. She spins toward me again, open mouthed and eager, "We're going, right? We're going?" And when I say "Yes" she disappears down those stairs so quickly that by the time I reach the top with my comparatively, she is already at the water's edge, willing me to join her.
As I make my way down the many steps, I laugh. I often laugh at Pip's unadulterated life glee. It can be exhausting, especially in her youth, but now after four years together, we are in synch. Maybe she has calmed a bit (or I have perked up a bit) - either way, we enjoy each other.
Finding a suitable stick, I crunch over the large round stones that make up a version of Maine beach. It's no place to go barefoot. Pip vibrates with anticipation as I approach. I’ve waited for high tide so the rough-edged barnacles are now well under water, out of reach of Pip‘s suburban-soft paw pads. All I need to do is move my hand infinitesimally and she starts bouncing in place. “Throw it, throw it, throw it NOW!” They launch together, my stick and my dog, heading out at the same instant.
There is something oddly peaceful about chunking a stick for a water-loving dog. She explodes into action with each toss, acting as if it were the first, the last and the best throw ever. Something calming about watching her bee-line out so fast that she leaves a wake behind her, and something that puts a smile on my face again when I see her turn, coming back to me.
After fifteen minutes or so, I call it quits. If she were a child, Pip would stand shivering, lips blue from cold, earnestly pleading, "But I'm not cold, why do I have to come out ?" It's a call I make for her. Our dogs are so much to us, we need to be common sense for them. I’d always rather quit too early than be too late. But not Pip, she’d rather never quit. That makes me smile, too, even as we head back toward the house.
--Sarah Wilson, MySmartPuppy.com
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Sarah Wilson is a pet behavior specialist, author, media personality, and a regular contributor to Wag Reflex. Sarah's books include, "Dogology", "My Smart Puppy", and "Good Owners, Great Dogs", all available now.
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