Virtual Playdate

My sister sent these photos of Bella's favorite friends this weekend and I thought it was time for a virtual play date. That's Bella's BFF Winnie, whom Lulu reminds us a lot of, and Cooper and Dylan, a.k.a. "the Wiener Brothers." If the world was perfect, I would load them all up in the car and take them to Stinson Beach. Stinson brings out the crazy in every dog. The moment the paw hits the sand it is sheer pandemonium, with dogs running, the ridgeback body slam (sometimes used on unsuspecting Labs), and lots of bird chasing.


This is a photo at Stinson of Bella, Winnie, and Uncle Mo. It was the last time that I got to take Desmo to Stinson before he got sick again. For a bunch of dogs that don't like water, they LOVED the beach. They would play so hard that, almost without exception, one dog would go down hard squealing like a ninny, leading us all to believe that they had been mortally wounded. A plan would be hatched about how to best transport an almost 100 lb dog back to the car. Concerned onlookers would offer aid and ideas of how to best make a stretcher from items on the beach.

While debating whether we thought a helicopter would consider an ailing Ridgeback worthy of a Life Flight, the dog would inevitably get up, limp around whimpering a bit, then TAKE OFF full speed looking back as if to say, "What are you all standing around for? Let's GOOOOO!" It's a good thing that the vet was always at least a short distance away as thousands of dollars must have been saved by one of the dog's miraculous recoveries from the brink of death on the drive there.

Sadly, the beach is not a part of Lulu's puppyhood. I suppose we could take the dogs down to one of the Texas beaches but I have a feeling that Bella would get out of the car, walk to the edge of the beach, look, look at me telepathically communicating, "what kind of *#!%hole beach is this?", turn around, and trot back to the car, thereon refusing to budge. What can I say, Sister knows her beaches.