Oooh... those summer nights

Perfecting the doggy paddle.

There are days when having a dog is a burden. Days where I just want to go out with friends or something but I know Irie's been cooped up all day and I need to get home and play with her. And today was kind of one of those days.

Work is stressful right now, life in general is feeling pretty stressful.... And, well, I just didn't really feel like going home to a hyper puppy tonight.

But on my way home I had a bit of inspiration. It was a beautiful night outside - perfect to take Irie on her first visit to the local dog beach.

It was a blast! As you all know, I love the beach anyway, so I had that going for me. But even more so, it was just a great time to watch Irie play in the sand, romp through the water, run away from the little lapping waves. She was amazed by it all.

We both came home tired and dirty, but I think it was well worth it. I'm sure it is the first of what will become many evening trips to the dog beach.

This is just another example of something Irie gives me an excuse to do. If it were just me, I would talk myself out of heading over to the beach just to hang out for an hour, but Irie gives me the perfect reason to head over. And there's no being bored sitting around with Irie there!

And, wha-la, I'm happy to have a dog again! :-)