Ozzie at the Ocean
Oscar was found as a stray in a city only 15 miles from the ocean, so maybe he has seen the sea before. Maybe on particularly windy days, he could smell the salt and brine mingling with the sun saturated air around him. Maybe he lived with a family who took him to the beach every week. Maybe he had spent some of his days as a stray dog sleeping on the beach. Maybe he had never seen the sea before and the day we took him to Ocean Shores Washington was his first meeting with the sea. He certainly acted this way. As soon as he leaped out of the car and onto the sand, I could tell he was breathing in wonderment along with deep breaths of salty sea air. Everything was amazing!
He couldn't decide what he wanted to focus on first. The sea is a world like no other. It is full of smell, of movement, of sound, of strange plants and animals, of mysterious debris, a bizarrely textured ground, of dryness and wetness. Oscar loved it all...
At the sea, here were Oscars top favorite things he did.
Pee on a sand castle.
He walked up to it, he sniffed it, and he said to himself, this castle from henceforth shall be mine! Then he dainty lifted his leg and let the stream go!
Smelling Plants
Oscar is use to the smell of the neighborhood plants- the tenacious dandelions, the hardy rhododendron shrubs, the wilted daisies, the blackberry bushes....but the shore plants and the sea plants are a whole new wonder of scents!
Smelling dead things.
The sea is a harsh place for animals. It swallows them up and swirls them in its murky domain before spitting their bodies back onto the shore. There were lots of dead things at the sea. Dead birds. Dead crabs. Dead fish. Morbid little Oscar loved each and every dead animal lying limply on the wet sand.
Chasing live things, specifically sea birds.
There were lots of seabirds to choose from. Swooping seagulls, herds of merry sand pipers, birds moving so quickly away from sprinting Oscar, I don't know what bird they were.
In general, just running.
Oscar did not need a seabird to inspire him to run. The shear joy of speed and movement and the wind in his fur was enough to get him going!
Rolling around in anything with an unpleasant or pungent scent
He has a pretty concerned expression, so maybe the wind was actually Oscar's least favorite thing about our ocean adventure.
I have always loved the beach. It is a place of wonder, peace, adventure and magic. All of these qualities are enhanced when you get to go to the beach with your dog. Oscar's utter delight at every little thing just tickled my heart and made the joy of the sea all the stronger.
He couldn't decide what he wanted to focus on first. The sea is a world like no other. It is full of smell, of movement, of sound, of strange plants and animals, of mysterious debris, a bizarrely textured ground, of dryness and wetness. Oscar loved it all...
At the sea, here were Oscars top favorite things he did.
Pee on a sand castle.
He walked up to it, he sniffed it, and he said to himself, this castle from henceforth shall be mine! Then he dainty lifted his leg and let the stream go!
Smelling Plants
Oscar is use to the smell of the neighborhood plants- the tenacious dandelions, the hardy rhododendron shrubs, the wilted daisies, the blackberry bushes....but the shore plants and the sea plants are a whole new wonder of scents!
Smelling dead things.
The sea is a harsh place for animals. It swallows them up and swirls them in its murky domain before spitting their bodies back onto the shore. There were lots of dead things at the sea. Dead birds. Dead crabs. Dead fish. Morbid little Oscar loved each and every dead animal lying limply on the wet sand.
Chasing live things, specifically sea birds.
There were lots of seabirds to choose from. Swooping seagulls, herds of merry sand pipers, birds moving so quickly away from sprinting Oscar, I don't know what bird they were.
In general, just running.
Oscar did not need a seabird to inspire him to run. The shear joy of speed and movement and the wind in his fur was enough to get him going!
Rolling around in anything with an unpleasant or pungent scent
There is nothing like rolling around in something really stinky, -like on top of a dead crab or pile of wilted, fly infested seaweed- to make this little dudes day!
Feeling the mighty sea breeze gust through his scruffy fur
I have always loved the beach. It is a place of wonder, peace, adventure and magic. All of these qualities are enhanced when you get to go to the beach with your dog. Oscar's utter delight at every little thing just tickled my heart and made the joy of the sea all the stronger.