Ours for a Year: dillon

Oh lordy, I've fallen off the blog wagon, but I intend to get back on! I met up with Becky and Cricket over the weekend, a friendship that came about through our blogs, and I was reminded of all the good things that have resulted from this blog. Plus, I had a few other reminders. A dog park friend said that Cabana was the nicest dog she'd ever met, and another said that at 4.5 years old, Cabana was in her prime. I thought, these are little things I want to remember. Time goes by so fast, and I may not remember this special time in my life and in Cabana's life if I don't record it on this blog. I know that Facebook has taken the place of blogging for many people, but I need to remember that this blog is first and foremost for ME. It's a record of Cabana's life, and I intend to keep blogging for the entirety of it.

A year or more ago, I vowed to start taking Cabana to the beach more often, my goal being like 10 times a year. Well, that didn't happen, BUT I did take Cabana there a couple days ago. It's a 30-minute drive there, 2 hours to leisurely walk the length of the beach and back, another 30-minute drive back, plus about an hour to bathe her (and myself) afterwards. It's a time commitment that I can't justify often, but I was glad to get to do it on Monday.

kelp mounds dot the sandy beach, four black dogs scattered about sniffing the mounds, with yellow Cabana among them

When we first arrived at the beach, we saw our old friends, the Blue Picardy Spaniels, arriving at the same time. Such a happy surprise! They haven't been coming to the dog park lately, so it had been almost a year since we'd seen them. Cabana recognized them right away, and they were excited to see her, too.

group of people in the distance by the water's edge with large group of dogs of all shapes and sizes

The Blue Pics are "regulars" at the beach--their breeder brings them 3 times a week. It was evident that there were other "regulars", too, gathering together to chat and let their dogs intermingle.

group is somewhat dispersed, as a large Great Pyrenees and a husky approach Cabana

Some of the regulars noticed Cabana and decided to come in for a closer sniff.

cabana encircled by three large dogs, sniffing her all over, she stands still with her ears back on her head

I could tell by Cabana's pinned-back ears that she was a little overwhelmed by the mass scrutiny, but she passed muster, as I knew she would.

The town of Dillon Beach is a tiny place. About 90% of it is pictured here. Would I like to live in one of those houses overlooking the ocean? If I had a spare $2 million, maybe--but it's so often foggy at the coast, so for that reason (and not because of the $2 million thing) I'll stay where I am.

cabana sniffing an overturned crab on the shore

Cabana spots a dead crab in the waves. I wonder if she knows that's what's in the crabcakes I often make. Cabana loves crabcakes, but then, what food doesn't Cabana love?

cabana tagging along after a woman holding a toddler in her arms

Cabana also loves babies, or at least, she loves the way they smell. Here she is, trying to be polite but get a good whiff of the baby at the same time.

cabana running through the water toward the camera, alongside mounds of kelp that run the length of the shore

It's funny how the kelp mounds together in little piles that dot the shore. I bet there's some scientific law of nature as to why it does this, like matter attracting matter. Kinda like how Cabana's fur gathers in little tufts under the kitchen table.

Cabana on things.

cabana in the ocean with two other dogs, she has an orange ball in her mouth

I didn't even know Cabana had momentarily stolen another dog's ball until I saw this photo! She's a sly one.

cabana's behind with her tail in a curl as she runs through the water away from the camera

We had a great time. I don't usually like butt shots, but it seems appropriate here. The end.

On Saturday, our puppy raising group had a booth at the Bodega Bay Fish Fest. Cabana got to hang out for a couple hours, getting admired and petted by lots of people. It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it.

While there, Cabana got to play a bit with big boy Dagan, a 6-month old puppy-in-training.

She also hung out with retired breeder Trent. Here's the top of his big ol' bison-y head.

On Sunday morning, the weather was gorgeous, and we took a 2.5 hour walk.

I didn't mean to walk that long...but we met such fun dogs along the way that we kept stopping to play.

Toward the end of our walk, we crossed paths with the GDB trainer that lives in our neighborhood, along with his wife and career changed German shepherd Dillon. The trainer commented on how settled and well-behaved Cabana seemed now. In the past, we ALWAYS seemed to cross paths when Cabana was lunging and carrying on like a wild lunatic--QUITE embarrassing. I told him that she might seem much better today due to the fact that we'd been walking for 2.5 hours! Still, Cabana was well-behaved enough that we let Cabana and Dillon romp around off-leash for a while. It made me realize that Cabana HAS come a long way. Even a few months ago, I wouldn't have been able to do that, fearing that she wouldn't come back to me--and might embarrass me further. But she had a great time with Dillon, who is huge but as gentle as a kitten.