The Beach

I took my little Jack Russell; Jessie to the beach yesterday. The poodles had their big power run in the morning so I was free to take just the little one. Both of my daughters joined me, very nice. Jessie definitely has an agenda at the beach; let all the other dogs know that she is the queen of the world and attack and kill the shore birds. Both are attempted, neither accomplished but she still has alot of fun.

Jack Russells are a very tenacious breed, almost all of them are very dominant. The best that Jessie can accomplish with another dog is being civil, sort of. If I do not allow her to greet another dog and it happens to throw her a look; its on. I walk Jessie on a extension leash when I'm at the beach, it gives her a sense of being "off leash." And it gives her a chance to try to catch a few birds; which is really enjoyable to watch.

First she spots her subject, her head drops and her pace slows. Her enthusiasm is hard to control, she is very much like a stick of dynamite. She's smart, she knows how far she has to be to the bird to even have a chance. She inches closer and closer hoping that the seagull is not noticing her creeping; even though she is the only dog anywhere near and there aren't many people at the beach either. Then the burst and she's off coming to a quick halt at the end of the leash and then the energy overflow circle run.

Typically the circle is just once around me at the end of the leash and she moves onto her next victim. She makes me smile, this whole process brings her alot of happiness. I'm not a big fan of extension leashes, I think they can be very dangerous in the wrong hands. You must take extreme caution when you use them and if anyone is anywhere near; you must reign in your dog and lock it. When I walk past other people or dogs on the beach I keep her at 3-4 feet. By doing this I usually initiate some leash aggression from her but having her loose out there with the chance of wrapping around someone is not a good idea.

Luckily it was very quiet at the beach yesterday, the water was cold and the sand was just as cold. Halfway into our walk the bottom of my feet were growing numb from the cold. One of my daughters said "if I had my suit on I'd dive in." She then put her foot in the water and took back her statement.

Jessie was a very tired tiny bundle on the ride home; and quickly passed out before dinner. A happy little girl.