This past Sunday it was a beautiful day in our neighborhood, and Mom and Dad were restless. Therefore Asa and I decided to leash them up and take them for a walk on the beach to burn off some energy. Little did we realize the adventure that awaited us! When we arrived we discovered the beach was enveloped in a thick fog. We could barely see anything just a few feet in front of us. However, not wanting to disappoint Mom and Dad, we bravely walked into the fog.
Instantly I knew we had to walk as a pack. Although I prefer to walk Dad, I knew I had to take charge of Mom’s leash. Because if she and Asa teamed up, they would inevitably wander off into the fog searching for shells and get lost. Meanwhile Asa, whose senses were in a heightened state, ping ponged off Dad’s leg as we walked. He was torn between following the strange sounds and smells in the mysterious fog, and staying close by Dad’s side at a heel, and with good reason! Who knows what could be lurking in that fog!
In the distance we could hear the sounds of yelling over the crashing ocean. Was it a ship in distress on the rocky shore? A merry band of pirates returning from a long voyage laden with treasure? Or simply surfers congratulating each other on a wild ride? We paused along the shore to listen, and were relieved to determine it was the latter, as we strained to watch their murky shapes bobbing in the water.
Onward we walked, only to be surprised by seagulls standing as still as statues just a few feet away as we passed. On any other day I would have been tempted to bark at them, but there was something about the fog that made me know it was best to keep quiet. Even Asa and Mom were eerily silent instead of singing their usual annoying happy songs. I guess that is one good reason to be thankful for being in a haze.
Then all of a sudden out of the fog, running towards us with reckless abandon, came a fellow dog. What was he running from? Should we follow his lead and retreat? From a distance we heard a disembodied voice yell, “It’s ok! He’s friendly!” Well yes, thankfully the dog was friendly. But was the voice yelling to us friendly as well? Or was this some sort of a trick? Bravely we pressed on.
It was moments later I began to pick up a scent not often associated with this beach. I turned to Asa, and could make out the silhouette of his nose in the air also trying to understand that smell. That’s when we saw it, directly in our path, a big pile of horse poop! But much to our astonishment, without saying a word to each other, Mom and Dad shifted directions and guided us away from the fragrant surprise.
Disappointed, I attempted to snap up a bit of seaweed in my mouth. I’ve always been a stress eater, and this walk was shaping up to be the strangest adventure we’ve had in awhile. It was then that I realized in the excitement of the horse waste, Mom and Dad changed directions and we were heading back to the parking lot. I quickened my pace, anxious to leave the fog behind.
That is when the most unexpected event occurred. Asa suddenly felt something grab his tail! As he whipped around, we were all astonished to see a small human clinging to Asa like he was a life preserver. Bigger humans, following in her wake, quickly explained that the toddler had spied Asa coming towards them in the fog, and when we suddenly turned she did not want to miss giving him a hug. Leave it to Asa’s Golden glow to be a welcoming beacon in a sea of fog.
