Yesterday while searching our archives for a Throwback Thursday photo to share, I came upon this troubling picture from 2016. At first glance it appears to be Asa and I running on the beach. But take a closer look, and you’ll see we are running away from the ball! Why would we abandon a ball on the beach?

As a fetch aficionado I know it is important to never leave a ball unattended by the surf because it can float away. In my 10 years I’ve witnessed many novice pups lose track of their ball. Thus requiring their humans to aid them in going to great lengths to rescue the ball from the thunderous waves. But Asa and I know better. We’d never intentionally leave a ball on the beach.

Therefore I assumed we were no doubt running for our lives away from a shark or the notorious sea serpent, Cassie, of Casco Bay. However, upon closer examination the water behind us is unusually still. Not a single shark, sea serpent, or even a seal in sight! In fact, the expression on our faces isn’t one of fear. We are actually enjoying whatever it is we are running towards.

Now if memory serves me correct, this was the summer where Asa was obsessed with the ChuckIt Launcher. A toy which we did not possess at that time. So he would happily look for other dogs on the beach with that coveted launcher, and politely ask to join their game. Ok, maybe he wasn’t polite, and in reality his behavior was very embarrassing. But again, that doesn’t explain this photo. Because if Asa was running towards someone with a ChuckIt Launcher, I would be pretending he wasn’t my brother, NOT chasing after him!

I may never know what transpired that day in 2016. Or even the fate of that ball. But I can guarantee this troubling incident will never happen again under my watch!