If you’re a dog-lover, you’re going to appreciate this post. If not, you’re missing out.
One of the things that brought us to Maine was the dog-friendly atmosphere. We have two medium sized dogs who we consider our children. No, we don’t dress them up or carry them around in my purse, but we speak to them like tiny humans. Of course, they respond to certain phrases. Lulu does what we call the “Dinner Dance” when I ask if she’s “so hungry.” Winslow howls when I ask if he wants to go on a car ride or for a walk. They both go nuts when I ask who wants a treat. Back home, the two joined my husband and I every Sunday while we went grocery shopping, waiting patiently in the back seat for two hours while we traveled from store to store for the best deals. Yes, we love them and consider them our family with tails.
When we chose this apartment back in March, one of the biggest draws to it was that it is located about 50 yards from the Greenbelt Walkway. This paved trail runs in one direction to Bug Light Park and the opposite into Portland. Of course, there are trails that spawn off of it creating a never-ending series of walks/runs for my husband and the dogs. Since we don’t have a yard that the dogs can run freely in, it was important for us to find an easy way to exercise the dogs each day and thus far, they love it. We leash up at least once a day, usually in the morning, and make the 1 1/2 mile trek to Bug Light where Lulu swims and Winslow smells, then we head back home. It’s a perfect 3 mile walk with something for everyone.
There are several other dog-friendly beaches, but summer rules allow dogs only during certain times due to the influx of tourists. Last night, we decided to take our babies to “our” beach where they could run on the sand and play with other dogs. Willard Beach is located about 1 1/2 miles from our apartment as well, just slightly south of Bug Light and off the campus of Southern Maine Community College, SMCC. My husband discovered this beach while I was interviewing our first week here and it has been “our” beach ever since. It’s small and somewhat hidden, certainly a beautiful gem within walking distance. When we arrived, we could hear barking and people calling out to their pups, but I was overwhelmed when I caught my first glimpse of the beach. There were dogs everywhere!
It made me a little nervous at first because Lulu can sometimes bark at other dogs which automatically makes others think she’s aggressive, however, once she’s near water, it’s the only thing she can focus on. She took off like a crazy lady running straight into the water, splashing, barking, just going nuts! Winslow, in typical fashion, trotted down the stairs and immediately began sniffing every dog he could see. We found a spot, got out Lulu’s stick and her ADHD kicked in. She swam non-stop for almost 2 hours! My husband took plenty of pictures, I got soaked trying to steal the stick from Lulu and every other dog that fetched it. We coined Winslow “The Creeper” as his instinct to smell dog butts is much greater than his instinct to swim. The people were all very nice and eager to share their dogs toys. I found myself smiling and giggling like a dingdong at all the fun everyone, dogs and owners alike, were having. All this fun while enjoying the sand and Atlantic with the beautiful backdrop of sailboats and another lighthouse. Everyone had a great time and was thoroughly worn out by the time we got home.
This morning, as I began writing this post, I found the evidence of last night’s adventure. So far, I would have to say that the bigger the mess we bring home, the more fun we had. Well, I swept up a pile of sand, and laughed while doing it. Yep, it was that much fun!
Here are some pictures of Lulu doing her best to pull me in the water with her.
Willard Beach at Sunset
Disclaimer: All these pictures were taken by my wonderful husband.
According to Holly 