Do you take your dog to the beach? (skin, adopted, kennel) - Dogs - - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

barndog · 08-03-2008, 03:59 PM

titaniummd - this is such a funny question you ask! i have a 12-year old shih tzu, and when he was little, probably about nine months old, i took him to one of nc's beaches for the first time.

he was so funny! off-leash, he ran right straight into the ocean...and when that salt water hit him, he ran right straight back out and launched himself for a roll in the sand, digging his little face in the dirt the whole time. by the time i caught up with him, he was soaked, wild-eyed, and filthy.

oh my goodness, the memories. that's not the only body of water that he's run straight into without a second thought. he's also leapt into a lake and a swimming pool...both times of which i've had to fish him out.

that experience didn't put him off the beach, though. he still loves to go down, take a stroll, and lie on the sand. i always keep him on-leash now and take a towel for him to sit on to protect him from the creepy-crawlies and to make it easier to clean him up when we get back in the car. also, i take old grocery bags in case he has to potty while we're there and a bottle of water in case he gets thirsty.

oh, and also, i watch out for jelly fish - we have those wash up on shore a lot here -- don't know if you have a problem with those in fl.

if your dog can handle the ride, i think you should take him! it's one of my dog's favorite places, and i've yet to have anyone tell me their dog didn't like it.

good luck if you go!

riveree · 08-04-2008, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dashdog

Riveree, I hear you about the off leash dogs as Jazz hates off leash dogs running up to her. One of our beaches that allows dogs has an area to the left of the parking lot that is for leash free dogs and to the right dogs must be on a leash yet alot of people seem to think the on leash does not apply to their dog

.It makes me mad as there is a specific area for leash free dogs!

That's a great idea! We don't have anything like that here, but that's really a good one!

brikag · 08-04-2008, 09:34 PM

Every time! Malibu, Las Casitas, Goat Rock, they love it. The male(Gus) loves the sand more than the water. The female(Cricket) will jump with the fishes if we let her. Unfortunately, they are not great swimmers, so I have to keep her on the leash at all times at the beach. Gus just wants to chase the birds. We let him go everywhere. He won't step on wet sand, either. Weird!

tamcim72 · 08-05-2008, 01:22 PM

We've taken "Sally" to Vilano (St Augustine-north side of inlet) where you drive on the beach. She doesn't seem to like the waves. When it's not so hot, I take her on a little walk w/out the kids. She seems to enjoy the shallow calm water. Drive on beach is nice b/c you have somewhere stable (hitch maybe) to tie the dog if you want to sit and relax. Car also provides great shade (especially the minivan) too. We used to take my old dog to the sandbars and he loved the water.

ctribucher · 08-05-2008, 02:52 PM

Have you ever seen a beagle try to swim??? LOL. It's pretty funny. He has such a deep chest that he really has to struggle not to sink.

We have taken him to the ocean in NC and SC. There was also a beach on the Chesapeake Bay in Matthews, VA, where dogs were allowed. He seemed to like the bay waters better, as it was calmer. Tonka likes to howl when we go to the ocean beaches... crazy beagle howling at waves!!!

Tonka has also been swimming in mountain streams on our hikes up and down the AT. Once, he was trying to jump from rock to rock... and misjudged the distance. The water was suprisingly deep, and he was in over his head. We had him on a leash, so we were able to pull him out. Once we got over our moment of panic... we couldn't stop laughing. I don't think Tonka thought it was too funny!

Like the other posters have said, we always bring towels, water, and poop bags with us. We don't want to spoil the fun and have the authorities take away the privilege of having your dogs on the beach by not picking up after him.

mikenbacismama · 08-05-2008, 10:25 PM

Most definitely. I love taking our dog to the beach...he's only been once, and I was surprised that he's actually a swimmer! The beach is Fort DeSoto in St. Pete, which is leash free.

I'm in the process of begging DH to go tomorrow, but it's hard to justify driving 70+ miles what with the price of gas, and the daily threat of storms here in Florida. But, the last time I checked the weather it looked like it should be decent tomorrow, so hopefully we'll be going!

TimC2462 · 08-06-2008, 02:03 AM

You should go!!! Taking my dog to the beach brings back lots of memories. If you're lucky, you may see other dogs there. It's a great opportunity for your dog to sharpen his socialization skills.

My dog, Hallie at the Santa Barbara beach:

Tim C.

ShepsMom · 08-06-2008, 07:29 AM

Great looking dog Tim and a beautiful photo!!

mikenbacismama · 08-06-2008, 04:14 PM

We did wind up taking our dog, Levi, to Fort DeSoto beach today. It was a fun afternoon! It's funny, 2x there, both times he got chased by little dogs barking at him like nuts (Dachsunds first time, & today Jack Russells) meanwhile, Levi's probably around 75 lbs...all big baby! I get such a kick out of watching all of them have fun with him, and also watching him have fun swimming!

noplacelikeWA · 08-06-2008, 05:02 PM

I love taking my dogs to the beach, they are ok with the idea but I'm sure they are happier to be with me then left home alone. None of them really like the water but we manage to get them into the water from time to time. We also like to bring the portable kennel with us to keep them contained and cool. This way we are not always chasing them around or keeping other dogs away and it gives us the freedom to relax on the beach while they are shaded in the kennel.