Paradise through a Dog's Eyes

"Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring--it was peace." - Milan Kundera






Brian and I took Walter and Henry for a walk down on Coast Blvd where the view of the ocean is spectacular with its majestic rock beaches and grassy bluffs. Walter and Henry love it down there as there is always a lot of activity with the locals and the tourists sprawling out on their blankets and the seals sunbathing on the stretch of sand on Casa Beach or as locals refer to it - Children's Pool.

There is an unusual amount of ground squirrels that live in tunnels above the beach there. These squirrels are everywhere, no doubt because of the abundance of food available from the picnickers. Henry just goes crazy when he sees these little guys. I have taken a few “spills” when he spots a few squirrels and decides to bolt after them, forgetting that I am the one walking him and not the other way around.

It was particularly crowded on this day and naturally the squirrels were scooting around the many blankets on the lawns – almost posing for the tourists. While Walter preferred to take in the people, Henry was in a frenzy trying to chase the squirrels but, alas, he was tethered to his mommy and unable to disappear down the cliff to their burrows. He did manage to find a hole in the ground – no doubt a squirrel abode – and stuck his nose in so far that I thought he would get stuck. With his butt sticking up in the air and his relentless pursuit of what was inside, it was one of those moments that I wished I had my camera. Next time. Anyway, he managed to get a lot of attention and laughs from the sunbathers and picnickers and when he finally emerged, even more laughter as his nose was brown with dirt. He didn’t even notice. He was in heaven without a worry in the world!

It never ceases to amaze me how little effort it takes to amuse my boys and to make their day blissful. When I see the pure joy on Henry's and Walter's faces just because they had a great walk, it reminds me to take time to appreciate the simplest of pleasures in my own life.

I truly think if everyone paid more attention to how dogs behave, we would all be better off. We would find ourselves able to easily forgive, always ready to love and have a blast just going for walk.