Mia and The Beach

Mia had never been to the beach until yesterday.  It was supposed to be an ugly day…scattered rain throughout the island…but, around 2pm I decided that we were going anyway.  And, go we did…across the island to Kailua Beach.  There are many beaches here that don’t allow dogs, but the list (Dog Beaches) provided by the Hawaiian Humane Society makes it easy to locate a convenient beach that does.

So, off to Kailua we went.  We took the sort of scenic route up and down the Pali  instead of staying on the highway.  It’s so beautiful on that side of the island.  It’s lush and green and I just get lost in the intracacies of the mountain range and the colors of the ocean…hmmmmm…

We made it to the beach without incident, which is always a good thing!  And, while Mia is our Freak Doggy Dog, she was much better behaved than I initially expected her to be.  There was just so much to take in.  So many things to see and smell that she hadn’t experienced before.  Although the air was cool, it smelled sweet and salty…like kettle corn…but not.  It was so inviting.  Everytime I go to the beach, everything in my life just disappears.  It’s just me and the sand and the waves slapping the beach.  It’s so amazing.

But, we’re talking about Mia’s first visit to the beach…

She was all excited about being in a new place.  She wasn’t sure which way to go, so she went every-which-way and pulled me with her.  I finally won the tug-o-war contest and managed to get her onto the sand.  The minute her big moose fee hit that soft white sand, she just couldn’t help herself.  She tried to run (being attached to a leash attached to me made that a little difficult) and we played along the water line.  Mia wasn’t exactly sure what to think about the water.  Normally she won’t even walk in the grass if it’s wet, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.

I eased her in, playing closer and closer to the water, and eventually dragged her into it.  Once Mia figured out that it was fun and it was ok to be in the water at the shorebreak, everything changed.  She loved it.  When the water would start to roll in, I would run toward it, taking her with me, and she would bounce over the lines and poke her nose at the bubbles.  It was so great to see her playful and happy with the ocean!  I only wish that I had taken my good camera with me.  As it was I had my cell phone and was able to snap a couple cute pics.  Unfortunately, I don’t have a way to transfer them to the computer right now.

We only stayed at the beach for a couple hours.  Aside from getting there a little late in the day (and having to deal with rush hour traffic on the way home), I didn’t want to push the envelope with Mia and the water.  We’re going to the North Shore today.  The more The Moose gets out, the better behaved she’ll be.

She was the hit of Kailua Beach yesterday, attracting young children who were really intrigued by her.  There were even some tourists who asked to take her picture.  I was so very proud of my big baby girl!