BarkingProse

Have you ever played beach rugby? It’s a really fun game. Me and my brother Zag played yesterday until we were so tired we couldn’t run anymore.

Here’s me after a nasty scrum. I went low for a ball and plowed the sand with my nose. I’m just catchin’ a breather before we went at it again.

You know what’s neat? Some mom’s don’t let their dogs play in the muck and get as dirty as me and Zag. My mom did say something like “oh no!” when she saw me, but she was laughing so hard I knew she didn’t mean it.

My brother Zag got dirty too, but his fur sheds the sand faster. Oh my gosh, I had the very best time ever at the beach. The moms hit the ball until their shoulders ached. I kinda felt sorry that they were hurting, but I didn’t want them to stop.

It was fun being the center of attention. They kept throwing us the ball and taking our pictures. Sometimes they would shout “yes!” when I jumped really high. My mom calls me “Ashman” when I’ve performed some amazing jump, and I know she’s real proud of me.

Here’s me and Zag going after the ball. I can out jump him, but he gives me a good shove once in a while. He’d make a great free safety.

Okay, maybe I’m bragging a little, but take a look at this next picture. Imagine the ‘hang time’ and tell me I’m not a hot dog! Yippee! I sure had a blast at the beach. Stay tuned. I got some more really good pictures. Gotta run!

It’s that special weekend when I go to the beach with my brother Zag. It’s always the first weekend in October. The weather is nice and it’s not crowded. We have soooooo much fun.

Here we are first thing in the morning. We’ve been playing ball in the surf for an hour. Zag got rolled over by a rogue wave. He didn’t like it. I saw it coming and just floated in, but Zag went tail over ears in the water.

We get so wet and full of sand. We know at the end of each day we have to be hosed off, but it’s worth it. Zag’s little brother Rhett came with us. He had a blast in the water.

Here he is running away from the waves. He’s not scared but he doesn’t like to get wet. His nose is pretty close to the ground, so the salt spray splashes in his face if he’s not careful. He wants to be one of the guys. It’s not easy being the little brother, so we try to cut him some slack.

Mom makes me and Zag pose for our portrait. She calls it driftwood art. She did the same thing last year with another piece of old rotten wood. You can decide for yourself if you think it’s art or not.

Mom’s busy wiping up sand. Me and Zag are tired but we don’t want to miss any time at the beach, so we’re pestering to get going again. The sky is real blue, the wind is blowing. We’ve seen deer and lots of geese. This is a really neat vacation for me and Zag. I’ll tell more later. Gotta run!

My brother Zag is coming today. That makes me happy. Zag and Tess got into it the last time Zag was here. That makes me sad.

Me and Zag are going to the beach. That makes me really happy. Jack won’t have mom for two days. That makes him awful sad. I feel bad because I know how much Jack will miss her.

Dad will have to manage the house by himself. Mom says it’s a good thing he won’t have to worry about me. She calls me a handful.

But Tess is a handful too. Tess will have to share the truck with Jack. She’ll make Jack sit in the back. Tess will hog the couch and try to keep Jack away from dad. Jack will just let her have her way. He’ll be missing mom and wondering if she’ll come home.

This will be the first time since we got Jack that mom has left him. She wishes she could take him with us but it would be too many dogs and this is my special time with my brother.

I’ve been thinking a lot about our pack. Jack wants me to go and have a good time at the beach even though he’s already feeling scared. I can’t wait to go to the beach but I’m worried about Jack. I won’t be here to tell him it’s okay and mom always comes back.

I’d call him from the beach but he’s deaf and he can only hear with his heart. So dad says he’s gonna give Jack lots of attention. I’ll bet Jack gets extra treats and rides in the truck. He may even get to sit in the front seat once or twice. I hope so. Gotta run!