I’m fortunate. A dog like me living just 200 meters from the sea—what more could I ask for? Sea walks are beneficial. (If you want to listen to my story rather than to read, feel free to click the button below. Unfortunately, not my voice. Special thanks to Mochie’s owner for that record.)

A Dog’s Perspective on Swimming

When I was little, The Boss often asked me to drag stones or logs along the sand. He’d attach them to my harness, and I’d pull them, leaving deep tracks in the sand. It strengthened my legs and improved my health. And the air, the water…

One small detail—since I’m from the Newfoundland family, The Boss is convinced that I should swim day and night… But I don’t like swimming. Actually, if someone needs saving, I have no problem jumping into the water and pulling them out by the scruff. But if there’s no one to save, why go into the water, especially if it’s cold! Plus, you can’t always tell what people are doing in the water. Recently, I noticed a man in the sea waving his arms in a strange rhythmic manner. I thought he was asking for help, so I bravely charged into the waves, but The Boss, for some reason, got all flustered and called me back. As a well-behaved dog, I turned back toward the shore. I don’t know what happened to that man, although The Boss said something about “exercise”.

In general, I only go into the water when I want to please The Boss—and maybe, just maybe, get a treat for it. I wade in, up to my knees, stand there, and watch The Boss as he’s so happy I’m in the sea, immediately pulling out his phone to take photos or videos, and I run back to the shore for my treat. The treats my owners buy for me are specially made for dogs. They’re cookies and dried duck breasts, but that’s a story for another time.

A joy of Sea Walks

So, about the sea. Our island is located in the English Channel, not far from mainland England, just 10 km from the port city of Portsmouth. But this is actually the ocean, not an inland sea, and the tides here are quite significant. The Boss and I walk along the shore when the water recedes in the morning, leaving it a couple of football fields away.

That’s when we can really stretch our legs. The Boss likes to go out early when we walk, as he says, to places “where no human foot has ever stepped” (which, of course, is only true that day), but it inspires him. I prefer to go later, not because I don’t like getting up early, no, it’s just that there are so many more dogs on the beach later, and even more have already been there. As the song goes, “I can’t tell you how many marks there are on the snow…” We don’t have snow, but I understand those marks on the sand and can tell exactly who and where “lifted a paw”!

Exploring Rocks and Fossils

So, while I’m sniffing the marks, The Boss is looking for something. He’s constantly glancing around and examining the rocks. There are a lot of stones on our shore, so beautiful! I heard The Boss explaining to a local dog lady that the stones here are old, formed when lava flowed out of volcanoes and solidified on everything it touched—other rocks, clay, and earth — and all of this hardened into the most amazing shapes. This occurred a long time ago, possibly even before the dinosaurs.

The Boss can look at these rocks and photograph them for hours, and I wait. We also have a lot of tree trunks that were washed up on the shore by ocean waves during storms. The Boss likes to photograph those, including me, in the background.

Everyone here, both locals and tourists, searches for fossilised shells on the shore. Why search for them? They’re already displayed in the window of a store on the main street—beautiful, come in and take them. But one time, I raised my paw on a big rock—The Boss looked at the rock, moved me aside, was thrilled, lifted that big rock onto his shoulder, and started hauling it home. People we met stopped, admired it for a long time, and took photos. The Boss kept carrying the rock, even though it was heavy, and now it’s in our garden. Out of respect for The Boss, I no longer raise my paw on that rock.

Generally, having the opportunity to be near the sea at any time is wonderful. I heard my owners read somewhere that people who live near the ocean have a significantly longer life expectancy. I’m sure this applies to dogs, too.