Piper had her first encounter with the Pacific Ocean last week, and after figuring out that the surf was really not going to gobble her up, she loved every minute of it. She also had her first encounter with running. Our son Jeff, who was visiting from Phoenix with three of his four kids, took her running every morning, and sometimes in the afternoon as well. The photo is of their first run, spontaneously taken just after we arrived.
The lead connecting man and dog in the picture is the long (26 ft.) Flexi leash that we were using with Piper, which was just perfect for walking or running with her on the beach It allowed her to cover large distances not only ahead of us, but also side to side, behind us, wherever, while we walked along the beach mostly at our own pace.
Back home, the constant tension between puppy and owner while using the six-foot leash has disappeared, and the walks have become much easier. She still has some habits that will have to be addressed in obedience school later on, but at least now we can be confident that on a windy fall day, the “fall” isn’t about us hitting the ground when she suddenly darts after a leaf. (Hasn’t actually happened, but almost!). We still use the six-footer on her short early-morning walk, and it is interesting to us that since we began using the Flexi on longer walks, she has become a better walker on the short leash. Still a ways to go, though, and we keep reminding ourselves that she's only 6-1/2 months old.
We love the picture, by the way, not only because of what it depicts, but also because it was taken by our 11-year-old granddaughter Caitlyn. We think she has a pretty good eye … and are glad she remembered to bring a camera on that occasion, because ours was back at the beach house.
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