The OTHER Beach

Heading to North Ave or Oak Street beaches have become a staple to our summer weekend's in Chicago.  A quick bike ride and we're there, but there's one other beach that we love, the dog beach at Montrose Beach.

Notice the taut leash as Oscar pulls his way to the beach!

Around these parts Oscar knows what "dog beach" means and I think he's even gotten to the point to know that "db" means the same thing.  We're blessed to have a great big dog beach just a ten minute drive away and a dog that enjoys it.

 

Once we get there, it's like Osc forgets all cares, worries, and about life in general.  He hits the sand running and just lives in the moment. Often times, something I need to force myself to do. 

 

Sure, sometimes he gets a little bit weary, like when he realized he can no longer touch, but he doesn't let that deter him from testing the waters (ha!) and enjoying himself.

 

Not only is it fun to see him attempt to run in the water, but on land he's just as excited to feel the sand between his toes, err, paws. I love this next trio of pictures. I mean, is it possible he could be any happier than this?

   

Awkward slow-mo shot

 

Of course, he'll run in the water too. But that's a little bit more difficult and doesn't last quite as long until he tires.

Then there's the attemped swimming, which looks more like a dog with cement blocks attached to his paws. It appears that they're so heavy Osc just can't manage. 

 

He'll watch dogs play fetch with tennis balls and eagerly run to join. Once it gets too deep he attempts to swim but usually ends up just watching the ball fly back and forth. At least he knows his limits!



 

The worst part of the beach is the after math. No matter how much we rinse and wipe down outside, followed by a bath inside, it feels like we find sand in the apartment for days. It's worth it to see this happy face.