When we rented our first house on SGI, I remember reading something in the rental company’s pamphlet about how you should use a leash with dogs on the beach — unless they were within the sound of your voice. The assumption being, I guess, that a dog who could hear you would obey you.
We’ve had three border collies since we started coming to St. George, all of them lovely dogs, but Daisy is the first one who consistently obeys — as opposed to obeying when what you’re telling her to do happens to match up exactly with what she’d already decided to do anyway. Unlike the others, she’s a rule follower.
This morning about 9 or 9:30, Daisy started snapping her teeth at me to say it’s time for our beach walk. (Snapping her teeth is her way of asking you to do something fun. Owners of other pups in this litter say their dogs do the same.) One of my new year’s resolutions is always to help our dog have a happy and healthy life, so I generally obey her.
Seagulls to be herded
The beach was almost empty, even though it was a beautiful morning. We passed a few old men fishing, saw the occasional cluster of empty beach chairs set out early to claim a spot. She trotted along beside me at the water’s edge until we saw a dozen or so seagulls standing on the beach up ahead. I said, “go see,” and she took off — crouching low and cutting wide around the gulls, excelling at her self-assigned job of herding them up and out over the Gulf.
Turtles not to be tampered with
There are turtle nests all over the beach here, an encouraging sign. They’re marked off with wooden stakes and fluorescent pink ribbon, and there’s a bright yellow sign by each one that reads: Sea Turtle Nest, Do Not Disturb, Violators Subject to Fines and Imprisonment. Imagine getting thrown in jail for something as stupid as messing with a turtle nest. Where does that conversation go, after the inevitable ice-breaker question, “What are you in for?”
Not all dogs that wander are lost
One year when we were here, I was training for something, maybe the New York City marathon, and doing long runs down the length of the island. A leggy yellow dog ran out from somebody’s driveway and started loping along beside me. I kept running, and he kept running, and finally I started to worry I was leading him too far from home. I stopped to check his collar, and his tag said, “If I’m on SGI, I’m not lost.”
