Ollie's First Trip to the Beach

So, I didn't wake Doug up yesterday evening to go to the beach because I wasn't feeling super great and wanted to curl up for a little while. Ollie was also kind of stressing out because Milton is gone for the weekend and he is really sensitive to things like that. After it got dark, we got dressed up and went out for Thai food instead and then came back and watched Tropic Thunder. It was a really nice evening. But, this morning, we woke up early, drank coffee, and got Ollie ready to go to dog beach in OB.

He was really excited in the car, since he hasn't gotten out much since we got here, there are so many new smells and new places and SO many other dogs. If you read about Ollie's adoption story, you know he isn't great with strange dogs, but we're working on it. Anyways, he was really excited to see other dogs and that made me feel pretty confident we were going to have a good experience at the beach.
We dropped Doug off at the skate park and walked the 800 yards down to OB's dog beach. It was a bit overwhelming, but Greg and Paula showed us a secret cove that they take Milton so we went there instead. There were a few other pups but Ollie was a perfect gentleman and sniffed, smiled and we kept walking. I waited until there were no other dogs around and let him off his leash for a few minutes. He did very good and even went in the water!
It was a lot of fun and we both left the beach smiling. Everyone was so friendly and the dogs were all really well behaved so I think it calmed both of us. I have always been nervous taking Ollie to the dog park. He is so strong that if he ever did get into a fight, a serious fight, he could cause a lot of damage and I don't ever want him responsible for that. 99% of the time, he is a great dog. Very friendly and sweet, loves everyone, but he does still get a little scared and hesitant around new dog friends.
OB is so pretty and the weather was absolutely perfect today. We couldn't have asked for a better day to take Ollie to the beach, or for our first weekend in SD.
We found Doug at the skate park and Ollie pulled him down the walkway to the van, which is always a funny sight, because he stops every 20 feet to look back for me. I usually just try to run ahead of them, but I wanted to take photos.
Ollie had the biggest smile when we left and I can't wait to take him again. I know that if I am more comfortable with him being off leash around other dogs, then he will be more comfortable too. We will have to work on it together.
After our trip to the beach, we went hunting for a McDonalds to get a McRib for lunch. I mean, how often does the McRib come back? You have to try at least one!

So, it was a really good day, so far! It isn't even over with yet! I want to walk down to this cute little Cheesecake diner down Adams, and there is also a thrift shop across the street that I want to peek into. I also want to clean Paula's house. We can't move into our house until Monday. As soon as I talked to our landlord this morning, I instantly got a headache. I just want to move into our home. So frustrating, but patience is a virtue, right?

xo,

Beca