This was the last sunset I saw from our Cannon Beach hotel Monday night. In what was four short days of eternal bliss, I've reflected several times since on the experience and what jumps out most at me since our last visit there six years ago--aside from the swarms of abundant humanity that continue to overrun such landscapes--is the increasing number of hotels that accept dogs as guests and the resultant population explosion of vacationing canines. That's a good thing. I'm not sure of all the ways we reap the benefits that dogs manifest, but if the weekend throngs of humanity were sometimes overwhelming and regularly inconvenient, the respite we took in the dogs accompanying so many of their people more than made up for the hordes.
And while I'm most partial to dogs, I realize there are other life forms which serve us equally as reminders of sentient life outside are own. Companions from Nature that are not as hell bent on their own destruction as we. I only address the dogs because people haven't gotten 'round to bringing their cats or pet tetras and angel fish to the beach--not yet.
But dogs seem particularly attuned to mankind. I'm not sure exactly why they love us so. We're often not very nice. But I have it in mind dogs make us better people. And looking around, it's obvious they really have their cosmic jobs cut out for them. I think we need a lot more dogs if there's to be any hope of saving ourselves from ourselves and the rest of the planet as well.
4 comments:
dogs....they're such nice creatures
but i view them in public just like i do children - as long as they are well-behaved, i don't mind having them around..
beautiful picture...thanks for sharing
we used to love to go to Dog Beach in san diego! All those people & pups running free in the surf, everyone else's dogs so well behaved. Our two delinquents couldn't be allowed off the leash due to their antisocial behavior around other dogs, which seemed incurable (sigh). I think the problem is we love them too much. They are people dogs & so it's always a great treat when we travel & find dog-friendly places where they can suck up all the attn (as long as they're the only other dogs there). Let's just say I'm glad our two canines aren't running the state or defense dept, cuz they would start & fight needless wars & refuse to get along with their fellows ... oh jeez, you don't suppose they've been having secret conversations with condi & rummie, do you? We're gonna need some really strong leashes! D.K.
az: surprisingly, we didn't meet one demented dog (like DK's!--J/K, DK) at the beach. (Maybe that's because Only Good Dogs Go to Beaches?--Again, my apologies, I'm using this reply to poke fun at DK's anti-socials.)
But seriously, my niece brought Abby, her St. Bernard, to the beach. (This was a real tear jerker--if I allowed myself to think about it--because Abby wraps her neck & head around you, i.e., attaches to your leg so you can pet her as you walk. That's exactly what our Annie did (who passed last November).
We also had a nephew bring his great dog also. But walking down the steet of town on the weekend takes twice as long--at least--with people just wanting to pet the St. Bernard constantly.
dk: you're sooo funny. But don't even joke about your great dogs (I'm sure) in conversations with the likes of Oil Tanker Rice or Don Rumsfeld because, remember, dogs only associate with and love humans. They have no affinity for slime mold.
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