To the beach!
Dogs, the beach and you
MetPet.com Staff Writer
 Are you going to have a fun day at the beach and plan on
including Fido? Here are some basic items you will want to take with you
and some ideas to make your trip there and back a bit neater.
Leashes
As much as we like retractable leashes, we have broken more than one mechanism
at the beach. When the leash retracts, the sand gets drawn back into the
plastic housing. Enough sand will eventually jam the mechanism.
Sand can also jam the snap that attaches the leash to the
collar. A snap that you pull down to open has a shaft that can get filled
with sand. In either case, shaking or tapping can loosen the sand.
Water
Remember to take along plenty of water for your dog. If he gets thirsty, he
may drink saltwater which is deadly in sufficient quantity. Always take double
what you think you will need. You can always pour the excess out later so you don't
have to carry it back home. A dog playing on a hot beach will drink (and eliminate)
bowl after bowl of water.
If you don't want to take a rigid dog bowl consider one of the collapsible
fabric ones or take a plastic bottle with the pop up top. Most bottled
water comes in a version that has the pop up top included (similar to the tops
on dishwashing detergents). He can drink from it like a tap although much
of it will end up on the ground. For smaller dogs, there are also
refillable bottles with a small, attached water bowl made especially for dogs.
We also take along an extra 1 gallon plastic water jug and use
it to clean the saltwater and sand off your dog's fur. It will help keep
the inside of your car clean and will reduce the amount of sand that works its
way in between the seats.
Towels and blankets
An old beach or bath towel and several small hand towels will make cleaning off the
saltwater and sand much easier. First we give them a quick shower with clean
water. Then we wrap our dogs in the beach towel to get them as dry as
possible. The small hand towels are used to clean the sand off paws, faces,
etc.
If you don't have a backseat cover or portable kennel, a large blanket or two
will really decrease the amount of car cleaning. No matter what we do
though, there always seems to be lots of sand in the car. We wait until
the next day, when the sand has dried completely to vacuum thoroughly.
Remember to vacuum the crevice between the seat and the back. Most of the
sand congregates there.
Sand is gritty and will mar nice leather seats. In addition, sand
always seems to collect in the seat belt mechanism so, it's a good idea to snap
the belt into the holder even when it's not in use.
Shower
At home, we give our dogs a shower that day. The salt isn't good for their skin and
they can lick it off and ingest it which is worse. They pick up a rather fishy aroma
so it's just as well they get a full grooming.
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