It’s just the three of us this weekend since a last-minute out-of-town shooting assignment came up. The dogs were a tiny bit unsettled in the morning and wandered around the apartment to see if they had missed someone. Their lonesome meandering was soon followed by a series of naps and water breaks. They seem settled now.

Since things are out of sorts, I decided to treat the dogs to a long walk in the park. We passed by the Dog Beach and my plan was to continue further into the park, however Lola wasn’t having it. When Lola wants to do in a different direction, she does this maneuver where she sits and scratches her back with her hind leg, as if she’s just taking a little break. But what she’s really trying to do is get me to stop and turn around in the direction she wants to go.

That’s how it was when we got to the Dog Beach. She must have stopped to scratch her back at least five times. So, I gave in and let her off the leash. We played fetch with a stick but Lola was clever and swam over to a rubber ball that had been left behind. I must have thrown it into the water about 25 times. We had the entire Dog Beach to ourselves and Lola was having the time of her life. Even the turtle and the four ducks didn’t distract her from the fun she was having!