Korky's best day ever

There’s nothing we as a family like more than a day at the beach. We can go year-round in all types of weather. The beaches in Ireland tend not to be warm or tropical however. The fresh ocean air of the west coast has a certain healing effect and the waves crashing in and creeping back out is just as therapeutic as a session of vipasanna meditation. Many families go to the beach to get away from the routine of their everyday lives. Some go for a refreshing swim in the cool water, some take a stroll around the various cliff walks and some lounge about on the sandy beaches. We usually do a combination of all those and we have a particular family member who enjoys the occasion just as much if not more than us – our 4-year-old dog, Korky.

Back in 2017, we collected him and brought him home as a 5-month-old pup. Not a noise from him was heard on the journey of over an hour. It took him a few weeks to adapt to his new surroundings – often hiding at the back of the garage from his new humans. Eventually he ventured out and got to know the lay of the land. He has become so comfortable living in a house on the street of a small Irish village that he pays visits to the friendly neighbours who give him food. He usually comes back within an hour or two. One day recently after Christmas, however, he want missing for 4 hours so we were really worried. We put a notice on Facebook to inform people that he's missing. It's very hard to keep him in our yard. I guess the best option is to have him trained to not leave. Eventually after a few hours of worrying, I spotted his head looking in the window of our living room. I assume he was down at a neighbour's house. My father was annoyed at him but I'm not sure Korky understood what he did worried us so much. It would be a real blow to lose him after only 4 years.

Often, we take him for walks at the river nearby and he loves plunging in to get his paws wet, even swimming out a bit too far sometimes – but he always manages to paddle to safety. He leans out from the step and opens his mouth out wide to get a drink of the cool flowing water. As we walk down by the river, he jumps into the water at various points – sometimes to my annoyance, as I might have just washed him in the shower with doggy shampoo. We know he loves the water, so inevitably we thought the next adventure would have to be someplace where he would experience even more and exciting water - the beach!

We set off for Kilkee beach in September of 2020 for Korky’s first experience of the Atlantic Ocean, or any ocean for that matter. He gets very excited for any kind of road trip in the car but this one was special. As this was during the Covid-19 pandemic, the beaches were quieter than usual which was ideal for Korky for his first time at a beach. We were a bit hesitant as a family to venture out into big crowds at the start of the pandemic. The lockdowns and curfews made it hard for us to give Korky the chance to explore as much as he deserves. Initially we only were advised 20 minutes outside time. It was really like a prison, but even prisoners get an hour in the yard. We had to rush Korky's walks which was not good for anything. The bars were also closed and, being an Irish guy, I enjoy my pints as much as Korky enjoys his walks. So, it was not ideal. Like a lot of people, we were unsure of how serious a situation it may be. So it was a quiet summer for us overall. We felt that the beach should be quiet enough for all of us to be comfortable as it was the end of the summer. We drove straight onto the beach and let Korky out the back of the car and onto the sand – ears cocked, eyes alert and tail wagging. After setting up our towels and parasol we left him off the leash and went walking down by the shore.

He was investigating everything that he came across. He was being very cautious of the tide coming in and out – he didn't know what to make of it. Barking at it as it came in and chasing it as it went out again. As other dogs passed, he didn’t take much interest in interacting with them. He kept his focus on the mysterious water. I decided to get into the water for a quick swim and also to see if Korky would follow me in. Fear overcame him and he just looked at me whilst also chasing the tide back out. I kept calling him to come but wasn’t expecting him to venture out to me. The considerable size difference between the river near our home and this bay of water on the west coast of Ireland makes it understandable that Korky wouldn’t be ready to tackle the challenge. However, just as we were about to go back to the car, Korky started to walk in bit by bit until the water was up to his belly. I walked over to him so he’d be more comfortable. It was too much for him and he walked back to shore quickly but it was a great achievement for his first time in seawater. We dried off and went back to the car for a well deserved rest.

All in all it was a successful trip for us. The weather was perfect, the beach wasn't too crowded and Korky experienced the beach for the very first time. We finished our trip with a brisk walk by the cliffs and drove home to get Korky his dinner. He slept most of the way home. We did go back with Korky to the beach since then with a fairly similar outcome. This time he was a bit braver. We will take him to the beach again soon as he must miss the amazing experience he had. It's these precious moments that are worth taking note of and remembering with our dogs and other pets. He always seems to enjoy himself and that’s all that matters for us.