I was 6 weeks old when I joined the family. Being roughly the size and shape of a guinea pig, it took most of the day and all my energy just to scramble up the stairs. I needed lots of naps.
That soon changed.
Within a fortnight, I was ready to run. The trouble was, there was nowhere to run. Parvovirus, Distemper, Adenovirus. All these deadly bugs were out there waiting to get me. I couldn’t go to the park or the boardwalk or even the shops until my vaccinations were sorted. Mum was totally stubborn about it.
Australia has over 25,000 kilometres of coastline and more than 10,000 beaches.
So, they took me to the beach.
It was way worse than the viruses.
The sand got everywhere, and I do mean everywhere. I couldn’t keep up with the folks and every time another dog came close, they picked me up like I was some kind of princess. But in true Koolie style, I tried to make the best of a bad lot.
Eventually, I got used to the soft sand that trapped my paws and made me fall over. Then they tried making me go in the water!
That was hideous.
We went to the beach every morning before work and sometimes afterwards too. The folks seemed determined to torture me.
By a happy accident, I discovered digging
And weed!
One fantastic day, I suddenly realised the beach was covered with loads of tasty treats!
It was a crazy salty snack fest and I went suitably beserk.
I immediately formulated Plan A. Eat everything!
I came up with Plan B soon afterwards. Or rather, it came up… in a big pile all over the sand!
So I worked out that some things were there to be eaten and others were there to roll on.
Once my jabs were sorted, we started going to other beaches
I made some friends…
Recent storms had battered our local beaches and eroded the sand. The strong surf carved it into new shapes each day. I honed my leaping and parcour skills on the ever-shifting dunes.
The soft landings made me fearless, if not exactly graceful…
The weather wasn’t always tops but after a while it didn’t matter. I just loved being out there.
Not so long ago, Dad introduced me to tennis balls. Seemed he thought I should run around more than him. Quite a LOT more than him
Once is fun, two times okay, three throws is totally boring. If he wants it that much, let him fetch it.
That said, now I’m a bit more mature, there is something irresistible about the little yellow ball.
Three months later and I am totally hooked. Gosh the folks have gotten slow though!
Coming next: “Potheads” aka “How Me and Miss Kali learned to get along”