Fun (for some) on the beach

The house is full today, as we are dog-sitting Holly. Mrs Holly has gone to Pitlochry Festival Theatre.

Mrs jml took Jess & Holly one way, while I went down to Largo Beach with Molly. The hope was that she would be better behaved if Jess was not there to encourage her stubbornness. Not a bit of it - hard work keeping Miss Molly amused, I can tell you.

When she has the toy, she does not want it - until I start to pull it in on the rope. Then she hangs on like grim death making it impossible for me to reel it in and start the game again by throwing the toy out into deep water. The only distraction is to throw a pebble instead, and she is briefly drawn to that. If I'm quick enough, I can get the toy back; if not, she grabs it before I do, and the process starts all over again. Very, very tiring.

Still, we managed it quite successfully and she was out beyond her depth quite a number of times. I'm sure she enjoyed the game.

But when it came to going home, she was having none of it. No coming to heel, no looking for a treat, any time I came near her, she retreated to the water. I eventually hit on the idea of threading the rope through the loop of her lead. She worked out what was happening and at first would let go of the toy just as I was about to slip the lead round her neck!!

Eventually, however, I did succeed in getting her onto the lead. She promptly pulled it out of my hands and went back into the sea again! This time I had to wade in after her, but with the lead around her neck, it was fairly easy to grab her.

And so we walked back to the car. I had a feeling of triumph, and I have no doubt that Molly was wondering where she blundered. "Next time" she says, "I won't be caught that way again!"