Surfs Up

I've always been sure I had the most pawsome dog mama in the world. But this summer, I knew 100% she was the very, very best. Somehow, she always made a plan for us to get to the beach — even when it's been hard and not very easy!

And so Mama packed up the car and we set off for our annual summer seaside vacation. It was absolutely paw-mazing. We had a very, very special holiday together, so I wanted to share some of my favorite moments, which I hope will bring a smile to your face.

And just so you know, they were in no special order, because each one was paw-mazing, and better than I could have imagined.

1. What do you mean that it's not mine?

I've always been a very curious but cautious pup. And I always do my best to stick to the rules wherever we go. But this one time, there had been no need for that, especially when I thought there was a rule that said “if you snooze, you lose”.

So, when I saw that Mama had our beach spot ready for the day and quickly noticed there was only one chair, Mama must have forgotten to bring one for me, too. So, I jumped at the chance to get the best seat on the beach, while Mama was "snoozing" and taking in the view. I felt like a celebrity dog on the beach that day!

But on Day 2, I was paw-fully shocked when I realized there would only be one chair coming to the beach every day, and even though I had gotten it on Day 1, it was clear very quickly that it was not meant for me and not meant to share, and I wouldn’t be getting it on Day 2 or Day 3, or any other day.

So, because the life rule "if you snooze, you lose" turned out to be conditional, I had faith in the belief that when, sometimes, you feel like you’ve lost something, something even better could be just one sniff away.

Instead of getting mad and feeling absolutely annoyed, I sat and looked at the sea, and made my brain dig into the problem and come up with a new plan. And it proved what I just said and trust, because, believe it or not, my Plan B really looked like Plan A.

What was plan B? It was genius! I made my chair. It was cool, and it was comfy, and just the right size. And that’s not all, because the best part about my brilliant idea is that it never had to be carried to and from the beach every day.

2. Lucky? Are you joking?

If you've been following Toffy's Dawg Blog for any length of time, you know how hard I've worked to learn lots of things and be an extra good dog, even practicing with Mama when I would rather have chosen to be snoozing or watching Bluey, and often wondered if it even mattered.

But now I know for sure, just as I knew I had the best Mama, if you did the right work and did it well, it would always pay off in some way or another. And for me it paid off like winning the treat lottery, because when I went out with  Mama for coffee, lunch or even a snack, not only did I get my very own papachino to drink, but most important and impressive was that I  got a seat at the table, which Mama says sometimes even some people don't get. And I could tell that all the dogs sitting on the floor were wondering how I had gotten so lucky, and I wanted to tell them to stop thinking I was just lucky and that they weren't. I wanted to tell them what it meant to get lucky and get a seat at the table. It meant hours and hours, and years, of very hard work and staying persistent and consistent, especially when I didn't feel like it, or when I was tired, or when I kept making mistakes.

That’s what it means to be “lucky,” and it also means anyone can be lucky, if you’re willing to keep digging and digging = and this kind of digging is not on the beach.

3. Another selfie?

Sometimes Mama goes a little too far with all the photos she takes, because at this point, it's not like we don't already have thousands of photos – admittedly, most of them are likely of me sleeping, tearing up boxes, and at least 20 with every toy I own. And I'm definitely not short of any toys.

So when she wanted to take another selfie on the beach, I rolled my eyes, sighed, and got really mad inside. This photo obsession was starting to become very annoying, especially since we were only on Day 2 of our very special seaside holiday.

But then I remembered how many things, too many to count, that my Mama does for me, that I'm sure she also didn't always feel like doing.

So I changed my pawtitude quicker than you could blink. Instead of complaining and being very irritated, I took a deep breath and put a smile on my face so Mama could get another selfie with me that she really wanted.

But you know what - when I thought about how annoyed I had been, I realized that I should have put a smile on my face right away when she asked, because it wasn’t a lot at all that my Mama was asking for, especially in comparison to all the things she has to do over and over for me every day.

And I also remembered how special it was to look at all our photos when we were back in the desert, not having as much fun, or when Mama or I were feeling down and sad, or just wanted to enjoy looking back at some of the best memories we have. So I decided I wouldn’t get bothered again, no matter how many photos my Mama wanted to take, because not only did she deserve it, but I had also learned that when I was kind to my Mama, I was being kind to myself.

4. Wrong? Couldn't be happier!

I'm sure you know how important it is to remember to be grateful for all that you have. But here's the thing – sometimes that's really hard to do, especially when I know you'd be going to the dog wash every single day that you went to the beach. So, I really didn’t know how it was going to pawsible for me to find anything to be thankful in all of that?

And all I could think of was not dirtying the apartment that we had rented. But then, when I thought about that some more, I came to the conclusion that this was something more suitable for my Mama to be grateful for, not me. However, that thought changed very quickly as we got to Dirty Dog dog wash. As always, when I'm in a bind, I should have known better because when you have the best Mama who always has your tail, there'll always be something to be grateful for. So, I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was when I discovered that my very smart Mama had booked the best bath, the one with a view!

And as it should have, my gratitude grew so much and so quickly that I thought for sure that my heart would explode for having the best Mama.

5. What? This cannot be true!

When I thought our seaside holiday couldn't get better, you'll probably find it hard to believe that it actually did. Even struggled to believe it was definitely true, and I was a part of this blockbuster story...

One day, Mama was trying to get me out for a walk – I was tired from the beach and just wanted to sleep. Then she said there was something very special for me if I got off the couch and came to the door.

But here's the problem with this part of the story – sometimes when Mama says there's something special to see, it's not at all very exciting for me.

But I didn't want to make my Mama have to try extra hard to get me out the door, like she sometimes has to when we’re back home. After all, this was also her special holiday, and perhaps she was even more tired than me, especially since she had to carry her chair to and from the beach every day. So, I dragged myself off the couch to go and see what was so special at our front door. And OH MY PAW! This time, my Mama wasn't joking at all! But she did make a big mistake when she said there was something special to see – it was more than special and more than exciting - it was out of this world and didn’t seem possible.

There, in real life, right in front of my tired eyes, was my favorite Aunty Chabidaye, who I was seeing for the very first time when she wasn't on ZOOM. She'd come from so far away, it was another country, all to spend a few precious days with me and Mama. .

I was so over the moon I nearly fell down the stairs. It was like meeting a rockstar, which, by the way, my Mama said she definitely is, and you can trust me when I say that my Mama can sniff out a rockstar from miles away.

I knew for sure we were going to have an extra special time with Aunty Chabidaye in town!

We did so many cool things together. We went to the farmers' market. We took long walks on the beach and looked for seashells. We had extra-special dinners every single night. We listened to live music across the road from the fair while we tried to figure out how high the roller coasters were that none of us would ever consider going on. And on our last night together, Mama and Aunty Chabidaye even had what I think were pina colada drinks, although something was apparently missing from them, so I'm not really sure if they were what I said.

These are just a few very special highlights from my seaside beach holiday with my very special Mama and Aunty Chabidaye too. I hope you've enjoyed reading them all because I have lots more to share, but you’ll have to wait a little longer for those to come.

I hope you've also had the most pawsome summer, and I'd love to hear your stories too. So don't be shy and share what you've done in the comments below.

Toffy xoxo

#lifewithtoffy #toffysdogblog #thinkliketoffy

PS! If you liked this edition of Toffy's Dog Blog, please share it with your friends and family and help me share my message to live*love*play!