It was a beautiful morning and the beach was completely deserted. Just miles of sand, crystal clear waves lapping against the beach and sun splitting from a brilliant blue sky. Arran was completely covered in snow.

We used to make trips to the beach when we lived in Glasgow and I often wondered what it would be like to live near the sea and to be able to run on the beach every morning. Well, on a day like today it’s a thousand times better than I could ever imagine!

Beanie & Biggles were initially a little overwhelmed by the huge gathering of dogs but once the walk got under way they got into the swing of things.

Obviously this was an off-lead walk for most dogs, and we were sorely tempted to let our two run free as well. It’s been quite a while since they’ve been off-lead together rather than singly -  the temptation to go off on their own high-speed adventures is usually too much for them to resist. This time however they seemed genuinely interested in joining their buddies Robbie and Sam, who are both pretty well behaved off-lead.

Robbie

Sam

Surely with them as role models our two would behave themselves? Eh, no.. not really. As soon as Susan unclipped their leads, they shot off down the beach straight past their pals. Little Robbie wanted to follow them but once he got  too far away from his Mum, he turned around and ran back. It could be said that our two did the same, if you allow for the fact that their idea of “too far away” is very different from ours!

The look on their faces says it all. “Yep we’ve been naughty, and it was NICE!”

Of course treats are nice too..

..but that mouthful of chicken comes at a price. Beanie & Biggles, you’re nicked!

That was the end of their off-lead antics for the day, but they still had a good time walking with the group. We even ran into a couple of other Beagles – two boys, both young like our two, but way, way larger. And much, much better off lead!

Yep, well behaved Beagles. Just rub it in why don’t you!

On the other hand, their hunting skills were woefully lacking. They completely neglected their woofing duties when some horses passed by, leaving Beanie & Biggles to do all the work. That’s a heavy burden on young shoulders, but they have a strong sense of duty, our two.

Given that we were walking with fit flyballing dogs there was bound to be some impressive acrobatics:

But even the professionals can get into squabbles about who’s supposed to be doing what!

After the walk everyone headed back to our house for hot cuppas and some nibbles. To avoid the nibbles being nibbled illegally I had to put Beanie & Biggles in their crates. They took this remarkably well, though there was a bit of wailing when the hot sausage rolls came out of the oven. They got even with me when we let them out of their crates though. There were a couple of sausage rolls and cakes left over from the gathering and I fancied my chances of polishing them off, but I didn’t realise I hadn’t closed the kitchen door properly until it was too late.

• “Hi Dad!”
• Leap
• Gobble

And it was all gone.

Flyball starts up again in February, and we can’t wait to see the gang again for our first training session of 2010.

As it turned out they were. There was an initial explosive sprint off towards the horizon but they returned quickly, and then spent most of their time staying pretty close. Whenever they showed signs of heading off for another distant adventure we abruptly changed direction and that seemed to reign them back in.

I have to admit though that most of the improved behavior came from Beanie. Biggles was in a very playful mood and frequently tried to tempt her away on a Beagles-only mission, but she held firm. I think Biggles still needs more solo time to get him more interested in us than his sister, but then again he’s still just a youngster.

Biggles may be lying down but he’s ready spring into action the second Beanie shows interest!

All the swimming we’ve been doing has made both of them much more confident in the water. Beanie waded through quite deep water to retrieve her toy a couple of times (though she didn’t actually swim) and Biggles went for a cool bath whenever he got a little too warm.

Of course whenever you get wet, you’ve got to shake yourself off…

About halfway down the beach something caught Beanie’s interest, and of course Biggles ran over to investigate. A tug of war ensued and as we approached it became clear they’d got hold of the remnants of an animal carcass.

There wasn’t much left except bones and leathery flesh remnants. It’s possible – just possible – that this was all that was left of the dead sheep they found on their last visit. Either way we felt it would be a good idea to get them away from it, and this was accomplished with surprising ease and no squealing, grunting or aaarfing  from the Bigglet.

The rest of the walk was uneventful, save for Biggles deciding that he wanted to drink seawater instead of the bottled stuff we’d brought with us. Needless to say he was sick shortly afterwards, but as often happens he made an instant recovery and was back to doing what Biggleses do best.

Nice and clean – time to go back on lead ready for the trip home!

So of course, a thorough roll in the sand is required

The Bigglet Pigglet!

They’re off-lead now.. how long before they scarper?

10 minutes into the walk and they still haven’t done a runner…

When we take out treats and call them, they come without hesitation…

It’s just not natural… are they ill?

We spent the first part of the walk on edge, fully expecting the two of them to dart off on a mission of extreme naughtiness any second, but it didn’t happen. We strolled for a nearly an hour without any problems. Occasionally Beanie and Biggles would scamper off a little way, then just as quickly turn around and run back to us for another round of treats or a drink.

It’s all yours now Beanie. I just dropped a big lump of eye snot in it!

We passed sunbathers lying face down on their towels with unprotected bags at their sides, and still our Beagles were not tempted from the path of goodness. Susan wondered if it was just too hot for the level of exertion that naughtiness requires. Eventually Beanie’s halo did slip a bit when we encountered a pile of smelly junk.

Stig Beanie of the dump

To be fair we were able to call her away from it fairly easily, but we figured it was as good a time as any time to head back.

On the return journey we encountered quite a few dogs that were happily swimming in the sea. Beanie and Biggles looked tempted to join them, but even after all the swimming practice they’ve had they just didn’t have the guts for anything more than a shallow paddle. Until that is they saw one of these things:

Biggles reaction to the horse was sadly very predictable…

Aaaarf, aaarf..

.. and more aaarf

Beanie followed him of course, and together they headed into the water to chase down this huge aquatic purveyor of tasty poo. The pursuit didn’t last long though. I don’t know whether it was the depth of the water or the realization that a horse is a very big thing compared to a Beaglet, but Beanie lost heart and ran back to land. Biggles toughed it out for a little longer, but soon he too broke off the chase and returned to the safety of the beach.

With about a mile to go before the end of the walk, we decided it was time to get our two back on lead. The walk had gone amazingly well, and we thought it was time to quit while were ahead. We were wrong. The time to quit while ahead had already passed, because as soon as we called Beanie and Biggles to re-lead them, they took off at full speed. In seconds they became nothing but little dots in the haze, and then even those dots disappeared. Since they were wearing their Retrieva collars I pulled out my phone and started tracking them.

By the time I’d got a couple of fixes on their location and worked out where we were in relation, Susan spotted them heading back to us. We treated them and I got a lead on Beanie, but Biggles somehow evaded capture. He ran a hundred yards beyond us, clearly not wanting his great adventure to end. Calling him would have been pointless and counter-productive (you don’t want recall to be associated with the cessation of fun) so we turned our backs and started walking. Like a sulky school kid he reluctantly followed us at a distance. He dragged his heels for another hundred yards or so, getting steadily closer. When I felt we were soundly winning the battle I took out treats and called him and he came running, shedding his sulk as readily as he sheds white fur on dark clothes.

So we’d got them safely back on lead, but what havoc had they wrought in the few minutes they’d been absent? As we walked back to the car Susan asked likely victims if they’d been Beagled, but apparently there’d been no lightning pocket raids (Beanie’s speciality), no stolen socks or shoes (mostly Biggles) and no speed-swallowed sandwiches (both of ‘em). Good news certainly, but I’d still love to know what they actually did get up to on their private adventure.

Anyway, when we got home I went to the freezer to retrieve a couple of frozen yoghurt and beef jerky-filled Kongs I’d prepared earlier. After all, we’d denied Biggles and the Beanster a taste of the ice creams we’d had at the start of the walk. It was time to even the score.

To make up for this lack of off-lead fun, the next day we headed back to Irvine. When we arrived there wasn’t much beach (the tide was only just on its way back out) and it looked a little overcast, but both of these problems resolved themselves as the walk progressed. Beanie and Biggles had an enjoyable spell of free running…

..then just as they were starting to wander we put them back on the Cani-Cross lead and alternately walked and jogged so as not to cramp their style too much.

We even practiced a little recall this way; I jogged a little way ahead with our two pups, then when Susan called us we all turned and sprinted right back to her for treats. Well, to be more accurate only the dogs got the treats – which wasn’t fair because my recall was much more reliable than theirs!

On the way back we encountered a couple of dogs. The first was a playful Lab. Our two seemed interested in playing with him, so we let them off lead again. Off course the moment they were released they shunned their potential play partner and disappeared into the tall grass just off the beach. Since neither of us like them being out of sight for any length of time I headed up to their last known location and began hunting for them. I became a little concerned when I couldn’t find any trace of them, so I ran to a higher point to get a better view; still no sign! I continued on parallel to the beach for some minutes – in vain – then headed back to the beach to recruit Susan’s help. I saw her way back in the distance with two tricolored blobs dancing around her. As it turned out, Beanie and Biggles had doubled back and emerged by Susan almost the instant I’d left the sand. She couldn’t call me because I’d cunningly neglected to bring my phone. That’s the thing about mobile phones: they’re not much use if you don’t take ‘em with you.

A little further on we ran into an old friend from the park: Cassie. Perhaps foolishly we let our troublesome twosome off-lead once more. Thankfully this time they became completely engrossed in play:

Thanks to Cassie the walk could not have finished better; our two pups got a good romp around, and we had no stress or hassle for getting them back on lead afterwards. If only it would go like that every time..

The beach is over three miles long. Last year someone had told us that there was a lovely restaurant at the far end where you could eat on the beach with your dogs so we decided to walk the full length. I guess it’s only open in the Summer season because all we found was a little corner shop selling egg sandwiches and ice-cream!

Last week we discovered that Beanie swam so much better when we used food rather than toys to motivate her. This week we took along some freshly cooked chicken breast. I’ve never seen her enjoy the swimming so much, and boy was she fast! She was diving into the pool and sprinting every one of her laps.

She did 20 single laps and 10 doubles. Everyone is so pleased with her progress that next week she’s progressing to tripple laps and perhaps even swimming against the resistance of water jets!

We’ll take the camera next week because our little pup zooming around a swimming pool after a lump of chicken is just something that has to be seen to be believed! :)

We arrived first, and went for a little wander on the sand to keep Beanie amused. At first she was happy to swap sniffs with other dogs, but then her nose caught a more interesting scent, and she bolted off, apparently towards the car park. I gave chase as best I could (the days when I could out-pace Beanie are long gone!) and as I approached, I realized she wasn’t headed for the car park at all. Nope, she was hunting the Beagle’s natural prey: the picnicker.

As I closed in on her, I could see Beanie had already carried out a successful raid; she had what appeared to be a large pork pie stuck in her mush. I quickened my pace, and in response Beanie speed-swallowed the whole pie (all Beagles can do this – chewing is just too slow when you’re being naughty).

By the time I caught her, she was already heading in for a second raid. I apologized to the picnickers and made a show of being annoyed with Beanie, but really I was annoyed at them. OK, technically it was all my fault, and I should either have perfect control over my dog, or forever keep her on lead. But the reality is that picnickers are a pest, a nuisance to dog-walking society that should be legislated against, along with cyclists, power-walkers and, in the eyes of some, joggers. Personally I can’t honestly condemn joggers as I dabble in jogging myself. But picnickers and cyclists? Hang ‘em, that’s what I say.

But I digress.

OK, so I got Beanie back on her lead, and we wandered around a bit more until Kathleen and Neil arrived with three of their Beagles: Spike, Breac and Tiarnach. We walked the four dogs a good few hundred yards along the beach and then, thinking they were a safe distance from any trouble, we let them all off lead. Almost immediately they all raced back down the beach. In seconds they turned from dogs to matchstick silhouettes, and then to dots on the horizon. They seemed to be heading for something along the water’s edge. Kathleen speculated that it might be a sewage outlet. Nice. We called them, and after minute or so the dots seemed to be heading back towards us. Then one dot, somewhat smaller than the others (and clearly naughtier), turned and headed away from the water, back towards the picnic site. One by one, the three other dots swung round and followed. A massed attack on the picnic site was under way! Needless to say we retrieved our fourlegged hooligans, apologized again, and dragged them even further away from their prey. Happily, the rest of the walk was free of any more food stealing incidents.

It was interesting to see how Beanie interacted with the other Beagles. In the park, she normally involves herself in the pack very quickly. Here, she seemed to be holding back.

Perhaps it was because Breac and Tiarnach are brothers and obviously very close..

..on the other hand, maybe it was because she had a big unmasticated pork pie rolling around in her stomach. Regardless, she earned her membership when the frisbee toy landed a little too far into the sea. Calling on her swimming experience, she waded into the water, grabbed the toy and brought it back onto dry land.

She was now a fully fledged member of the gang,

..and as such, she was allowed to engage in trials of strength with the other members.

Breac and Beanie battle it out. Is this a sign of things to come on the Beagle race track?

All too soon it was time to head back and go our separate ways, leaving the beach safe for picnics once again. But for how long?

As always the beach was deserted, and despite the very high tide Beanie had a superb time.

Looking at the photos Paul took you’d think that our little pup adored me and couldn’t bear to be parted from me. In 90 percent of the snaps she was glued to my side looking at me adoringly.

In actual fact she spent most of her time a mile down the beach from us chasing a galloping horse! She just sprinted back and forth between us and the horse….which was great exercise for her! The only time she stayed still for long enough for Paul to take a photo was when I pulled out a lump of chicken!

She made a couple of new pals – the first one we didn’t get the name of, but he was with the horse:

And then we met 5 month old Tucker the Jack Russell cross :

We also discovered a restaurant on the beach that welcomes dogs! It’s about three miles down the beach from the Harbourside, which means a nice 6 mile walk to burn off all the calories! We haven’t tried it yet, but we’ve heard the food is excellent and quite reasonably priced.

Chasing horses? Me? I’d never do anything naughty like that!!

We went back to Irvine Beach this morning. The BBC Weather tide tables served us well and we had a fair amount of beach to walk on, decent weather and, most importantly, some great chums for Beanie to play with.

Best of all was Bailey – pictured above – a Boxer pup around about the same age as Beanie. They hit it off straight away, playing chase both on the beach and in the water. While rummaging around just offshore, treasure hunter Bailey made a superb find – a battered milk container. The milk inside wasn’t just “off”, it was mature cheese – a true delicacy, and worthy of further chasing.

For me though, there was one really memorable moment on the walk. It happened when we met Rory, a gorgeous fun-loving retriever:

Rory was clearly very at home in the sea, and with a little coaxing Beanie followed him in and actually swam!

The tennis ball that was used for the coaxing (just visible in the above picture) was lost of course. It turns out that although Rory is a Retriever, he doesn’t. Retrieve that is. And as for Beanie, well it’s a small miracle any time we come back from a walk with an intact tennis ball.

Other points to note from this walk:

1. Ben. He was great chum too, and he had a tennis ball that squeaks.
   
2. Seaweed is damn tasty!
3. Beagles can fly:

Finally here’s a slideshow of more shots from the beach.