A table for three please!

 

Elsa making herself comfortable with her Brad. 

 

Last night Elsa and I drove up the coast to Huntington Beach.  My son lives there so we were visiting.  She had never been to Brad's new place so we stopped there before heading to dinner.  Elsa is an intense dog; always at a high level of awareness.  As we entered Brad's house she immediately dropped her head and began the scenting.  A second later she was open mouth smiling at Brad.  (wish I could have captured it but she was speeding around)  Huge open mouth toothy grins directed at one of her very favorite humans.  One of Brad's roommates also received a few big grins as well. 

 

She checked out the entire house, diving on Brad's bed and viewing the surroundings out the windows.  Then she flew down the stairs and waited for direction.  Outside again and up a couple of blocks to the Zimzala Restaurant and Bar at the Shorebreak Hotel which is a VERY dog friendly hotel and restaurant. 

 

The hostess brought us to a tall table which didn't seem appropriate being that we were with Elsa  I asked if we could have a couch area instead.  Well, Elsa made herself at home immediately.  Our waitress was wonderful; in fact Elsa came unglued each time she appeared.  I'm sure she thought that these people in black shirts were sent from heaven; they always arrived with food in hand.  It took until the end of our meal for Elsa to stop wagging at our waitress each time she came to the table. 

 

As soon as we sat down the waitress appeared with three bowls of water.  She placed one down for Elsa and made her way to the other tables where dogs were dining. 

 

 

Going over the dog menu with Elsa.  She's thinking. 

 

 

 

We went with the Nibbles and Bits.  I was going to get Elsa the yogurt dipped bacon but she needed a good dinner. 

 

The potatoes looked so good I was tempted to grab one out of the bowl. 

 

After Brad cut up her food so that it would cool; she dove in, no questions asked.

 

 

 

Shorebreak Hotel goes above and beyond as far as dog friendly.  We will be making this our "go to" place with Elsa.  They not only allow dogs to accompany you but make you and your dog feel very welcome.  The service is great, super friendly and accommodating. 

 

Taking your dog out for excursions like this is really good for them.   Some dogs can go anywhere and don't seem bothered by their surroundings; while others are constantly aware, that is Elsa.  She is always watching; she never misses a thing and is constantly assessing, sort of like her Mom (me, not her real Mom).  I'm sure next time we arrive she'll have her napkin on her lap and ready to dig in.   

                                 
                                    The view from our table, not too shabby. 

Cannon Beach, OR

 

This beach was spectacular.  The picture is taken at Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach, OR.  There were many dogs enjoying the beach which made me miss Luke and Elsa even more than I already was.  I will be back with them to enjoy this beach soon. 

 

I spent yesterday in Cannon Beach, OR.  All I can say is that it is breathtakingly beautiful; that and very, very dog friendly.  I am so impressed and excited when I find new dog friendly cities.  I had heard that it was very dog friendly but I always have to experience it for myself.  Dog friendly does not mean the same thing for everyone. 

 

 

 

As soon as we arrived it was obvious that this was somewhere that people bring their dogs; there were dogs everywhere.  We quickly found a spot to have a bite at the Local Grill & Scoop.  As we walked up onto the deck there were two families leaving with their dogs.  Another dog sat tied, looking anxious but quiet as he sat alone, waiting for his owner to return.  (Another blog in the future on this subject)

 

After we sat and dug into our lunch; three other dogs arrived with their owners.  The seating area was small and there were four dogs in attendance.  Not a peep was heard by any of the dogs.  I was so impressed by the manners of these dogs that I had to ask if I could grab a quick shot of two.  Sadly my good camera was in the car so these are just cell phone shots.  Plus it looks like maybe some of my lunch was on the lens.  :)   The above gal is Billy, an adorable Old English Sheepdog who was on her best behavior and sweet as can be.

 

 

This little lady sat in silence right behind my chair.  Had I not seen her arrive out of the corner of my eye I would have never known that she was there.  She was an adorable Miniature Australian Shepherd. 

 

You could have come in, sat and eaten lunch without ever knowing there were dogs there.  This is so wonderful to see; but how do you get your dog to be so well behaved?  Exposure and training.  It was quite obvious that all of the dogs who were sitting so quietly were accustom to accompanying their humans on their outings.   When a city is dog friendly it enables people to expose their dogs to much more; which creates more well adjusted dogs.  Teaching dogs to sit quietly while you have lunch takes time and experience.  The more outings you have the easier it gets. 

 

 

 

This excerpt was taken from the City of Cannon Beach, OR website. 

 

Dogs on the Beach

Dogs are allowed on the beach, as long as they are on a leash or under voice control of the owner. It is the owner's responsibility to ensure that the dog is physically controlled.
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Nice, very nice.  All the dogs that were on the beach yesterday were either on a leash or very well behaved.  One little German Pinscher ran around the beach off leash totally ignoring all the other dogs.  Even when a young American Bulldog lunged at the end of his leash trying to play; the German Pinscher completely ignored him and continued on with his human. 

What a great beach; I cannot wait to bring Luke and Elsa here.