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AUGUST 19,2011
WWW.JUSTOUT.COM
When Life’s Not A Beach, Find One
Standing on the shore of the mighty Colum
bia River, I pitched an orange ball with all my
not-a-softball-player strength. My sleek red-
haired pitbull, Kelley, launched herself into the
water with gusto. Fresh air, solitude, a dog,
waves lapping at my feet, this was the kind of
soul-soothing beach excursion I craved.
The call had come— unexpected—the day
before in the middle of a bright summer after
noon. My 10-year-old son, our brindle pitbull
Izzy (we have three, in assorted colors) and I
were doing a little firsthand research on beach
walking with dogs for this column. At Cannon
Beach the air was warm, water was cool, and
sand was hot. W ith Izzy straining at her leash,
we navigated the throngs packing the stretch of
coastline— swimmers, sand castle builders, sun-
bathers, toddlers dashing to and fro without so
much as a glance in our direction.
I longed to let Izzy run free, but the crowds
dictated a more conservative approach. Nor
mally, this irks the hell out of me. But the heav
ens had deigned to grant us a clear blue sky
scented with fresh salt breezes, and the sudden
recovery from a long, dreary winter and spring
made me feel magnanimous. I had no idea that
clouds would soon darken the horizon.
“It’s bad news.” W hen I answered the cell
phone, my little sister’s voice was hushed and
hard to hear, and my heart rate picked up. O ur
B Y M A R Y M A N D E V IL L E ,
edge— alone as far as I could see in any direc
tion. An easygoing breeze ruffled my hair. The
cry of a fishing osprey sliced the silence. A wide
sand beach spread out from Kelley and me in
either direction, belonging only to us for the
moment. Kelley hadn’t had to trudge along cap
tive to her leash, hobbled by my lumbering two-
legged gait. We shared less time in the car and
more time romping together as wild things.
Jogging up and down the shoreline with my
pooch, I realized the most fabulous beaches
for jaunts with canine pals are right under
neath our feet— beaches that will ease the
sting from life’s sharpest arrows. The most
brilliant dog park I’ve found in three states ex
ists on the edge o f our own to\vn. Thousand
Acres (at Exit 18 off Highway 84) is a desig
nated off-leash dog park. It covers 1,400 acres,
provides access to both the Sandy and Colum
bia rivers and offers chances for social interac
tion or complete solitude.
At the best o f times, I hate to limit a dog
to what she can experience from the end o f a
leash. A t the worst o f times, I need the com
pany o f a free dog whose joy is contagious.
Beach outings to soothe a troubled soul and
crack a wide canine grin await— right out our
back door. JjB]
of dog capers. If that’s your thing— maybe you
have a sweet little Shih Tzu whose needs can be
w ith m y p o och , I realized th e m ost
mostly met at the end o f a leash, or a Yellow lab
fabulous beaches for jaunts with canine everybody thinks is Marley— then pack up your
stuff and your dog and head off for a glorious
pals are right u n derneath our feet.
time. Enjoy Ecola, or any other state park,
other sister had been diagnosed with breast where Oregon statutes require that dogs must
cancer 16 months earlier and though she’d be kept on a 6-foot lead at all times. O r hit the
had good reports so far, my stomach dropped. sand and surf at Cannon Beach, Seaside, Lin
coln City, Tillamook or Newport, where leash
“She has a brain tumor.”
We spoke for several minutes and I vaguely laws are a tad less rigorous.
recall it involving shouted “no”s, kicked sand, a
If, like me, you yearn for wide open spaces,
wide-eyed 10-year-old and a flat-eared pitbull long stretches o f empty beach where you can
pulling at her leash. Upon updating my son, dash into the edge o f the receding tide, and a
he and I decided our afternoon was done, that place where your well-mannered (or maybe
we should get a bite to eat and head on home. not so much) dog can frolic as a free being,
By the time we pulled into Seaside for dinner, you’ll need to search out a quieter spot. M an-
fog had rolled in out of nowhere and the sky zanita is less crowded, so is Arch Cape or
had turned gray and ominous. Suddenly the Rockaway. Here you can likely unclip your
90-plus minute drive, complete with delays dog’s leash and revel in the unbridled glee an
for roadwork, felt too heavy a price to pay for emancipated canine will so easily share with
a less-than-hearty romp on the beach.
you. Don’t forget drinking water for your
No denying, the Oregon coastline is magnif pooch, as the ingestion o f too much salt water
icent, sea air and crashing waves replenish body will result in a sort o f purging from both ends
and soul. But fine weather turns most ocean that is more pleasant for everyone if. avoided.
beaches close to Portland into leash-only kinds
The morning after the call, I stood at river’s F in d M a r y
J o g g in g up a n d d o w n th e shoreline
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Saturday, August 27, 2011
$10, Doors at 5pm, Pageant 6pm
A benefit for the Trevor Project
Embers Avenue, 110 NW Broadway, Portland, Oregon