It was hot, the air was heavy and languid, and none of us felt like moving. The dog days of summer had arrived, bringing heat and lethargy, so there was only one antidote….some sea air.
The dogs had been snoozing and panting in the shade all day, but as soon as their paws hit the cool sea water they sprang back to life. While Maisie was content to simply stand belly deep in the gentle waves cooling off, Molly and Willow had a race.
Stretching their muscles and legs as far as they could reach, they thundered down the sand, along the edge of the sea as though their life depended on it. Throwing up the water behind her Molly caught up with her mother, and you can feel her glee as she comes alongside.
Pulling into the lead she pounds through the waves, forgetting the heat and the sun as she plays in the water. The cool ocean is the perfect place to breath some energy back into over heated bodies.
The extra heat at this time of year was believed to come from the brightly burning Dog Star, Sirius, which rose alongside the sun during these 40 days of summer. Combined with the sun, the heat of Sirius was seen as so intense that lethargy fell across the earth, and dogs turned mad. Looking at my two careering through the waves you might be inclined to believe the legend, after all there’s a thin line between fun and madness.
On the return leg of the race Willow pulled ahead, long and lean she cut through the waves, feeling pleasure with each paw beat. Soaked by their own spray the dogs were happy, cool and stress free, despite the summer heat, so I decided to join them in the water. The coast really is the best place to be, to love and enjoy the long hot dog days of summer.
see more summer lovin’ photos at the WP Weekly Challenge
And here’s another Dog Days response to the challenge.
And here is a lovely response based on cows…
breathofgreenair 
Happiness!
Looks like “GLEE” in action!
Glee in action is the perfect description for my dogs lots of he time 🙂
Yes it just sprang into my little head! Thanks Seonaid!
This post clearly hit the spot with all of us! The photos are wonderful and they surely share the joy of the moment!
Splashing in the waves is fun for everyone on a hot summers day…..but the dogs just always look like they’re having twice as much fun 🙂
Such infectious joy!!! A delightful series Seonaid 🙂
Thanks so much, infectious is the perfect description for the smiles which the dogs bring 🙂
The dogs look full of joy and delight. The sea perks me up, too. 🙂
The sea is just so refreshing Robin…and dogs and the sea always make for smiles and fun 🙂
Nice sequence, Seonaid. 🙂
Thanks Stefano, they were very cooperative subjects!!
Ahhhhhhhhhh …. many thanks for this refresher … and, by the way, great action photos of your always-wonderful-to-see companions. D
Delighted to have refreshed you, and so glad you like seeing the dogs again. I was playing around with panning and trying to capture the splash, and the wet sand reflections 🙂
The coast is definitely the best place to be in a heatwave. We are in Dubrovnik right now, and dipping into the cooling Adriatic every day. Instant relaxation and ear to ear smiles when we are bobbing in this crystal, turquoise water. If we could get away with it (and no rocks and pebbles) I’m sure we would be racing and thundering along the shoreline too. Molly and Willow look so free!
It sounds wonderful Kellie….you’re bringing back memories of last summer for me 🙂 Such a beautiful place, and the view you posted from your balcony looks amazing…..an even better coast than our home grown one, to relax and play in. Will you try the kayaking….oh and congrats on the second freshly pressed!
Sirius-ly, this is a refreshing post! Made me wish there was a body of water I could run along and dive into and then shake off like a dog! 😀
Delighted to have refreshed you…Sirius-ly!
Sorry you don’t live near water….we are never very far from the coast in Scotland because we have such a crinkly coastline….and then there are the fresh water lochs……but I do love the image of you shaking off water like a dog 🙂
Yes, dogs day. I love watching them play on the water and beaches. Great post.
They are such fun to watch….they bring a smile to my lips each time. Dogs and water make a great combination 🙂
What a wonderful afternoon! There is nothing quite like a dogs absolute joy in play. 🙂
That’s so true….utterly happy running in their bodies playing in the waves. We could learn a lot from dogs 🙂
I can feel the cool ocean breeze and feel the water splashing off the dogs as they race. I love watching your dogs and enjoying your beautiful photography. Believe me, if you felt an elf spying on all of you, that was ME! I was wandering along the beach yesterday too and the breeze felt stupendous. Have fun drying off the dogs before they return home! 😉
I’m delighted that the photos transport your senses Gwynn, and that you enjoyed this series of ocean fun fun so much. It was lovely to have you watching elf like over our shoulders 🙂 That sea breeze is wonderful……and it helps get the worst of the water out of the dogs coats before we get back to the car!
Your gorgeous dogs! Amanda, my old beardie, and Mille, just loved playing in the water. You have captured that feeling of all smiles, freedom and joy. Thank you for sharing! And the sand – I know all about that…
Playing in the water is so much fun, especially if you’re covered in fur! We must walk by the sea with the dogs on your next trip to Scotland 🙂
I’m already thinking about it! That, would mean mindfulness to me.
A marvellous series and beautifully captured moments. I can feel the race, feel the waves, and feel the love as Molly looks over her shoulder at her mother. Truly, in that moment, there is Summer Lovin’ and so much more.
Dale that over the shoulder love is so tangible, and just like all mothers mostly Willow is very patient with her daughter, but sometimes she craves a little space 🙂
This race through the waves was so much fun, and I’m delighted to hear that you felt there with us. Thanks for the thoughtful comment.
The Ocean is so life affirming, isn’t it? I’m happy to read and see your pups so joyfully playful. I understand the dog days of summer. The heat just seems to melt our energies.
Life affirming is the perfect way to describe the ocean…..also for me it’s soothing and releasing….but on hot summer days it’s just so refreshing. It refreshes the senses which have been melted to snoozing in the summer heat. Cool therapy, as another reader said 🙂
Cool therapy, I can appreciate.
Oh my gosh Seonaid, they look SOOOO happy, you’ve really captured their joy! Great response.
Tina, they really are brimming with joy as they splash through the waves. The freedom and the coolness all helped, but I’m convinced that dogs de-stress when they run like this….and of course their joy is infectious 🙂
A delightful, wonderful post, Seonaid! You’ve made the dog days bearable.
Well I’m delighted to hear that John, it was lots of fun and the perfect way to cool down on a hot sticky afternoon 🙂
They really look like they were having fun 🙂
Colline they really were, and so happy to be cool 🙂
I had lots of fun just being there with them!
Fabulous – looks like they have overdosed on Bounce 🙂
Perhaps I need to look at how much Bounce I’m feeding them!
I think they were just so happy to be cool 🙂
So lovely. Your photos of your dogs really capture your love for them as well as their personalities. I love the way you have woven in the information about Sirius into your post. Very clever indeed. 🙂
Thanks Suzanne, I always love to know and share the stories and origins of words and sayings…..deeply fascinating to me, so I’m delighted someone else enjoys that too 🙂
As for the dogs, they really are such individual characters and so full of love and joy…it’s infectious 🙂
🙂
These captures brought me morning smiles! Love, love to see how they run happily 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing, Seonaid ~
Amy I’m so happy to hear that the photos gifted you with morning smiles….they’re the best aren’t they?
Watching the dogs running like this brings me such joy…..it’s impossible not to smile 🙂
I agree… Great post! 🙂
Sea air perks us all up. 🙂
It really does, and always gives me a great appetite too 🙂
… feeling bowled along with all the freshness and vitality in your pictures Seonaid .
Perfect cool therapy 🙂
Cool therapy indeed….just what was needed 🙂
I loved the beach, but your lavender farm shots have me purple with envy….the scent must have been incredible. Did you sleep well that night?
You’ve captured pure joy! These photos definitely made me smile.
That’s great to hear. It’s hard not to smile when you’re watching them have so much fun 🙂
What a refreshing, lovely ❤ post, Seonaid! Your dogs are gorgeous. Great that they have each other for company and fun. I'm off to a little lake nearby Bonn where my Golden can go for a swim. He's 10 years today and water, swimming and cooling off is the best way to celebrate.
Wishing you a cool Sunday,
Dina and Franco
🙂
Water sounds like the perfect birthday gift for you lovely dog…..our third dog who you don’t see in the images, is 13 and she likes to stand and cool off rather than racing up and down the sand 🙂
Enjoy your lake visit, and stay cool….
Thank you! 😊
Wonderful shots… I dop wish Ani and I were closer to the sea….x
Thanks Sue, I do feel lucky having the sea so close, but of course lots of the sand comes back to the house…..I think we’re starting a new beach here at home 🙂
hey, I’m miles from the sand, I just get mud 🙂