Alice's 1st Beach Trip! 4th of July Update

We took Alice on her first beach adventure for the 4th of July!

We planned on spending the entire 4th of July on the coast, wanting to make sure we got home after the fireworks, so we took our time, stopping at some hiking trails. This picture was taken on the Cape Lookout trail. It's a gorgeous trail that we haven't hiked since Zoe was an only dog!

Cape Lookout Trail is where a lot of people come to whale watch!

The girls had a blast exploring this "new to them" trail. The trail was super narrow and so busy with other people and dogs. The girls did really well. We did have a few moments where Alice got overly excited but she didn't react and ate all the boiled chicken I shoved in her face. Most of the time the girls just cooperated and moved off the trail to eat while other dogs passed. I am so proud of them.

Alice was super excited when we finally made it to the beach! 

There were smells and sand and dead things to eat! Woohoo!

Run, Phoenix! RUN!

Phoenix is the only one with a reliable recall, so she's allowed off the leash.

There were sisters to play with! 

At one point, Zoe pounced on Alice and said "this is where we play!"

It's been so cute how Zoe has finally accepted Alice into our family! 

Just Zoe and her mini me.

Phoenix just wants to play fetch at the beach!

We practiced lots of recalls! This little dog loves chicken. 

At one point I felt safe enough to drop the leash and she came right back when I called her.

Waves are weird and wet!

Being brave because "sisters". 

Unfortunately we walked too far south and ran into some people with illegal fireworks. Cannon Beach is a Nature Reserve and they don't allow them so I thought we'd be safe. We couldn't get away quickly enough. The girls were exposed to around 4-6 big booms and they were very scared. I had to carry Alice for about a mile because I was worried she'd slip her harness. I'm glad she's little!

It took us about 2 hours to hike back to our car. We did see some recovery in that time. I was able to get their meds into them and they were feeling better after they kicked in. We spent the rest of the evening in the car watching the sunset. Luckily no more fireworks! We made it home just after midnight and our street was covered in firework debris. Even with the few booms we dealt with at the beach, I truly believe it was better than staying home and listening to them all day. Zoe actually ate her food the next day and that hasn't happened in the 8 years we've had her. 

We are planning on going to the beach again soon so that we can make sure those booms did not leave a lasting impression on anyone. We want Alice to love the beach as much as we do.

Since coming home we haven't really had a break from any of the noise, our neighbors are still lighting something off every night. Alice has become really sensitive to loud noises, including the airplanes that fly over. I hope we get a break soon and we're able to work on it. Just like other times when she gets upset about something, she won't take food. I have learned to hate the 4th of July.