A smile so radiant it's almost un-doglike

Showers in the bathroom or getting hosed down at the front door,
he's just not that into it.

But when faced with the ocean, which should just be a giant mass of water,
he leaps into the waves with high spirits and eager anticipation.

Even when he gets swept away by a big wave, he doesn't mind,
and keeps splashing along the shoreline where the waves crash over his back.

I call out, worried.

"Riku!"

With his long tongue lolling out, he comes running over with
the best smile I've never seen at home.

That expression is not like a dog's.

He's not a dog anymore. It's the face of an old, dear friend.

As I'm thinking this,

he zips right past my feet.

"Not done yet!"

he seems to say, as he charges back toward the waves.

"Dad! Thanks!"
"This is so much fun!"
"Let me play a little longer!"

Those words raced through my mind.

Still, I'm worried about heatstroke and heat exhaustion.
After all, he's pitch black, so he loves the sun and absorbs it all!

His peak should come faster than a human's.

"We're going home!"

I say, turning my back on him and starting to walk.

After a while,
I hear his breathing, heavier than before, and the sound of sand scattering as he approaches.

"Good boy!"
"You played a lot!"
"You're all wet and sandy!"

I say that while patting his head and attaching the leash.

On the beach on the way back, he's like a well-trained, model dog.
He walks right by my side, matching my pace perfectly.

"Let's come back again!"
"The ocean. It's so much fun!"
"Let's come back again in the car!"

That smile, so radiant it's beyond canine, is burned into my memory,
and it's just too adorable.

You can see more of my doting pet-parent side here (lol).
Please feel free to take a look.

#LifeWithMyDog
#BlackLab
#LoveTheOcean
#ASummerMoment
#SmileBeyondCanine
#ExpressionBeyondCanine
#Adorable
#DotingPetParent
#PoeticProse