Making of a Merdog

I’m fairly convinced that I was a mermaid in a past life, and it’s natural for me to be at the beach as much as possible in this one. The ocean is my happy place, which always leads to happy art.

Now, I got my dog, Star, six years ago. She was a farm girl, but has been getting acclimated to beach life. She is my favorite muse, so it’s helpful to have her be happy, too.

The first time I took her to the beach was when she was about seven months old. Star loved playing in the sand and basking in the sun. She was deeply apprehensive about the ocean, though. We managed to get feet and paws wet, but that was it for the day. Each trip for the next year or so was the same – Star would play in the sand, dip her paws in the water to cool off, then pull back slightly while I tried to go in up to my ankles.

Slowly, she became braver and would venture a little further. Of course, Star only did this when very few people were around and tried to avoid me getting video proof. The more crowded the beach, the less likely she would be to go in the ocean. This is still the case.

Last year, Star picked the coldest day of winter with water temperatures hovering around 20℉ to go full speed into the ocean. She played and splashed and looked very pleased with herself. I was so proud of her. I did tell her I’m more of a warm-weather mermaid and we should play like that during summer, but she didn’t listen. Beach walks involved me switching from my patent leather combat boots (took a week to dry) and jeans to water shoes and quick-dry leggings, followed by chicken soup for the both of us.

Now that there's warm weather, Star gets excited when she sees me put on a swimsuit and grab her life jacket. She knows the sound of me pouring water into bottles for us and is patient while I apply sunscreen to her. As soon as we hit the beach, she starts rolling around in the sand without a care in the world. Star gives me just enough time to set up my beach chair (she shuns her cooling pad), then she pulls me into the ocean up to her belly if the water is calm enough, otherwise she goes in ankle-deep. We rest for a bit, then go Splashy Splashy again.

When she decides she’s done for the day, Star and I stroll the boardwalk while she dries off. I immediately start planning when we can have our next beach day. And maybe next year, or the year after that, she’ll be willing to go further in the ocean. But for now, she’s just beginning to fully embrace being a merdog and I’m totally here for it.