Golden Return

Dad was in the red car waiting. Mum was in the house getting ready. I had already heard beach mentioned a number of times and had a good idea what was going on. It was time for our next autumn walk and, this time, we were going back to my favourite place in the world. The Golden Land by the sea.

Naughty dogs on the beach

As soon as I set foot on the beach, Dad removed my lead and I was off across the sand. There was nothing quite like it. I am a Lhasa Apso and we love to run. In the distance, I caught sight of my friend Barney. He is a little Jack Russell, although he had got bigger since I last saw him. I raced over to join him but he was not alone. Aided by his friends, he was chasing a helpless Lhasa Apso puppy all over the beach. The little Lhasa dog was frightened. I made my move and ran in to assess the situation. I needed to stop this bullying. Before I could step in, the gang of bigger dogs terrified the puppy so badly that he ran straight into very serious danger.

Lhasa Apso in trouble

The little dog had ended up running into the sea. I stood at the waters edge not daring to go any further because of what happened to me during the Rescue at Sea when I nearly drowned in the deep water. On that occasion, I was saved by my dear friend, Trevor the Patterdale Terrier who had not hesitated to save me by plunging into the sea and staying with me until it was safe. I looked at the little puppy struggling in the water and knew that I must help him. His human owner was quite old and couldn’t go into the sea herself. It was up to me. I am a Lhasa Apso and we always help in these situations. It all happened very quickly. One moment I was standing on the beach and the next I was up to my ears in the cold water.

In with a splash

When I reached the little dog, I saw that he couldn’t touch the sea bed. He was tiring fast. I managed to get behind him and pushed him towards the shore but then I started to slow down as well. It took all my strength just to keep going. Then I heard a splash beside me and saw Dad up to his knees in the cold water. He picked us both up and then put us down on the dry sand. I felt very cold and Mum wrapped me up in her warm cardigan. The older lady thanked me and Dad for saving her puppy. She gave me a little kiss. I think Mum was very proud of me too. I looked around for Barney but he was nowhere to be seen. Lucky for him! I will be having words with that dog very soon.

Conquering your fears

When we were in the car on the way home, Dad put the heater on to dry my fur but I was more than happy to be warm and safe in Mum’s arms. When I thought about what had happened, I realised that I was no longer frightened of the sea and I couldn’t wait for my next visit.