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Dog Days in Doheny

Posted on October 17, 2008 by: Tropigal

Closest City: Dana Point
State: California
Country: United States

Dog Days in Doheny

Rocket Dog and Tanner pulled up in our ’87 Winnebago, of course with Wayne and I in tow. We arrived at Doheny State Beach on Tuesday afternoon just a little late (check in is at 2:00). We set up camp at site #65 (at Doheny's RV park and campground) and enjoyed the beautiful weather; breezy, sunny and warm. The sun set early, and it got chilly quick. We made some calls to friends and their dogs to come down to the beach; Lisa (River Princess) and Sadie came down to join us! It was their first time to Doheny, how exciting! Our bonfire was brilliant and warm. The other RVers were quiet, different crowd than normal, probably because it’s during the week. The dogs played, wrestled, and covered themselves with dirt and sand, they were happy campers…literally. All that rough-housing made for some tired doggies, they all slept soundly. The next morning the dogs were up early and ready to go…I was not! Lisa and Wayne took all three pooches on a long stroll through and around Doheny State Beach. When they got back, I was finally awake. All 6 of us ate breakfast and decided to go on another walk, this time up Pacific Coast Highway…destination Starbucks. We set off, 1 dog to each person! The dogs all walked well together, occasionally we had to stop for a quick obedience lesson, and then off we went again. We walked up PCH past Crystal Lantern, and Copper Lantern, still no sign of Starbucks, past Del Prado to Golden Lantern, no Starbucks-now Lisa was starving (shocking). So, we headed back down the way we came, new destination Chronic Taco, and conveniently there was an It’s a Grind coffee shop next door (it’s no Starbuck’s, but it’ll do). Like always the dogs made their grand entrance as customers from both establishments “oohed” and “ahhed” about the herd of dogs coming their way. They were all surprisingly well behaved too. Things like “Look at that beautiful dog,” and “That one’s so cute,” and “wow, that one is old,” were heard as we took over an outside table. Of course it was Sadie, a Cava-Poo (King Charles Cavalier and Poodle mix) who gets the beautiful and pretty compliments. That dog carries herself well and fits right in with the Dana Point upper class women. Her well-styled fur blew in the wind, if a dog can be graceful, she is it! And Tanner, our big puppy who just turned 1, gets the “so cute,” “look at those ears,” and “what kind of a dog is that?” comments. He is a mutt, some German Sheppard, some Collie and a whole lot of mutt. He is 61lbs and clumsy. He is like a baby horse that does not understand how to use its limbs yet, even after a year of practice. Now Rocket Dog, he is a fine specimen of a dog, very stoic. He is old, grey, long and fat. He is also a mutt (the best kind of dog I might add) some Weenie Dog and we think some Beagle, and probably a handful of other breeds too. He is exactly that, old, grey, long and fat, and that is exactly what you hear people say about him. Rocket Dog, he’s like a little super hero! Wayne and I get our coffees, Lisa and I get our tacos and the dogs get their water in little plastic cups…of course Tanner knocks them both over, one with his tail and the other with his paw, right into the cup. Lisa refills the cups for them and the cycle continues. The dogs took up the patio between Chronic Taco and It’s a Grind like they owned the place. They basked in the sun and wanted to play with everyone who passed by. Off we went with caffeine in our veins and food in our bellies. The dogs guided us back to the beach like pros, stopping for photo ops every so often, marking their territory as they passed. We stopped at the Butterfly Garden just inside the State Beach entrance and took the dogs on the short tour through the milkweed and flowering bushes. Monarch butterflies flew in and out of the garden and right past the dogs’ noses! Sadie and Lisa had to return to reality shortly after our walk, so the dogs all said their good-byes and we hit the beach! Since no dogs are allowed on the beach, we attempted to leave the dogs at the site as we lounged on the beach. But because Tanner has severe separation anxiety he barked and yipped until Wayne gathered them up and snuck them both on the beach with us. Hidden in the shadows behind our chairs, Rocket Dog fell asleep immediately and Tanner sprawled out between us, belly up! We could see a few other dogs along the beach that were also concealed between beach chairs and tucked under umbrellas, lounging in the sun and sand. I stayed out on the beach soaking up a little more sun after the boys all went in, and I watched the waves crash so hard I swear it shook the sand under me. Right before dinnertime we decided to take the boys on another walk up PCH, this time the destination was a cigar shop Wayne had seen during our earlier walk. “Dana Point Cigar and Wine” was just past Chronic Taco. I stayed with the boys outside on their patio area while Wayne explored the shop. Tanner met a friend and played a bit with a chocolate lab also hanging out on the patio with her owner who was smoking a cigar, they both looked happy. Wayne said the shop had a huge selection, helpful staff, and reasonable prices (keep in mind you get what you pay for). Note to self: I will explore the wine side of that shop on our next trip out. Stopping periodically for picture ops, we ventured back to the RV, making it right in time to see an absolutely beautiful beach sunset. WOW! Another bonfire that night with tired pups stretched out in the dirt marked the end of a wonderful Doheny day. The next morning we repeated our walk up PCH for some coffee…uh-oh sounds like a habit now! The boys met up with more friends along the way, and chased squirrels all the way back to our site. Packing up was quick, but no fun at all (check out was at noon). Finally, we loaded up the dogs and they immediately fell asleep, Rocket Dog on my lap and Tanner curled in a ball on the floor. These were truly Dog Days in Doheny.