Bingley's beach bonanza

There’s a secluded little cove not far from Souter, and many local dog walkers seem to stop off there during their saunters. It’s a pebbly little place, sheltered and private; when it’s warm most dogs seem to enjoy basking on the flat rocks, or bathing in the shallow waters.

Bingley of course is a different kind of dog. As far as he was concerned the flat rocks were places to bound across, and the waters edge something to eye with wary respect. Unlike other dogs, what he found most appealing was kelp!

I don’t think that he spotted it himself, and maybe he wouldn’t even have noticed it if I hadn’t drawn his attention to its existence. But having forgotten to take a ball with me, I went looking around for something safe to throw. Kelp seemed ideal: not as sharp and dangerous as a stick, but hefty enough to go the distance.

And chase it Bing did; and catch it Bing did. But that’s where the game ended, because once he got it in his mouth he realised that this was going to go straight onto his list of Good Stuff.

Crunchy, chewy heaven! He spent the rest of the visit tracking down more and more of this wonderful stuff, and he only stopped when we dragged him away from his last mouthful.

Kelp is good for us, I’ve been told; and is presumably good for dogs as well. Once home I double checked just to be on the safe side, and was relieved to find that my instinct had been right.

I’m happy for Bingley to be a kelp enthusiast: following his diffidence regarding the waves, it’s nice to think that he might be an old sea dog after all.