The Ocean, a Little White Fluffy Thing, and Tragedy

Yesterday, Tim and I went to Pearl Beach on the Central Coast. It's a beautiful beach which is also somewhat dog-friendly. Sammy and Karma love beaches, especially when Tim takes them on a good long walk. I think the salt air makes them even sillier than usual. We last visited Pearl Beach Christmas Day 2005, when Tim's son, Gavin, and nephew, Ben, were visiting.

The tragedy happened yesterday when a tiny white fluffy dog (Maltese, Shitsu, Fox Terrier cross), got chased into the surf by a Staffie puppy, and was instantly swallowed up by the huge surf. The surf was much worse than it was two and a half years ago. On that day, Ben and Gavin went swimming and we also easily got our kayaks into the water. Yesterday, however, you could see the rip tides and the surf was breaking so close to the shore - well, the little thing didn't have a chance (it probably weighed two kilos soaking wet).

The dog looked similar to this:

Although this just isn't something you expect to happen, I talked to a couple of "locals" who were walking past, and they mentioned that this wasn't an isolated event. Anyway, Tim and I kept scanning the water with the owners looking for the little dog, but we all finally had to give up and head for home.