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My Dog Bailey Playing at the Coronado Dog Beach

Amongst all the big news lately – the new studio, the grand opening, the press & features – I thought it was time for a just-for-fun blog post. So today I don’t have any stop-the-presses news to report; I just wanted to share with you my dog Bailey’s first trip to the Coronado Dog Beach! I think it’s important not to get bogged down in all the chaos of work, and just escape every now and then. Especially when pet photography is my specialty – there’s a LOT of fun places to escape to in San Diego! (And to be honest… let’s just say I need to be taking my own advice right about now!) So here are a few photos from Bailey’s first foray into the Coronado waters.

 

She had a great time running around and stretching her legs. Is she athletic or what?! Honestly, I don’t take her to the dog beach enough…  she always has the BEST time just sprinting up & down the sand!

fast dog running

 

It was a cloudy, completely overcast day. Which is good & bad for photography, actually: good because there are no harsh shadows and I can shoot from just about any angle. Not so good because it means no blue skies or blue water. So, a trade-off.

 coronado dog beach

 

So, when there aren’t any pretty colors: black & white! :)

black and white coronado dog photography

 

black and white pet photography

I love the Hotel Del in the background… what a gorgeous beach.

coronado dog beach view

 

This, however, is what Bailey loves to do more than ANYTHING. Ugh. I can’t do anything but sit back and watch her, thinking, “oh, yeah, that’s good, I’m glad you got that little spot on top of your head/on your side/in your ear. You had missed it in the first thirty seconds of rolling around like that. I hope no owners forgot about their dog’s poop that happened to be right underneath you. This just sealed the deal on your bath, missy.”

sand rolling dog

 … sigh. That’s my girl.

 

If you’ve been reading the blog for a few weeks now, you know that I’m trying to encourage Bailey to develop her social skills a bit. She’s a happy, friendly dog, but sometimes we have not-so-nice interactions with other friendly dogs that leave me scratching my head. I just don’t know what will set her off. (It only happens 5% of the time, if that, but I’m having trouble understanding why.) Lately, I’ve learned (upon paying close attention) that Bailey is a little more likely to be unfriendly to a new dog when she’s already in a stressful situation, or when that dog approaches her too quickly. So, I’m glad that I’m learning about her triggers, so I can help prevent these negative types of situations.

At the dog beach, it’s a happy place and Bailey can aways see other dogs coming from a ways off, so she’s never grumpy or rushed. Which is great! I’m fascinated to watch her play with other dogs there. Sometimes she’s super-outgoing…

dogs playing beach

and sometimes she just skulks around like this. What a weirdo. Look at that face! Skulker.

timid dog behavior

She wants to play with most other dogs, but her ridge will often come up. (we think she’s mostly Rhodesian ridgeback, so her ridge gets HUGE when she’s agitated.) Often, though, she seems to “tough it out” and play – even though she’s on edge.

beach dogs playing

If she finds a dog she likes, she’ll get submissive and start licking their mouth.

dog behavior coronado

And then when she feels REALLY submissive, she’ll just lay down. And get pawed in the face, apparently! (I couldn’t switch to my zoom lens in time to capture this moment… wish I could have been closer up! What a goof!)

dog behavior coronado beach

And although she doesn’t fetch, she’ll always try and “intercept” dogs that do. I can’t figure out this inclination, either!

two dogs running beach

dogs running coronado beach

dogs playing beach

dog running beach

dog ball beach

 In general, though, I’m definitely seeing improvement in Bailey’s short-term visits with other dogs! I just want my girl to be happy, so this is great to see.

dogs playing water beach

Okay – so apparently my dog looks like she has rabies every time she shakes. Awesome.

a dog shakes water

When we adopted her, the rescue organization’s guess at her breed was “mastiff”. Probably not the case, but look at those mastiff-like jowls! :)

shaking dog

We finished our morning by breaking out the ol’ fisheye lens for a few fun shots…

dog photography fisheye

fisheye dogs playing

Goofball!

funny fisheye dog photo

 

Thanks for reading! I’m glad you’re here – even though every blog post isn’t newsworthy, I’m happy you take the time to visit. More fun stuff is coming soon! :)

 

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Allison Shamrell Pet Photography
Call: 619.357.6624 // Email: Allison@AllisonShamrell.com // Visit: 11828 Rancho Bernardo Road, Suite 204, San Diego, CA 92128
Voted San Diego's Best Pet Photographer, by the San Diego A-List, since 2014
© Allison Shamrell Photography, 2022

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5 Responses to “My Dog Bailey Playing at the Coronado Dog Beach”

  1. Elaine says:

    These are adorable of your girl ! She deserves pet photos all the time. Her behaviors remind me so much of Daly. I blame everything on being a rescue and not knowing anything about the first few months. Don’t we just love ‘en though. I love the fish eye lens !!

  2. Deb Pose says:

    So cute that Bailey is a sweetheart. I’m so glad that you are loving it there. I mean really how could one not love San Diego? Loved those pics of Bailey having a great day. Deb

  3. Kelly says:

    First: I love the second from first photo! Second: About the socialization – Florida is a lot like Bailey apparently. She is also super friendly most of the time, but reacts much the same way as you have described in this post. Rebecca over at Best Paw described her as “Highly Reactive” a.k.a. a drama queen. She is almost identical to Bailey in her behavior at the dog park, except the fetching part. Florida is half retriever so she is ball obsessed at the park; however, Gator feels he MUST intercept her every single time, just like Bailey. Gator we think has shepherd and hound, so I kind of get it. Thanks for posting, it’s always nice to know my babies “aren’t the only ones”! P.S. Hope to see some new project updates soon! ;)

    • Allison says:

      That’s funny! Sounds like Bailey’s behavior is almost a mix between Florida’s & Gator’s. I just wish I knew what goes through her little head. Glad you liked the post! And yes – the secret project won’t be a secret much longer! :)

  4. […] the feline gallery, of course! But the truth is, I don’t have a golden retriever. I just have my Bailey, and I’m sure she doesn’t have any golden mixed in her heritage. However, I loooooove […]

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