Every hard-working dog deserves his day at the beach

Every minute of every day, Rudy is on duty.

He guards our bird feeders against prowling cats. He patrols our yard. He follows our 5-year-old son everywhere. And he hovers alertly at mealtime, keeping our floors free of falling food particles.

In short, he works like a dog.

So it's only fair that he gets a vacation every now and then.

Since the rest of his family loves weekend trips to the beach, we've learned how to accommodate our spunky Golden Retriever. In fact, it doesn't feel like a family vacation anymore without him.

Rudy rides along almost everywhere we go, anyway, so he's used to car trips, and he's well-behaved. The only major adjustment we make for long-distance trips is our seating arrangement. On daily errands, Rudy rides in the back seat, next to our son, Carson. On long trips, Rudy rides in the cargo area of our Jeep.

We've taken him twice on beach trips: first to Long Beach, when he was about 6 months old; and then this summer, to Ocean Shores. We learned enough the first trip to make the second one nearly hassle-free - and picked up perhaps the most important lesson of all our last day there.

For the Long Beach trip, Rudy was still too little for big leaps, so he had to be lifted into the back of our Jeep - and then lifted out and back in, every half-hour, for pit stops.

Lesson One: Your trip will go more smoothly if your dog is big enough to get in and out of the car himself. If you feel compelled to travel with him during his lanky teenage years, plan the ins-and-outs before you go so you're not arguing over who gets to hoist the dog during a rainy rest stop.

To keep Rudy amused, we filled his food and water dishes to the brim to last the whole drive. Alas, to keep himself amused, Rudy snorted the food all over the back, and the water sloshed out before we got to the highway.

Lesson Two: Your dog does need food and water during the trip, but not an entire week's worth. Fill one deep, non-slip dish halfway with dry food only, and take a lidded Tupperware dish for water.

During one of our first few stops, Rudy realized he could anticipate freedom. His first clue was when we got out of the car. Being a puppy, he could scoot his snout pretty close to the tailgate, poised to pounce the minute he had clearance. Luckily, he was so stunned by his first successful escape, he didn't run far and we were able to leash him without incident. But it was close enough to be scary.

Lesson Three: Keep a leash on your dog the whole drive (after making sure there's nothing around that it could catch on). It's much easier to grab for three feet of leash than for a bolting mass of dog hair.

We made it to Long Beach, where we stayed at The Breakers, which has pet rooms, nonsmoking rooms and an indoor pool. We requested a room on the third floor, natch, for the best view.

We never would have guessed Rudy would have "a problem" with see-through stairs. He bounded from the car to the stairway like only an excited puppy can, then screeched to a halt at the foot of it when he noticed there were no backs to the stairs.

Time to lift the dog again.

Lesson Four: There really was no way to anticipate this puppy phobia. Sometimes things happen that you never would expect. You just have to deal with them. (By the second day, anyway, Rudy had built up the confidence to climb the stairs.)

At Long Beach, Rudy came with us everywhere, for a couple reasons. One, we weren't sure we could trust him in the room alone. Two, it was rainy and chilly, so we didn't have to worry about leaving him in a hot car while we had dinner or shopped.

In Ocean Shores, though, the sun was out all weekend. He stayed alone in the room, without incident, while we swam in the indoor pool, ate dinner and rode the ferry to Westport for lunch.

Lesson Five: Play hard and tire your dog out before you leave him, so he'll rest while you're gone. Close the curtains, so he won't feel compelled to bark at passing dogs. To protect your dog and any unsuspecting housekeeping personnel, hang the "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door while you're out.

It wasn't until we were back on the beach in Ocean Shores with Rudy that we learned the biggest vacation lesson.

After a tenuous first day with the chilly ocean, Rudy quickly warmed to the concept. He ran after seagulls, even though he had no chance of catching them. He dug up lifeless crab shells, snorted, jumped, wagged and wiggled.

And Sunday morning, in virtual solitude on the beach, our son launched a little piece of driftwood into the water. Rudy leaped in like a lifeguard, rolled with the waves, snatched it from the sea and dropped it at our feet.

He might have a full-time job during the week, but on the weekend, at the beach, Rudy is just a retriever.

IF YOU GO

Here are some pet-friendly motels and hotels in Ocean Shores and Long Beach. Most restrict pets to ground-floor rooms.

In Ocean Shores:

• The Discovery Inn, 1031 Discovery Ave. Summer rates $60-$119; $10 extra per night for a pet. 800-882-8821.

• The Polynesian, 615 Ocean Shores Blvd. Rates $79-$320, $15 extra per night for a pet. 360-289-3361.

• The Sands, 801 Ocean Shores Blvd. Rates $38-$200; $15 per night pet fee. 360-289-2444.

• In addition, http://www.oceanshores.com arranges stays at private homes and condominiums, many of which accept pets. Rates range from $60-$275, with an average $10 per night pet fee. Call 888-70-BEACH.

In Long Beach:

• The Breakers, 26th at Pacific Highway. Rates $59-$225; $10 per night pet fee. 800-219-9833

• Chautauqua Lodge, 304 14th St. N. Rates $35-$150; $8 per night pet fee; 800-506-4320.

• Pacific View Motel, 203 Bolstad Ave. Rates $39-$90; $5 per night pet fee; 800-238-0859.

• Shamen Motel, 115 Third St. S.W. Rates $49-$89; $5.50 one-time fee for pets; 800-753-3750.

• Sand-Lo Motel, 1910 Pacific Hwy. Rates $42-$75; $10 one-time pet fee; 800-676-2601.

• Whales Tale Motel, 620 Pacific W. Rates $29-$70; one dog free, $5 each additional dog; 1-800-55-WHALE.

For humans only:

In Ocean Shores:

• Ride the passenger (and bike) ferry M.V. El Matador to Westport, a quaint fishing village lined with ships and shops. On the ferry, passengers can buy bread for 25 cents and feed the seagulls. The ferry departs several times daily through summer from the Ocean Shores marina and from Westport; $8 round-trip for adults; $5 for children 5 and older; free for children under 5. Call 360-268-0047.

• In Westport, visit the aquarium at 321 Harbor St. E. (360-268-0471). A dozen or so tanks feature eels, crabs and an octopus, and there's a touch tank with starfish, sea anemone and sea cucumbers. Performing seals (Baby, Tiny and Stewart) ring bells, clap, turn around and honk for fish. Admission, which includes a bag of fish parts to feed the seals, is $3 for adults, $2 for children ages 5-16, and free for kids under 4.

• Take a walk along Leadbetter Point, the northern tip of the Long Beach Peninsula, and look for any of 100 or so species of birds. Leadbetter is part park, part refuge; the open dune area on the north end is the Willapa Bay National Wildlife Refuge and is run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The small Snowy Plover bird nests on the upper ocean beach there from April-August, and part of the dunes are closed during that time.

• Tour the North Head Lighthouse, built in 1898. It's open daily through the summer and costs $1. You also can rent the keeper's quarters overnight or use the lighthouse for special events. Call Fort Canby State Park, 360-642-3078.

• Charter a fishing boat. My husband and my dad set sail from Ilwaco and reeled in several gigantic, prehistoric-looking sturgeon. (Sturgeon fishing season is open year-round, and you can catch them without crossing the tricky bar where the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean meet.) Check http://www.funbeach.com (under "charter fishing") for more information.

Where to eat:

In Ocean Shores:

Friday is always pizza night for our family, so we tried Dugan's and were happy we did. Pizza, subs, calzones, wine and salads from $10-$20. Open 3 p.m.-10 p.m. weekdays; 11 a.m.-midnight weekends. 360-289-2330.

With a dog and a 5-year-old, we were up earlier than most tourists, and we had to search to find someplace open for breakfast at 7 a.m. We found the Sandcastle Drive In, 788 Point Brown Ave., a popular spot for locals. Huge pancakes, good coffee. Open 6 a.m.- 8 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and from 6 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Breakfasts around $5; 360-289-2777. The next morning we tried a breakfast buffet at Jimmy D's Country Waffle and Steak House (now called The Beach House) on Point Brown Avenue; $7.95 adults, $2.95 for kids. Open 24 hours on weekends, until 10 p.m. weekdays. 360-289-0218.

The Shilo Inn Restaurant on Ocean Shores Boulevard is a bit fancier but still beach-casual. Dinners $14-$30. Open for breakfast from 7 a.m.-11 a.m., lunch from 11 a.m.- 4 p.m., and dinner from 5 p.m.-10 p.m. 360-289-0567.

In Long Beach:

The Ark Restaurant and Bakery (3310 273rd, Nahcotta; 360-665-4133) is worth the drive - plus you get to gawk at huge piles of clam shells you pass on the way in. Unique Northwest dishes; moderate-expensive. Open from 5 p.m.-10 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; Sunday for brunch from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and Sunday dinner from 4 p.m.-8 p.m.

Dooger's Seafood & Grill, 900 Pacific Hwy. S., Long Beach. Seafood, salads and pasta. Open daily from 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; moderate prices. 360-642-4224.

Nice views, good food at The Lightship Restaurant, atop the Edgewater Inn, 409 10th St. S.W., Long Beach. Open from 8 a.m.-9:30 p.m. daily. 360-642-3252. General information:

Ocean Shores: Call 800-76-BEACH. Web: http://www.oceanshores.org.

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