February Beach Outings

I pretty much only went to the beach as a kid in the summer. Or in summer-like weather, which is pretty much year-round in Florida! I have to say though, the beach in the winter up here is turning out to be some of my favorite times by the water. The beaches here in Connecticut allow dogs on the beaches in the off-peak seasons and it is the best.

I take the dogs as often as I can when the weather allows. If it’s sunny, I can handle 45-degrees or warmer. It’s a bit of a production to get the dogs in the car and then back in the car plus then there’s all the sand to deal with. So if I can’t stand to be outside for more than 30 minutes without turning into a snowman, then I hold off. Luckily, we’ve been getting a few “gem” days of winter warmth.

We’re all about it! Last week it was so warm that the beach was packed with kids in bathing suits… It certainly didn’t look like February.

Also, are these not the happiest dogs you’ve ever seen?

I always wear some kind of waterproof boot. I picked my Hunter Tour boots for this beach trip. They’re so much easier to rinse off when they inevitably get coated in sand… and I almost always have to wade through some water to retrieve a ball. Teddy and Ham will go swimming for a ball, but they have been known just to decide to not go in out of the blue.

I actually get a lot of questions about their harnesses. I bought them on Amazon because I couldn’t find good harnesses for them in stores. These are the best because they’re easy to slip on. If anyone has a dog, you know how important it is to be able to get the dogs in and out easily! I like this particular style because there’s only one snap. One thing to note, they’re intended for puppies, so the size is not what you’re used to… make sure you actually measure your dog and refer to their size chart!

I mostly wear a Patagonia puffer to the beach, but with this semi-warm weather, I’ve been able to get away with a sweater and a Barbour.

I legit want to get Ham into agility classes. The pup can fly.

Love this photo so much because usually Teddy is the one with the ball, but I secretly love it when Ham gets it because Teddy will chase him around for a while. Tires both of them out so much! And their ears hahaha!

Barbour // Striped Sweater (also similar) // Jeans (c/o) // Boots